The city council last met on 11 November 1843. (Nauvoo City Council Rough Minute Book, 11 Nov. 1843, 22–23.)

See Ordinance, 8 Dec. 1843.

Parliamentary rules governing Nauvoo City Council debate required that a bill be read three times prior to passage: the first reading informed council members of the bill’s content, the second reading provided an opportunity for debate or amendments, and the third reading preceded a final vote. In this case, the city council voted to suspend debate and pass the ordinance after only one full reading. (“Rules of Order of the City Council,” Times and Seasons, 1 Feb. 1842, 3:685.)

In his February 1841 inaugural address, former Nauvoo mayor John C. Bennett proposed constructing a dam on the Mississippi River, but the city abandoned the extravagant proposal. JS resurrected the idea in late November 1843, suggesting that the city petition the federal government for permission and funds to erect a dam. Although Nauvoo citizens did not submit such a petition until 1845, the city’s 8 December ordinance authorized JS “and his Successors for the term of perpetual succession” to construct and manage a large wing dam on the Mississippi River in order to provide increased waterpower for mills and a safe harbor for steamboats. (John C. Bennett, “Inaugural Address,” Times and Seasons, 15 Feb. 1841, 2:318; JS, Journal, 23 Nov. 1843; “An Ordinance to Erect a Dam in the Mississippi River, and for Other Purposes,” 8 Dec. 1843, JS Office Papers, CHL; “Trades Meeting,” Nauvoo Neighbor, 9 Jan. 1845, [2]–[3]; “Trades Meeting,” Nauvoo Neighbor, 15 Jan. 1845, [2]; see also Map of the Great Dam of the Des Moines Rapids on the Mississippi River [ca. 1845].)

Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

Ripley, Alanson. A Map of the Great Dam of the Des Moines Rapids, ca. 1845. CHL. MS 11892.