| What makes it historical? |
The Civil War brought a lot of spirits down, especially in the town of St. George. Brigham Young’s solution to raising local spirits and boosting the local economy was to launch a building program! After construction of a tabernacle in 1863, plans for a larger temple started brewing. See, the Salt Lake Temple was already being built, but it was slow going. In fact, the Mormons hadn’t build a temple since leaving Illinois! So on November 9, 1871, the new temple, designed by Utah’s first architect, Truman O. Angell, was dedicated by George A. Smith, who gave his name to St. George (and was not a famous dragon slayer)!
Right from the get-go, this was going to be a challenge. There weren’t a lot of people in this part of Utah to build, and the water table was so high that it wasn’t easy setting a foundation! Many other communities across the new state of Utah pitched in resources, and because the weather was so fine during the winter in St. George, work quickly outpaced the Salt Lake Temple. By 1876, there was a baptismal font for use, and Brigham Young participated in ceremonies, making this the only temple where he did so. The St. George Temple was completed in 1877, beating the Salt Lake Temple by 16 years! |
