Casper Wyoming Temple

On 4 April 2021, at the 191st Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. President Russell M. Nelson announced plans to construct the Casper Wyoming Temple.

Wyoming, known as the Equality State for being the first to give voting rights to women, is the least populated and least densely populated state in the contiguous United States. Casper is in east-central Wyoming. The state has a significant place in the history of the Church, as pioneers traveled across the state in their westward migration to Utah, primarily from the 1840s to the 1860s.

There are over 170 Church congregations in Wyoming, with more than 67,000 Latter-day Saints — or about one in every nine residents — in the state. The Casper Wyoming Temple will be the second temple constructed in the state. The Star Valley Wyoming Temple located in Afton, Wyoming, was dedicated in 2016. A temple in Cody was announced in October 2021.

On 10 June 2021, the location of the Casper Wyoming Temple was announced as a 9.5-acre property at the intersection of Wyoming Boulevard Southwest (Highway 258) and Eagle Drive in a developing area of southwest Casper near the highway to Martin's Cove, just west of Roosevelt High School. Martin’s Cove — the location where early and severe winter storms trapped the Willie and Martin handcart companies of pioneers in 1856 — is about 60 miles southwest of Casper.

The design for the temple is a single-story building of approximately 10,000 square feet. The official exterior rendering for the Casper Wyoming Temple was released to the public on 3 September 2021.

Groundbreaking Ceremony Held for the Casper Wyoming Temple

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Casper Wyoming Temple was held on Saturday, 9 October 2021. Elder S. Gifford Nielsen, General Authority Seventy and president of the Church’s North America Central Area, presided at the event and offered a dedicatory prayer.

During his remarks, Elder Nielsen said, "Write down your feelings today. This is a journal entry for not only now, but also for those who will read and learn about this event in the future."

In his dedicatory prayer, Elder Nielsen recounted the experience of early Latter-day Saints as they traveled to the Salt Lake Valley. He said, "May we never forget their unwavering effort and sacrifices. May this temple stand as a symbol of their commitment to Thee and of their desire to build Thy kingdom here on Earth."

He also shared the gratitude felt by many for whom the temple is an answer to prayer. He further commented, "We can only imagine the celebration on the other side of the veil among those whose sacrifices prepared the way for the blessings we enjoy today. Our hearts rejoice with them."

Attendance at the groundbreaking was by invitation only. Residents in the temple district were able to watch the ceremony via broadcast.

Open House Held

Media attended a news conference in Casper on Monday, August 26, 2024, beginning the public open house prior to the dedication of this temple. Those participating in the event included Elder Randall K. Bennett, North America Central Area President; Elder James R. Rasband, an assistant executive director of the Temple Department; Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson; and several local leaders.

A public open house took place from Thursday, August 29, through Saturday, September 14, 2024, excluding Sundays.

The Casper temple serves more than 15,000 members of the Church in nearly 50 congregations. The Casper temple features a steel-framed modular structure, built similar to the modular construction first used by the Church with its Helena Montana Temple, which was dedicated in June 2023.

Dedication

Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the temple on Sunday, November 24, 2024, in a single 10 a.m. session broadcast to all units within the Casper temple district. It is the Church’s 201st dedicated and operating temple.[1]

Elder Cook was accompanied by his wife, Sister Mary Cook; Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé and his wife, Sister Valérie Caussé; Elder Ricardo P. Giménez, a General Authority Seventy and second counselor in the North America Central Area, and his wife, Sister Catherine Giménez; Elder James R. Rasband, a General Authority Seventy and assistant executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Mary Rasband.

The new temple will ease the long journeys that local Latter-day Saints previously took to enjoy temple worship. Before the Casper temple’s dedication, many members of the Rapid City South Dakota Stake traveled north to the Bismarck North Dakota Temple. Bismarck is about five hours by car from Rapid City, and North Dakota winters can be rougher than Wyoming. Casper is about four hours by car from Rapid City.

The interior design motifs are based on stylized versions of the Indian paintbrush — Wyoming’s state flower — and the sagebrush, both native to Casper and the surrounding area. Art-glass windows and interior decorative painting feature local flora, including the Indian paintbrush, and geometric Native American patterns.[2]

Picture Gallery of Casper Wyoming Temple

Casper Wyoming Temple
Casper Wyoming Temple
Entry doors of the Casper Wyoming Temple
Reception area of the Casper Wyoming Temple
Looking at the front entrance from inside the Casper Wyoming Temple behind the recommend desk
Baptistry of the Casper Wyoming Temple
The baptistry of the temple rests on the backs of 12 oxen
An instruction room in the Casper Wyoming Temple
A sealing room in the Casper Wyoming Temple
Entering the celestial room of the Casper Wyoming Temple
The celestial room of the Casper Wyoming Temple
Casper Wyoming Temple