Content preview - You need a premium account to view this content.

The Arizona Temple and the Lamanites

by Richard O. Cowan

A new era in temple building opened with the dawning of the twentieth century. The six temples dedicated during the nineteenth century were located in the same city, or at least in the same state, as Church headquarters. The first quarter of the new century, on the other hand, witnessed the construction of temples in Hawaii, Alberta, and Arizona. The far-flung locations of these three temples reflected the geographical expansion of the Latter-day Saints, which would continue to be an important feature of Church history. Although the Arizona Temple may be thought of as typical of this new era, it does nevertheless stand out distinctively in several important ways. Furthermore, on at least two occasions it was involved in significant "firsts" in the history of the Church.

The Temple Anticipated

From the beginning of Arizona settlement in the 1870s, the Saints looked forward to the time when a temple would be erected there. This theme was often mentioned in sermons and was the topic of several prophetic statements. In 1897 Elias S. Kimball, as president of the Southern States Mission, paid a visit to Mesa. He expressed gratitude for the thirty-five elders from the Maricopa Stake who were then serving in his mission and prophesied that one day a temple of the Lord would be built in Mesa.

At the April general conference in 1908, Frank T. Pomeroy of the Maricopa Stake presidency discussed with the First Presidency the idea of building a temple in Arizona. B y 1912, James W. LeSueur, who had become president of the stake, felt that the time had come to move forward with the temple project. He and his counselors officially petitioned the First Presidency in writing to give consideration to erecting the temple. He also discussed this matter with other Arizona stake presidents. "Each president," however, "considered that his stake had the ideal location." In conjunction with a general conference, the First Presidency called the presidents of the Arizona stakes and the California and Mexican Missions (both of which served Arizona) to meet with them in Salt Lake City. By this time, all except two stake presidents (who favored Snowflake) believed that the projected temple should be built in Mesa. President Joseph F. Smith decided that he would personally inspect sites in the Mesa area. No final selection was made at that time. The outbreak of World War I then caused plans for the Arizona Temple to be shelved for the duration.

With the close of World War I in 1918, plans for building the temple were revived. By this time Heber J. Grant had become President of the Church. At the general conference in October 1919, President Grant officially announced that a temple would soon be built in Arizona. Fund-raising efforts had already begun. The Saints in the proposed temple district pledged $125,000, and by 1921, $110,000 had already been contributed, the largest per capita contribution to a temple in Church history to that date. Members of other churches in the area donated some $6,000. Throughout the Church, 12 September of 1920, was designated "Arizona Temple Day," and an additional $112,000 came in. The First Presidency pledged that the Church would cover the other half of the anticipated half-million-dollar construction cost.