Zion's Camp March Through Edgar County
Location:
The marker is located in Paris on the southwest corner of the Edgar County Courthouse lawn.
Dedication Date:
10/14/2000
Dedication By:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and The Illinois State Historical Society
Marker Description:
In 1834, Joseph Smith, prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), together with about 200 LDS volunteers from Kirtland, Ohio, marched to assist threatened church members in Jackson County, Missouri. Called "Zion's Camp," this armed group crossed the Wabash River into Edgar County on May 24, encamped near the river, and, after observing the Sabbath, passed through Paris on May 26, causing uneasiness among local residents who misunderstood their purpose. The trek of "Zion's Camp" provided Brigham Young and other LDS leaders with a model for organizing their later exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois, to Utah in 1846.
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