US History and LDS Church History Trip…and links to each days blog

This is a National Cemetery were many soldiers are buried from the Battle of Antietam.

Brigham Young’s Mill and Home Site

We visited 218 US History and LDS Church History sites in 47 days.  (That included visiting 54 different cities). Each day is blogged with information about places we visited, maps, photos and highlights of the day.

If you would like more information if you are planning a trip, you can email me at priceless6191@gmail.com.  I kept very detailed records including: budgets, trip plans, and calenders for the trip showing our day by day progress.  I also have tons of brochures and maps for specific places, although I did try to scan the most important details I have onto each blog page.  Below is listed each city we visited, and what we did there.  Click on a city and start exploring.

I made this blog because I realized I would have appreciated a site with more specific information.  I hope this is beneficial to anyone who wants to take a history trip.  It was our families dream trip, and we still refer to it often.

Here is a PDF with a summary of our trip. (If you would like an editable version, I have the spreadsheet version also.)
Trip Itinerary

** Just a side note as you look around the site…no my kids names are not Bazooka, Starburst, Jawbreaker etc…our kids just picked nicknames so they could have some privacy.  Have fun looking!!!!

Alcova, WY
Devils Gate, Church, Trek, Independence Rock

Custer, WY
Custer County Museum, City 4th of July

Crazy Horse, SD

Keystone, SD
Mount Rushmore 4th July Celebrations

Rapid City, SD
Dinosaur Park, Storybook Park

Wall, SD
Wall Drug

Omaha, NE
Winter Quarters Visitors Center, Winters Quarters Temple (E,B), Mormon Pioneer Cemetery, Glenn Cunningham Lake, Pioneer Courage Park

Council Bluffs, Iowa
Kanesville Tabernacle

Nauvoo, IL
Play “High Hopes and Riverboats”, Movie “Remembering Nauvoo”, Play “Sunset by the Mississippi”, Women’s Garden, Riser Boot Shop, Blacksmith Shop, Seventies Hall, Lucy M Smith Home, Brickyard, Heber Kimball and Wilford Woodruff’s homes, Movie “Joseph Smith-Prophet of the Restoration”, Joseph Smith’s Homestead, Mansion House, Nauvoo House, Red Brick Store, Smith Family Cemetery, Trail of Hope, Youth of Zion, Play “Old Anna Amanda” 2xs, Nauvoo Pageant 2xs, Carriage Ride, Pioneer Park Pastimes, Nauvoo Temple (B,E), Frontier Fair 2xs, Play “Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo”, Old Nauvoo Burial Grounds, Lands and Records Office, King Follet Discourse, Emma and Josephs Letters Vignette

Carthage, IL
Carthage Jail

Macomb, IL
Dinner with Steve -Guadalupes Restaurant

Petersburg, IL
Lincolns New Salem (camped there)

Springfield, IL
Springfield Vis Ctr, Lincolns Home Vis Ctr, Lincolns Home, Lincolns-Herndon Law Office, Old Capital, Lincoln Library, Lincoln Presidential Museum

Chicago, IL
Chicago Navy Pier, Magnificent Mile, Millennium Park, Cloud Gate, Chicago Temple (B,E)

Gary, IN
Just for Gas and Photos

Kirtland OH
Kirtland Ward, Ashery, Isaac Morley Farm, Newel K. Whitney Store, Whitney Home, Sawmill, Schoolhouse, Kirtland Temple RLDS

Parma, OH
Brian and Camilla’s Home

Hiram, OH
John Johnson’s Home

Middlefield, OH
Amish Country, Cheese Factory, Hiram College (where President Garfield attended and taught)

Kenmore, NY
Mags home, Keeners, Lindbergh Elementary, Pam’s Home

Niagra Falls
Niagara Falls, Cave of Winds

Buffalo, NY(2 sites or events)
Downtown Buffalo, Duffs Chicken Wings

Mendon, NY
Home built by Brigham, Early Meeting Home, Phineas Young’s Home, John Young’s Home, Tom Tomlinson Inn, Heber Kimballs home site, Camped at John Young’s Home, Site of Brigham Young’s Mill and Home, Baptismal Site, Tomlinsons Cemetery

Palmyra, NY
Palmyra Visitors Center, Palmyra Temple (B,E), Palmyra Pageant, Sacred Grove, Smith’s Log Cabin and Frame House Alvin built, Hill Cumorah, Martin Harris’s Home, Book of Mormon Publication Site (Grandin Building)

Waterloo, NY
Peter Whitmer home

Oakland, PA
Aaronic Priesthood Monument, Joseph and Emma’s Home Site, Grave of Emmas parents and son Alvin Smith, Susquehanna River

Jersey City, NJ 
Liberty Harbor

New York, NY
PATH Rail System, Site World Trade Center, 911 Memorial and Museum, Battery Park, Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, New York Stock Exchange, China Town, Little Italy, Noho, Washington Square Park, New York University, Empire State Building, Garment District, Bryant Park, Time’s Square, Theatre District, NBC Studios, Carnegie Hall, Central Park, New York City LDS Temple, Madison Square Gardens

