Montrose, Iowa, is situated on the west side of the Mississippi River directly across from Nauvoo, Illinois. A good number of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints settled in Montrose on the Iowa side of the river as Nauvoo was being established on the Illinois side. Some abandoned military barracks provided some immediate relief for a number of the destitute Mormons.
Some of those Saints, such as Brigham Young, John Taylor and their families, subsequently moved across to Nauvoo and built homes there. It was at Montrose that the Mormon Pioneer Trail began once the Saints had crossed the Mississippi. Looking back across the river, they could see their beloved temple and many of the homes they were leaving behind.
Presently, there are some informational interpretive markers and panels in Riverview Park and along the banks of the river. These give insights into the story of Montrose as an early and important site on the trail of the great exodus west.