Lessons of 2025
Lesson No. Twenty-Nine

Two Uniquely Wonderful Pioneer Temples

The fire of their temple covenants sustained our pioneer ancestors as they moved west. After the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith persecution increased. Brigham Young understood the importance of the saints being endowed before they went west. Many members, at great sacrifice, were endowed in the Nauvoo Temple before they left Nauvoo. It was “the fire of the covenant” they “made in the House of the Lord that burned in their hearts” that gave them strength to endure the hardship they encountered going west.

The Salt Lake Temple

Temple blessings were the last desire of faithful Church members as they left Nauvoo, and they were their first desire as they arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. They arrived on Saturday July 24, 1847. The next day, Sunday, July 25 1847, in the first sacrament meeting held in the Salt Lake Valley, Apostle George A. Smith declared that the temple they would build in the valley would fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy which states :

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it” (Isaiah 2:2).

Millions of people from all nations have, and many more will, visit the Salt Lake Temple fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy that “all nations shall flow unto it. Since the Salt Lake Temple was built it has been a destination for visitors from many countries. Prior to the current renovation there were approximately 5 million visitors each year. The Salt Lake Temple is scheduled to be rededicated, after an 8 year massive renovation, in October 2027. This will follow a 6 month open house during which many millions of people from around the world will visit Temple Square.

Isaiah 2:3 continues: “And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem”. Tens of thousands of patrons worldwide attend the temple, and millions of members listen to General Conference that is broadcast throughout the earth and originates at Temple Square.

Brigham Young saw in vision where the Salt Lake Temple was to be built. Four days after they arrived, on July 28, 1847, Brigham Young planted a rod in the ground on a spot between two branches of a creek, now known as City Creek, and marked the location where the Salt Lake Temple now stands, and he said, "This is where we will build a temple to our God." The groundbreaking ceremony was presided over by Brigham Young, who laid the cornerstone on April 6, 1853, the 23rd anniversary of the church being organized, and almost six years after arriving in the valley. Forty years later, and after amazing challenges, the temple was dedicated on April 6, 1893.

Personal connections to the Salt Lake Temple. I served as first councilor to Sheldon Child who was the Salt Lake Temple president from November 2008 through October 2011. Susan was an assistant to the matron during that time. We had many wonderful experiences, many of which can be found in our book, Lessons on the Temple, Lessons 76 – 84.

The St George Temple

The cotton mission. When the American Civil War began, the South put an embargo on cotton. So that the Church could be self-sufficient, Brigham Young called members to go to Southern Utah and establish Utah’s Dixie. The Cotton Mission was ultimately unsuccessful, but what became enormously successful was the founding of St George and surrounding communities, the focal point being the St George Temple. This temple, the first in Utah, was dedicated on April 6, 1877, 30 years after the Church left Nauvoo.

Modern Temple service began in the St George Temple. Baptisms for the dead were performed in Nauvoo and at the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, but other ordinances were performed only for the living. In the St. George Temple, under the direction of Wilford Woodruff, its first temple president, sealings and other ordinances for the dead were performed. Temple workers and sealers were called, records kept, and Church members were encouraged to keep family records. Much of the work done in temples today began in St. George Temple.

Temple ordinances were performed for the signers of the Declaration of Independence and other influential historical figures. Shortly after the dedication of the St George Temple Wilford Woodruff recorded a vision where our Founding Fathers and other worthy historical figures who helped prepare the world for the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ appeared to him and asked that their temple work be done:

“Said they, ‘You have had the use of the Endowment House for a number of years, and yet nothing has ever been done for us. We laid the foundation of the government you now enjoy, and we never apostatized from it, but we remained true to it and were faithful to God….I straightway went into the baptismal font and called upon Brother McAllister to baptize me for the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and fifty other eminent men, making one hundred in all, including John Wesley, Columbus, and others’” (Quoted in my book Lessons on Freedom and Patriotism, Lesson 8, Columbus and the Founders in the St George Temple).

Personal connections to the St George Temple. Most materials required to build the St George Temple came from areas nearby. My forefathers worked in quarries near the temple where volcanic rock for the foundation and sandstone for the walls were obtained. Albert Petty and his family hauled wood from Mount Trumbull. Thomas Cottom was a master furniture maker making furniture for both the St George Temple and Brigham Young’s winter home.

Testimony. Temple covenants sustained our ancestors in every way, and they will do the same for us. They built the Salt Lake Temple and the St George Temple even while their daily challenge was to be able to live another day. We do not have to worry about whether we will survive day to day, but our need to maintain our spiritual strength is equally challenging, yet different and more subtle. Like our ancestors we can prosper in challenging times if we make the Lord and the covenants we make in His Temples the most important things of our lives.

Released on July 27th. 2025.