Salt Lake City Temple: 10 Little Known Facts and Free Coloring Page

When many people picture of a temple, the iconic at Salt Lake City, Utah usually comes to mind.

This monument to the Lord which is a physical testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pioneers and their perseverance, ingenuity, and faith was built to stand through the millennium.

Some of the features that I included on this coloring include the temple itself, mountains in the background, sea gulls in the air, tulips in the front, the beehive door knob, a bee, the rising sun, and a tree.

Symbolism of the Mountains

I included mountains in the background not just for the fact that the Wasatch Front towers over Salt Lake City, but because of the prophecy made long ago.

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills , and all nations shall flow unto it.”
Isaiah 2:2

Long ago when temples weren’t available, individuals and prophets who needed to commune with God went up to the mountains to feel closer to Him.

We see this with Nephi, Moses, the Brother of Jared, Elijah, and more.

Although the Salt Lake Temple isn’t at the peak of the Wasatch mountains, it is set as a beacon to the world and all nations flow unto it.

Symbolism of the Sea Gulls

Spending a lot of time in Salt Lake, I heard the story of the miracle of the seagulls.

As the pioneers watched as the power of God was manifested in the appearance of seagulls eating the locust which were destroying their means to life, each person bowed down in gratitude for the mercies of a God that does hear and answers prayers.

Symbolism of the Tulips

Several years ago I was privileged to make a trip to Salt Lake City in time for the April general conference.

There I noticed scores of tulips beautifully tall and erect in the flower beds around Temple Square.

Why did they plant those particular flowers?

According to pretty much every floral website, tulips are a representation of perfect and deep love.

That makes it the perfect flower that can represent God’s perfect love for each of us.

Not only do they represent perfect love, since tulips are perennial bulbs that die and come back again in the spring, they also represent God’s gift of resurrection and eternal life.

Symbolism of the Beehive and the Bee

The beehive was a representation of hard work and industry for the pioneers as they worked to build up the church and the land around them.

Beehive motifs can be found all throughout old Salt Lake and within the temple itself, down to the doorknobs.

The doorknobs are inscribed with the phrase “Holiness to the Lord” which encircles part of the beehive showing that our efforts are consecrated when they are made for the Lord.

Symbolism of the Rising Sun

The rising sun is seen as the beginning of a new day, full of opportunities and possibilities.

In the scriptures, Christ is likened to the rising sun, banishing darkness with His light.

Symbolism of the Tree

There is a lot of symbolism surrounding trees, such as the tree of life, the tree of good and evil, and more.

The tree pictured is meant to be an evergreen tree which will remain green despite the cold of the onset of winter.

However, I mainly incorporated the tree because I like trees and thought that the picture needed one.

10 Little Known Facts About the Salt Lake City, Utah Temple

The circular and rectangular windows that are placed around the temple represent a person’s journey from mortal life to eternal life, from imperfection to perfection. (LDS Living)
The Salt Lake Temple grounds is the most visited tourist site in Utah.
It took 6 years after Brigham Young’s announcement of the building of the temple for the official groundbreaking to occur.
Moonstones on the Salt Lake City Temple appear showing phases, symbolizing the phases in a man’s and woman’s life.
The shaking hands represent fellowship between individuals.
There are two stone clouds located on the Eastern, middle tower of the temple which may represent different things including truth and light coming from the east in reference to Christ’s second coming.(KUTV.com)
The Salt Lake Temple has 23 sealing rooms, more than any other temple. (Church of Jesus Christ Temples.org)
The Salt Lake City Temple is the largest temple built so far.
There were 31 dedication sessions once the Salt Lake Temple was completed. (IntermountainHistories.org)
Statues of Joseph and Hyrum Smith used to be in the statue niches on the East side of the temple. They were relocated in 1911 to the Joseph Smith Memorial Gardens. (CleoMadison.com)