In 1830, members of the Mormon religion fled Missouri seeking freedom from persecution and violence. The Mormons, or Latter-day Saints as they are also known, hoped to find a safe haven on the banks of the Mississippi River in an Illinois city that they called Nauvoo -- ¿the city beautiful. ¿ In Nauvoo they bought property, built schools and businesses, published newspapers, and became influential in politics. By 1846, Nauvoo had become the tenth most populated city in the U. S. The Mormons, however, did not flourish for long in Nauvoo. Would the oft-persecuted Saints have to flee their city beautiful? This photo-essay tells the story of the city that many Mormons consider to be the wellspring of their religion.