Mississippi River History — Nauvoo, the Mormon Trail & Quincy

Along a broad, dramatic bend of the upper Mississippi in western Illinois lies Nauvoo, once the largest city in the state — a boomtown of the 1840s built by Latter-day Saint pioneers before their exodus west, and today a remarkable open-air museum of restored red-brick homes and craft shops crowned by a rebuilt limestone temple. This three-day journey pairs that story with the river history of nearby Quincy, the elegant 'Gem City' whose citizens sheltered the Mormons and whose downtown brims with grand Victorian and Greek Revival architecture. Day one settles into old Nauvoo and its restored 1840s streetscape; day two follows the Joseph Smith historic sites and the riverfront where the pioneers launched their wagons across the ice; day three explores Quincy's mansion districts and the whimsical Moorish castle of Villa Kathrine before the return south. Two nights along the river anchor the trip.