Independence Missouri...full of history

This is Winter Quarters Visitor center in Independence Missouri. Inside were sister missionaries several from Utah teaching many fun stories about some of the old things used during this era.
We learned many things. There was a shovel that was worn so badly, it had been used to bury the dead along the trails and touched me deeply.
While standing next to the story of how the song Come Come Ye Saints came about , the choir was asked to sing this song.I was in another area & Shellie had called to check on us right before they started singing and I totally could not talk when I heard their beautiful and unexpected singing...shellie kept saying "mom, mom, mom are you there?" I was too choked up to even talk and I was glad to be wearing some big sunglasses. It was one of the most beautiful experiences on the trip. Willian Clayton wrote this famous song upon learning that his wife he had left behind in nauvoo had just given birth to a son. It has been a favorite of mine since childhood and was sung at each of the 7 concerts. It's so appropriate since we were following the Mormon trail and then this is the week (as I write this) that we celebrate Pioneer Days.

Bronze handcart representing the Pioneer families leaving their beautiful homes, farmlands & city heading West to "This is the Place" Utah. I still don't know if I would of had the courage to leave. I thank them & respect them from the bottom of my heart for all their long hard suffering and losses.



Carl standing next to the LDS Temple right near the visitor center and cemetary, isnt it beautiful and its smaller than the ones we have here in Utah. All the states we visited were so beautiful with their wooded hills, so green...however HOT & HUMID. I begged Carl not to sweat...he did anyway!



Standing on the hillside where Joseph Smith had dedicated this spot to be a Temple one day. It is directly West of the spiral temple of the Community of Christ.




Inside the visitor center this world globe showed all of the book of Mormons printed in the different languages.




We took this very fun Mule ride & narration around this historic town...




You don't see old casket shops like this now days do You?

We got there so early that most shops were not opened, however we did hit an antique shop and Scandanavian shop and noticed choir members hitting the old fashioned ice cream shop.





Window shopping around town Independence.



Old Pharmacy shop window display arent the old bottles just great, Carl loved them!




The spiral temple built in this area built by the Community Church of Christ in which we toured the building.



This is a copy of the very first edition Book of Mormon in the museum at the Temple owned by the Community Church of Christ. They had a wonderful museum downstairs for us to enjoy. Had some beautiful antiques belonging to Emma smith.