Hamilton, Illinois is the hometown of four of my siblings. My sister Diana returned in 1962, when the rest of us were in Virginia, and has lived in the area ever since. Diana and Mike and their kids and grandkids all still live in the same general area. The communities of Keokuk, IA, Hamilton, IL and Canton, MO are only about 30 miles apart, but spread over three states. The area hasn’t seemed to change too much since the 1960’s.
We spent the fourth of July weekend listening to music in the park in Iowa, dancing in the streets to a very good rock and roll band in Illinois, eating with family in Missouri, and visiting Nauvoo, IL.
Nauvoo is the town where the Mormans settled under Joseph Smith in the mid 1800’s (before Salt Lake City). The Mormans actually split into two major factions after the killing of Joseph Smith. One faction, the LDS group under Brigham Young, went to Salt Lake City. The other, lesser known, faction is now headquartered in Independence, MO, and is known as the Community of Christ. Photo is of a temple in Nauvoo.
We also went with Diana to an Amish farm to get new shoes for her horses. It was very interesting to see the children working in the garden, horse drawn plows and domesticated herds of deer.
Mary and I are enjoying learning about different religious and spiritual practices, and, as you can tell, we are trying to visit any spiritual, religious or utopian communities that are close to our path.
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