Getting Acquainted with Florence Nebraska

Florence is the town where the Winter Quarters Temple and the Mormon Trail Center are located. It was incorporated right after Nebraska became a Territory with the Kansas/Nebraska Act 1854. By becoming a territory, the illegality of settling on Indian Territory was no longer a problem. The Winter Quarters settlement, as you may recall, was a special arrangement with the government for the Saints to be on Indian Territory for two years in return for providing the Mormon Battalion. They were even rushed out by the Indian Agent before the two years was up. (He was never too hot on the idea the Army foisted on him because it thought it would cause problems between the Oto and Omaha Indians in the area.)

With Nebraska a territory, the town of Florence was founded at the same time in the same place that Winter Quarters had been and would become a major outfitting town for pioneers going west, Mormon and non-Mormon. It is now a suburb of Omaha. The setting is lovely, nice flatland that goes to the river on the east, and is protected from the winds on the west by the bluffs. The Winter Quarters Cemetery is still on those bluffs—quite a steep climb I might add—we are not about to climb them from our apartment at the bottom to the Trail Center also at the top!

It is a delightful old town, full of interesting sights, some local and some Church. It is well kept, full of interesting homes, churches, and bits of history. One of my favorites is the Florence Bank founded in 1854 by the Nebraska State Legislature.

Right behind the bank is this charming little building that was the toll house for the Mormon Bridge.

On the main Street (30^th Street) there are a variety of small businesses, little cafes, and some antique stores. One store has a mural on their side wall where you park that is all about the history of Florence including the pioneers, the handcart pioneers, and the statue in the cemetery. The business is called Prairie Piecegoods and the Senior Sisters are making quilts to be auctioned off at this store for Florence Days in May to raise money for the Florence Beautification Project to help improve the roads. The Trail Center is participating in the Florence Days Parade with our sister missionaries in pioneer costumes pushing handcarts. We will be handing out “buffalo chip cookies” (chocolate chip) at the Trail Center where there will be tours and pioneers games.

Our apartment is called the Country Park and is near the bottom of the bluff just down from the Trail Center. It is two bedrooms and quite roomy and nice. There are three other senior couples living right near us. Our apartment is the middle set on the far right side.

One of the things we have chuckled about is the condition of some of the roads. Several roads are unpaved, most are very narrow with no shoulder including our main drag, and many seem to have gone to pot (holes)—sorry for the pun. But on the whole this is a very nice small old town with lots of charm and civic pride. Yesterday there was an Easter Bunny leading and Easter Egg Hunt in the park just down from our apartment.

Below is the Director’s Home where John and Barbara live-- a very nice place with three bedrooms. It is directly up from the Center—35 stairs up. They have an apartment downstairs where one of the Facilities Couples lives.

The Temple is beautiful this time of year with the lovely flowers and blossoms. It is modeled after Palmyra but it has a basement with a lovely entrance, the baptismal font, and lots of office space. It is much the same as Palmyra upstairs and really beautiful. The stain glass windows are by Tom Holdman who did the lovely windows in Palmyra.

The cemetery is next to the Temple and across from the Trail Center. Almost all the 300 pioneer graves have been identified, but there are no remaining headstones. On the grounds is a wall of plaques that explains about the pioneers settling in Winter Quarters. Then there is the wonderful Avard Fairbanks statue of the grieving parents that is now 75 years old year. There is such a lovely spirit here.

The Trail Center with the statue out front of the handcart family is just coming to life with lovely spring blooms. We are starting to get very busy. We had over 200 on Saturday and with summer coming soon we expect huge crowds. One of this past week's guests was the Collegiate Choir from BYU Idaho who toured and then performed for us.

There is a wonderful spirit in this center and we are proud to call it home!