Archaeologists Hope to Uncover Artifacts From “Battle of Nauvoo”

Archaeologists from across the country are making a trip to Nauvoo in order to begin the search for artifacts dating to the 1846 Battle of Nauvoo–the battle that ended with the Mormons abandoning Illinois for the Utah territory.

The group will survey the original site of the 10 day battle, which saw several combatants killed and many more injured.

Items of particular interest are cannonballs, musket shot and other metal artifacts.

The Battle of Nauvoo was just one part of the “Mormon War” of the mid 1800’s. While a large contingent of Mormons still live in Nauvoo, it used to be the cultural center of the entire religion, once rivaling Chicago for largest city in Illinois.