I am Ryan McKnight.

I'm Kara Santa Maria.

I am Christopher Smith.

Hi, I'm Andrew Torres.

This is Naked Mormonism.

The Serial Mormon History Podcast.

A detail within Navu Mormonism, well, Navu Mormon history, I should say, which often escapes analysis and mention.

And has only been mentioned in passing on this show for a few years now is counterfeit money, bogus making.

When Joe sought to establish his kingdom on the Mississippi, the Mormons were destitute,

and he signed his name to dozens of land contracts with half a dozen land speculators

in order to acquire the land for the Mormons to settle in Illinois and across the Mississippi

in the Iowa territory.

However, the Mormons needed some liquid capital to work with, and therefore,

the Navu House Association was conceived. The Navu House was to be the premier hotel in Illinois,

set to curry favor with powerful politicians and dignitaries upon their arrival to the city

after landing on the wharf of the Mississippi. Established by the Navu City Charter and a modern Doctrine Convenant Section 124,

the Navu House was created with stocks to be purchased for $50 a share

in order to raise capital for the project and create liquidity as a new form of money.

The Navu House was a massive resource vacuum and never actually made any money,

rendering the stock certificates printed for it essentially valueless within a few months of them being

printed. That didn't stop the House Association from continuing to print and sell more stock

certificates, but it did make people less willing to trade using them.

...