The Mormon Pioneer Trail begins in Nauvoo, Illinois. About 15,000 Latter-day Saints lived in Nauvoo and the surrounding area by 1846. Mob violence caused Church leaders to seek a new gathering place for the Saints in the Rocky Mountains. Between February and September 1846, thousands of Latter-day Saints left their homes and took up their march across the Mississippi River into Iowa.

Today Nauvoo is a significant historic district, with many of the buildings in the original townsite rebuilt or restored and open to visitors. Visitors can walk down Parley Street and read statements from pioneers who traveled the Mormon Trail. The street ends with a pioneer memorial at the Mississippi River that includes a pavilion with the names of several thousand Latter-day Saints who journeyed west. Near the pavilion stands a bronze sculpture showing Brigham Young symbolically accepting a charge from Joseph Smith to lead the Saints.

Historic Sites

Interactive Map: Mormon Pioneer Trail, Nauvoo to Winter Quarters

Points of Interest