DAY 7 was our final “vacation” day in Iowa. It was another reminder of how much I appreciate planning because I definitely would have done things differently. But it was still a great day!
Iowa State Capitol
Since we were in Des Moines, we decided to go to the state capitol building. This building was AMAZING! It is not uncommon for us to drive by capitol buildings on our trips, but we’ve never actually gotten out and looked around and we’ve never taken a tour. Looking at the picture online, I would have loved to have seen the inside (but it was closed on this day). But the outside was stunning. Jacob, especially, asked if we could make seeing the capitol building more of a priority on our trips, so we will do our best to make that happen in the future.
Covered Bridges of Madison County
We learned that there is a famous movie about the bridges of Madison County. That was definitely not the reason we came to visit these though. We came for the history and the beauty and it didn’t disappoint. There are six covered bridges and we visited two of them. These are such beautiful bridges in the most picturesque settings. We loved them.
Hogback Bridge – Build in 1884, it is located in its original spot.
Roseman Covered Bridge – This is the most popular of the covered bridges but we had it all to ourselves and it was so beautiful.
Kanesville
Our final stop was to Kanesville (also known as Council Bluffs). It is just on the Iowa side across from Winter Quarters. I really wanted to visit here because we had yet another family connection. My second-great grandpa was born here on Christmas day in 1850. I am amazed by these early Saints. Their courage and faith is inspiring.
We loved the sweet missionaries that were here. They just loved on our little family and we were so grateful for their kindness. We watched a movie while we were there and it really helped us understand some of the major events that happened here in Kanesville.
Possibly my favorite was the return of Oliver Cowdery. I don’t feel like this story is known enough. At a meeting in Kanesville in the autumn of 1848, Elder Orson Hyde was giving a sermon when he suddenly stopped speaking, left the stand, and hugged a man who had just come into the meeting. That man was Oliver Cowdery. After years of writing with friends still in the faith, Oliver returned. Elder Hyde invited him to speak and he testified of the Book of Mormon. He said, “If you will walk by its light,… you will be saved in the everlasting kingdom of God.” He then testified of the authority of the priesthood. It was such a happy ending.
This is also the place where a battalion of 500 men enlisted in the army to serve the United States government during the Mexican-American War. This is inspiring in so many ways, especially given how those early Saints had been treated and ignored by the government. The Kanesville Monument really highlights the story of the women who were left behind while their husbands went to serve.
The final major event that occured in Kanesville was the establishment of the First Presidency. In the winter of 1847, members of the Quorum of the Twelve held a meeting that went late into the night. They were troubled about how to manage the administration of the Church and still fulfill their calling to travel and testify of Jesus Christ. After counsel and prayer, they were unified in their decision to reestablish a First Presidency. Brigham Young was sustained as President, with Heber C. Kimball and Willard Richards as his counselors.
I have said this before, but I feel so strongly that these stories need to be shared. Whether you have ancestors in your own family that were a part of these events or not, these early Saints paved the way. Their dedication and faith needs to be remembered and honored. I am very grateful we had this time as a family to do that and to take the feelings of this week forward in our own lives.
Quaker Steak & Lube
Our car restaurant theme continued and we ate at the Quaker Steak & Lube. This was not planned to have these car themes but it was fun and the food on our trip was really good! We stayed the night in Omaha and we were all feeling ready to head home.
