Salt Lake Telegram | 1934-04-03 | Page 16 | 40-Year Project

Year 40 Project Huge L. L D. D S. S Temple Is Memorial to the theN N of the Pioneers Say Die Spirit I Editors Editor's note nole This is the sec secand and ond ot of a 1 series ot of informal sketches ketches on points ot of Interest in inthe inthe I the L. L D D. S. S temple grounds mecca this week for the thou thousands sands of church members planning plan plan- nin ning to attend the annual conference To a visitor the L. L D. D S S. S temple perhaps the most distinctive feature ot of the city From its towering walls waIls and lofty lotty towers however he absorbs absorb s R a sense of permanence and age thais that tha thatis t is deceiving He Is surprised to learn the huge hug e structure was only 42 years year s ago which Js is not long iong when he con considers ciders siders it took 40 years cars to build the structure Memorial to PIoneers The gray granite building topped by C Cyrus rus E E. Damns Damn's statue of the angel MoronI Is a memorIal to the of the plo plo- say never spirit sturdy One has only to consider that four yoke ot of oxen spent six days haul log ing one of oC the larger stones from the mountain quarries to be impressed with the difficulties the th builders rs laced faced They were not skimpy with the materials either for the foundation is light eight feet teet deep and 16 feet wide the basement walls are eight feet thick and the upp upper r walls alls are six feet thick Decision to construct a temple in which the ordinances of the church could be performed was Vas reached at atthe atthe the annual general conference on April 7 1851 President Brigham Young who sponsored sponsor d the project was never to see its completion Ground Broken In 1833 The temple block was consecrated and ground broken for tor the tion February 14 14 1853 Truman O. O Angell drew the plans for the tern pl pie and on April 6 6 1853 th the corner corner corner- laid Active work on the foundation began in June 1854 a and 1 thIs portion of oC the buildIng was completed com com- by July 23 23 1855 Thus began D a job that was to entail expenditure ot of more than Considerable difficulty was W t. t en eh- countered transporting the stone to toI I the grounds from the quarries until untila a railroad was built in 1873 Capstone set Jn in 1892 I I Work spurted and lagged alternately alternate alternate- ly as the superstructure assumed form and on April 6 6 1892 the cap stone was placed In position while persons sang hymns of praise Pr President ident Young had long since dIed l followed by his successor John Tay tor and it was President Wilford Woodruff who ho spoke at the exercises Dedicatory services were conducted April 6 6 1893 and on on May 23 of that year the temple was nance work Largest of the dressed the building arc the three and a a half ton earth carth stones at the base ot of the but but- tresses A b bas relief relict globe Is carved on these stones In line with the first row of oval windows are the 50 moon stones and above them the 50 sun stones