Star Valley Wyoming Temple
Latter-day Saints in the state of Wyoming will now enjoy worship and work at their own Mormon Temple. The announcement of the construction of the Star Valley Wyoming Temple was made at the 181st semi-annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in October 2011. President and Prophet of the Church, Thomas S. Monson, who made the announcement, joked that he would be happy to personally dedicate this particular temple, because of the good fishing in the area.
The Idaho Falls Idaho Temple, Rexburg Idaho Temple, Twin Falls Idaho Temple, and the Boise Idaho Temple previously serviced Wyoming’s 63,000 Church members. The Star Valley Wyoming Temple is the first in Wyoming and will serve members living in the western part of the state, who now travel approximately 1.5 hours to Idaho Falls and Rexburg, Idaho, for temple services. The journey to the Rexburg Temple from Wyoming was considerably difficult on rural roads with severe winter conditions.
Temple District
The Star Valley Wyoming Temple is anticipated to serve members from the following six stakes: Afton Wyoming Stake, Kemmerer Wyoming Stake, Montpelier Idaho Stake, Montpelier Idaho South Stake, Soda Springs Idaho Stake, and Thayne Wyoming Stake. A final determination will be made before the temple is dedicated.
Temple Site
On 25 May 2012, the Church officially announced the location of the Star Valley Wyoming Temple as east of U.S. Highway 89 on the Haderlie Farm property in the town of Afton, south of Star Valley Medical Center, and north of the Star Valley View Golf Course. The Mayor of Afton, Loni Hillyard, said members are "elated at the prospects of a temple in our valley." She believes that the temple "will have a positive effect on [the] entire community." Local Church spokesman Jerry Hansen said, "We truly believe this new temple will be a great asset not only to members of the Church but also to the people of the surrounding community, who will benefit from the peace and beauty a temple brings."
On 30 April 2012, Star Valley Independent reported that a letter from the Presiding Bishop to Mayor Hillyard had earlier confirmed the location of the temple. The letter proposed development of a portion of the site to construct a temple and requested a variance to the building height restriction of the zoning ordinance to accommodate a spire. "The actual temple is not too tall, it will just be the steeple," Mayor Hillyard said. "Our flight path maximum is 45 feet so they are going through this variance process. I do not anticipate a problem. It is so far up the hill away from the airport I don't think it will be an issue."
History of the Church in Wyoming
The history of the Church in Wyoming is rich and interesting. Mormon pioneers traveled westward through the state first in 1847, following the Oregon Trail to Fort Bridger. The first party of travelers stopped at Fort Laramie to repair their wagons. They used rafts to ferry themselves across the Platte River, and nine men stayed behind to continue working what became a profitable ferry.
Most traveling parties made it through Wyoming without trouble, but the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies of 1857 got trapped there in winter snowstorms. Of the 1,075 people in those companies, roughly 200 tragically perished before the rest were rescued by Saints from Utah settlements. Church members settled in the Star Valley area in 1877 and then Church President Brigham Young dedicated it as a gathering place for Latter-day Saints the following year. Today, three monuments stand in memory of the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies and a memorial site, dedicated by former Church President Gordon B. Hinckley, rests at the mouth of Sweetwater Canyon where 21 Saints died in a single night.
In June 2012 the location for the new Star Valley Wyoming Mormon Temple was announced. The new temple will be constructed east of U.S. Highway 89 on the Haderlie Farm property south of Afton.
