NAUVOO, a city of Hancock county, Illinois, U.S.A., on the Mississippi river at the head of the lower rapids and about 50 m. above Quincy. Pop. (193o) 966. On the opposite bank of the river is Montrose, Iowa, pop. (1930), 621, served by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy railway. "Commerce City" was laid out here in 1834 by Connecticut speculators; but the first settlement of importance was made by the Mormons (q.v.) in 1839-40; they named it Nauvoo, in obedience to a "revelation" made to Joseph Smith, and secured a city charter in 184o. The Mormons said the name was of Hebrew origin and meant "beautiful place"; Hebrew "naveh" means "pleasant." In 1844 its population was about 15,000, and a large Mormon temple had been built, but internal dissensions arose, "gentile" hostility was aroused, the charter of Nauvoo was revoked in 1845, two of the leaders, Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum, were killed at Carthage, the county seat, by a mob, and in 1846 the sect was driven from the State. Traces of Mormonism, however, still remain in the ruins of the temple and the names of several of the streets. Three years after the expulsion of the Mormons, Nauvoo was occupied by the remnant (some 25o) of a colony of French communists, the Icarians, who had come out under the leadership of Etienne Cabet (q.v.). For a few years the colony prospered, and by 1855 its
membership had doubled. Each family occupied its own home, but property was held in common, all ate at the common table, and the children were taught in the community school. A proposal to revise the constitution resulted in rending the colony into two irreconcilable factions, and in Oct. 1856 Cabet with the minority (172) withdrew to St. Louis, Mo. Soon after the schism of 1856 those who had rebelled against Cabet began to prepare a per manent home in Adams county, Iowa. There too in 1879 the community split into two factions, the Young Party and the Old Party. Most of the members of the Young Party removed to Sonoma county, Calif., and here early in 1884, formed the Icaria Speranza Community. All branches of the society ceased to exist after 1895.
See Albert Shaw, Icaria: A Chapter in the History of Communism (1884) ; Jules Prudhommeaux, Icaria et son fondateur Etienne Cabet (1907).