Philadelphia, PA
Independence Visitor Center, Independence Hall, Congress Hall, City Tavern (restaurant), Carpenters Hall, New Hall Military Museum, Benjamin Franklin’s Grave, President’s House Site, Liberty Bell Center”

Hershey, PA
Hershey Amusement Park

Gettysburg, PA
Gettysburg National Park

WashingtonDC
Washington DC Temple (B,E), IKEA, Ford’s Theatre, Petersen House and Center for Education and Leadership, Spy Museum, National Archives, Washington Memorial, World War II Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Holocaust Museum, Lincoln Walking Tour, Arlington Cemetery, United States Capital Building, a Session of Congress, a Session of the House of Representatives, Smithsonian Natural History Museum, Smithsonian American History Museum, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, White House, Holocaust Museum, Nationals Game

Alexandria, Virginia
Mount Vernon

Centreville, VA
Bull Run Regional Park (Camping), visit with Tamara and family, Atlantis Water Park

Manassas, VA
Battle of 1st and 2nd Bull Run (Manassas)

Harpers Ferry, WV
Harpers Ferry

Sharpsburg, MD
Antietem Battle Field

Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, VA Pier and Chick-fil-A

Chantilly, VA
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Annex

Middletown, VA
Cedar Creek Battlefield (2nd Manassas Battle Reenactment)

Charlottesville, VA
Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, University of Virginia

Buena Vista, VA
Southern Virginia University

St Louis, MO
St Louis Temple (B,E), St Louis Arch and Musuem, Old Court House (Dred Scott Case), Outside Busch Stadium, Feet in the Mississippi, Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Park and Grant Farm, Home Town Buffet, St Louis Cardinals Game, St Louis RV Park

Cottleville, MO
Joel and Christy’s Home

Independence, MO
LDS Visitor’s Center, Harry Truman Presidential Library, Missouri Mormon Walking Tour (things we saw on the tour: Clinton’s Soda Fountain, Jackson County Courthouse, 1827 Log Courthouse, Bingham-Waggoner Estate, Church of Christ Temple Lot, Community of Christ Temple, Gilbert and Whitney Store, Printing Office Site (Evening and Morning Star), Governor Boggs Home Site, and Partridge Home Site and School) , Campus RV Park (next door to the LDS Visitors Center), Vaile Mansion

Kansas City, MO
Kansas City Temple (B)

Liberty, MO
Liberty Jail, Eight Witnesses Monument

Richmond, MO
David Whitmer’s Grave, David Whitmer’s Livery site (marked by with a plaque), Old Richmond Jail Location, Statue of General Alexander W. Doniphan, Pioneer Cemetery (Monument for the Three Witnesses, Grave for Oliver Cowdery, Peter Jr. and Jacob Whitmer’s Graves)

Farwest, MO
Far West Temple Site

Jamesport, MO
Amish Country, Amish Baseball Game, and Shopping

Jameson, MO
Adam-ondi-Ahman , Jameson Town Fair and Parade

Doniphan, NE
Mormon Island

McKinnon, WY
Little America

Boston, MA
11 years later we went back to add Boston to our list or US/church history travels. Here is a link to the beginning of that trip. Yale, Scarburough and Prospect Ave in Hartford, CT, Mark Twain’s Home, Boston Temple, Boston Aquarium, Faneuil Hall, Boston Massacre Site, Old State House, Boston Latin School Site, Park Street Church, Granary Burying Ground, New State House, Boston Commons, Harbor Cruise, USS Constitution, Bunker Hill Monument, Old North Church, Paul Revere’s Home, Old South Meeting House, Union Oyster House, Omni Parker House, Cheers, Prudential Tower Observation Deck, Trinity Church of Boston, Old South Church

Other Valuable Links:
Mormon Pioneer Trail Auto Tour Route Guide
mormontrails.org

Our Families Favorite LDS Historic Sites

You can’t really rank any church or US historical sites, because all of it was amazing!  But since most people don’t have 47 days we thought we’d have our kids rank what they would say were the sites that were a must see.  Our kids were told if they could only visit 3 of the church sites we went to, what would they choose.  So here their choices….some of them surprised me a little…

Jawbreaker (male teenager)
1st Nauvoo, 2nd Martins Cove, 3rd Palmyra

Spitz (male teenager)
1st Nauvoo Temple, 2nd Nauvoo, 3rd Martins Cove

Warhead (male teenager)
1st Martin’s Cove, 2nd Nauvoo, 3rd Palmyra

Bazooka (male pre-teen)
1st Martin’s Cove, 2nd Nauvoo, 3rd Palmyra

Starburst (female 7yrs old)
1st Nauvoo, 2nd Martin’s Cove, 3rd Palmyra

Fireball (male 6 yrs old)
1st Nauvoo, 2nd Martin’s Cove, 3rd Palmyra

Mr. S (adult male)
1st Nauvoo, 2nd Palmyra, 3rd Kirtland

Mrs. S (adult female)
1st Nauvoo, 2nd Adam-ondi-Ahman, 3rd Palmyra or Martin’s Cove

