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Kingdom of Nauvoo

Renee Bright
/
KUER

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered for their semi-annual General Conference April 4-5, historian Benjamin E. Park shared the fascinating history of the city of Nauvoo, an LDS religious utopia situated on the banks of the Mississippi. 

Founded in 1839 by Joseph Smith Jr., LDS church prophet and founder, Nauvoo, Illinois had its own army – with Smith as general – a constitution, a court system and at its height, more inhabitants than Chicago, over 12,000. Park’s book, Kingdom of Nauvoo, examines this unique city, which eventually fell apart largely because of the rise of the Mormon practice of polygamy, and how it challenged the limits of America’s tolerance for religious freedom.

Benjamin E. Park’s book is Kingdom of Nauvoo: The Rise and Fall of a Religious Empire on the American Frontier. [IndieBound|Amazon|Audible].

Doug Fabrizio has been reporting for KUER News since 1987, and became News Director in 1993. In 2001, he became host and executive producer of KUER's RadioWest, a one hour conversation/call-in show on KUER 90.1 in Salt Lake City. He has gained a reputation for his thoughtful style. He has interviewed everyone from Isabel Allende to the Dalai Lama, and from Madeleine Albright to Desmond Tutu. His interview skills landed him a spot as a guest host of the national NPR program, "Talk of the Nation." He has won numerous awards for his reporting and for his work with RadioWest and KUED's Utah NOW from such organizations as the Society of Professional Journalists, the Utah Broadcasters Association, the Public Radio News Directors Association and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.