IN THE
BEGINNING Within days of the arrival of the first wagons of Latter-day Saint settlers to this territory on July 28, 1847 Brigham Young, who was the President of the Church at the time, struck his cane to the ground and said. "Here we will build a Temple to our God." It took the pioneers 40 years to finish the Salt LakeTemple, but while still under the construction in 1875 Charles J. Thomas was appointed to be the official guide for Temple Square. Visitors could enjoy a demonstration of a dropping of a pin at the pulpit of the Tabernacle to demonstrate it's acoustics (it is still being done today) and they could also sign a guest book. Over 4,000 visitors came through Temple Square during 1876. President Wilford Woodruff dedicated the Salt Lake Temple on April 6th, 1893. As more and more visitors came through Temple Square it was important to make sure they would receive accurate information about the church. To eliminate rumors and myths James Dwyer, a local book seller, printed small cards with The Articles of Faith on one side and a picture of the Temple on the other. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints still uses these cards on Temple Square and in various Visitor Centers. Missionaries and members of the church also pass them along. In 1888, Ben Goddard suggested that the church will need a Bureau of Information in effort to welcome and inform visitors. A few years later on August 4th, 1902 it became a reality and Ben became the first director. He worked in this capacity until his retirement in 1929. During the Bureau's first year there were 105 volunteers that greeted about 150,000 visitors. By 1968 there were 250 volunteers serving as guides. To accommodate the growing number of visitors, two buildings were added to Temple Square. The Church erected the North Visitors' Center on Temple Square and dedicated it in October of 1963. In 1976, the 1904 Bureau was razed and a second visitors' center was subsequently erected in its place. This South Visitors' Center was dedicated in June of 1978. Originally the Church opened the North Visitor Center, with magnificent replica of Christus Statue and beautiful murals depicting stories from the Bible, and South Visitor Center, with focus on the Book of Mormon. Right before the 2002 Winter Olympics both Visitor Centers were remodeled, modernized and changed and reopened in October 2001 . The North Visistor Center's upstairs area is still the same, but the main and lower level were completely redesigned. the whole area focuses on the Bible and Book of Mormon Prophets, Living Prophet and the mission of the church in general with plasma displays, movie clips and other media information to answer various questions. The South Visitor Center carries the themes of Eternal Familes, Temples and the Pionieer's Legacy. TEMPLES SQUARE ORGANIZED INTO A MISSION It became apparent that Temple Square was one of the most effective ways to introduce The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to many people from around the world. In 1981 the first five couples were assigned as full time missionaries to Temple Square. For the next few years, missionaries from the Salt Lake City Mission were handling all of the foreign language tours. In 1987 it was the first time when 16 young sister missionaries were assigned as visitors' center missionaries. By 1989 all volunteers then reaching 1,200 were released and Temple Square was fully staffed with full-time young sister missionaries. On March 23rd, 1995, Temple Square became officially a mission of it's own called Utah Salt Lake City Temple Square Misison. It is the smallest mission in the Church geographically. R. Witt was the president of the mission at the time with about 175 sister missionaries and about 35 couples(senior missionry couples). The sister missionaries were from around the world with a language capability with over 30 languages spoken. The major goal of the mission was to "find" people that want to learn more,rather than "teach" people the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In other words the mission would gather referrals and those who visited Temple Square and had a desire to learn more would be taught by local missionaries wherever they lived. Since 1988 visitor attendance on Temple Square has fluctuated between 4 and 5 million people a year. Referrals to missions around the world have progressively grown in number each year. More and more visitors coming are feeling the spirit of God there and have a desire to learn more about the church. 1997 THE SESQUICENTENTENNIAL CELEBRATION 1999 THE TORNADO 2002 THE 2002 WINTER OLYMPICS Twice Every Year GENERAL CONFERENCE TIME Once a Year CHRISTMAS TIME Every Sunday MUSIC AND THE SPOKEN WORD For more detailed information on the past events of Temple Square please refer to "Missionary Moments on Temple Square" by Maurine E.Winters. | WHAT PEOPLE
SAID AFTER A TOUR The motto of the Temple Square Mission is "...to prepare their hearts to receive the word." Here are some comments that visitors wrote after having a tour with sister missionaries: TEXAS (Presbyterian) The tour was wonderful. It stirred up all my emotions and love of Christ. ILLINOIS (Unitarian) Temple Square is very impressive: facilities, films, buildings and the friendliness and hospitality shown by all the guides. The enthusiasm is contagious. Thank you so much. I look forward to the opportunity to bring my family to Salt Lake City. ISRAEL (Jewish) It was a very interesting presentation. It is the first time for me to hear about Jesus Christ, his beliefs and his actions. NEW ZEALAND (Ratana) Fascinating and a tribute to the commitment and faith of the early pioneers, It has been an honor to visit. NEW MEXICO (Methodist) Thank you! Your sincere love for Jesus Christ is very evident. You radiate the peace and love of his teachings. ALABAMA (Baptist) I appreciate having had the opportunity to take this tour. I commend the young ladies who gave us the information, but most of all their sweet spirit which comes from Jesus Christ. TEXAS (Atheist) Very interesting and touching tour. CALIFORNIA (Catholic) Excellent tour, beautiful facility, the sister missionary did an outstanding job and it does make me want to learn more... GERMANY (Evangelist) We were really pleased by the tour. It was a big bonus that the Sister was able to speak German. For more detailed information on the History of Temple Square please refer to "Angels on Temple Square" by Joyce K. Goodrich and Maurine E. Winters.  Salt Lake Temple  The Salt Lake City 14th Ward Album Quilt, 1857: Stories of the Relief Society and Their Quilt  The Revised and Enhanced History of Joseph Smith By His Mother  A Guide to Mormon Family History Sources |