Favorite thing about Nauvoo:
Jawbreaker: Nauvoo Temple
Spitz: the Nauvoo Pageant and the people
Warhead : the missionaries
Bazooka: the play “Sunset on the Mississippi”
Starburst: the play “High Hopes and Riverboats”
Fireball: the play “Just Plain Anna Amanda”
Mr. and Mrs. S: Celestial Room in the Nauvoo Temple, the Pageant

Favorite thing about Palmyra:
Jawbreaker: Palmyra Temple
Spitz: Palmyra Pageant
Warhead: Palmyra Pageant
Bazooka: Sacred Grove
Starburst: Palmyra Pageant
Fireball: Palmyra Pageant
Mr. S: Palmyra Temple, Sacred Grove
Mrs. S: Palmyra Temple, Sacred Grove, Pageant

Favorite LDS Site in Missouri:
Jawbreaker: Kansas City Temple
Spitz: Kansas City Temple
Warhead : Kansas City Temple
Bazooka: Adam-ondi-Ahman
Starburst: St Louis and Kansas City Temple
Fireball: Liberty Jail
Mr. S: Kansas City Temple
Mrs. S: Adam-ondi-Ahman

DAY 8 – July 6, 2012 – Pioneer Courage Park, Kanesville Tabernacle, Winter Quarters Temple

We started the day by visiting Pioneer Courage Park. It wasn’t originally on our list of sites to visit, but the missionaries at Winter Quarters told us about it, so we decided to check it out.  It is in the middle of downtown Omaha, surrounded by sky scrapers. It’s a beautiful park, with huge statues of families, animals and wagons driving through the park.  The statues are very expressive.  The park is stunning among all the tall buildings downtown. It was worth a stop. We walked around for about 20 minutes taking pictures and then left for Council Bluffs.

Council Bluffs/Kanesville was a very pleasant surprise. It seemed out of the way, and I wondered if it was worth the trip. It was well worth the trip, and really not that far. Out of all the church sites we have visited so far, I learned the most in Kanesville (so far). Most of the other sites I at least had background information for. But Kanesville, I really didn’t realize all that had happened there.

I love what the plaque said below this monument, “The sculpture focuses on the Mother as the central and pivotal influence of love and service, not only within the family unit, but also within the spiritually strong society that grew from these pioneers. A strong family unit is the strength of any community and nation even today.”

Kanesville was church headquarters for two years. The Kanesville Tabernacle was built in 2 ½ weeks because there was no where to hold a general conference. In the Kanesville tabernacle Brigham Young was sustained as the second prophet of the church.

It was in Kanesville that the church was asked to supply 500 men for the Mormon Battalion. To be here, and realize how fresh the wounds were for the church. Their prophet has been killed, they have been chased out of a city they built, with no assistance or protection from the United States Government. They have trudged there way through mud and illness to a place where they are trying to regroup, and now they are asked to join the army and to support the government that hadn’t supported or protected them. It’s amazing to think how faithful the Saints were.

They have a video here on the Mormon Battalion that I have never seen before. I was told that this video used to be shown at the Visitors Center in San Diego, but it is no longer there. So come to Kanesville…it’s a very well done movie, explaining the Mormon Battalion. It explains the blessing it was to the church, and the blessing the Mormon Battalion was to the country…building trails, and helping build cities.

It was also in the Kanesville Tabernacle that Oliver Cowdery came back, after having left the church for years.  It has been told in journals, that Oliver came into the tabernacle during a sermon, and the person (I think it was Orson Hyde) stepped down, and let Oliver speak.  He got up and bore a strong testimony of the church, said that he didn’t come back for a position, but wanted to be a part of the Saints again.  He was re-baptized here in Kanesville.

So many things happened in such a small place. The missionary there was great at retelling the stories, and when he bore his testimony, the spirit was really strong.

After Kanesville and lunch, Mike and I went back to do a session in the Winter Quarter Temple, and afterwards the boys went to do baptisms. The temple is beautiful.  The boys baptism session was really cool.  It was a full baptism session, but not made up of a ward, but of kids from all over the US that were visiting Winter Quarters.

We will be heading to Nauvoo tomorrow.   This has all been so fun, I can’t wait to get to Nauvoo.

Summary of Day 8
Places we visited: Kanesville Tabernacle, Pioneer Courage Park, Temple Endowment Session, Temple Baptisms at Winter Quarters

Favorite thing about Winter Quarters:
Jawbreaker, Warhead, Spitz: Baptisms in Temple
Bazooka: Winter Quarters Prayer Room
Starburst: Pioneer Cemetary
Fireball: Pioneer Park
Mr. and Mrs. S: Winter Quarters Temple and Kanesville