Portal:Latter-day Saints/Selected Location



The Salt Lake Temple is the sixth completed (of more than 140) and best-known temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the sixth temple built by the church overall, and the fourth operating temple built since the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois.

Located in Salt Lake City, Utah, the location for the temple was first marked by Brigham Young, the church's president and prophet at the time, on July 28, 1847, just four days after arriving in the Salt Lake Valley. The temple site was dedicated on February 14, 1853. Groundbreaking ceremonies were presided by Brigham Young, who laid the cornerstone; construction officially began on April 6 of that year. Oxen transported granite from Little Cottonwood Canyon twenty miles southeast of the temple site. When construction was finally completed, LDS President Wilford Woodruff dedicated the temple on April 6, 1893, after exactly forty years.

The Salt Lake Temple is the centerpiece of the 10 acre (40,000 m²) Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. Although there are no public tours inside the temple (because it is considered sacred by the church and its members, a temple recommend is required), the temple grounds are open to the public and are a popular tourist attraction. Due to its location at church headquarters and its historical significance, it is patronized much by Latter-day Saints from many parts of the world.