Wilford C. Wood was frustrated. He had approval from the First Presidency of the LDS Church to buy a portion of the Nauvoo Temple block for $1,000 — not a small amount in 1937. The Bank of Nauvoo, however, informed him that $1,000 was just the opening bid amount. Although he was an experienced negotiator, he couldn't make any headway. Then, he felt the spirit of Joseph Smith fill the room.

Wood was ahead of his time in his love for the past. Long before it even occurred to other people that Mormon history sites would be worth preserving, he was actively, tirelessly and relentlessly pursuing the purchase and preservation of key LDS Church history sites — places where Mormons believe heaven reached down and touched earth through revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith Jr.

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