The temples built by the early pioneers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are some of the most beautiful structures made during that time of American History.
After the saints had been forced to leave the Nauvoo and Kirkland temples in the East which they had suffered and sacrificed so much build, the St. George temple was the first to be fully dedicated and in use after their arrival in the west.
The Picture of The St. George Temple
While drawing this coloring page, I decided to incorporated some of the history surrounding the temple and St. George itself into the design.
Even during renovations, the St. George Temple is a magnificent white building that is a gleaming white which can be easily seen if you are looking over the St. George valley.
On the illustration behind the temple is a beautiful rainbow.
The dark cloud and rainbow are included to represent President Wilford Woodruffs admonition to the saints of St. George who were suffering from a severe drought, that if they would be faithful in paying their tithing that ‘”the windows of heaven would be open” to them.
In the corner of the image is a wagon wheel which is used to represent the pioneers who worked hard to establish Zion in the southern part of Utah.
It is also used to represent the individuals who came to St. George via the “Honeymoon Trail” to be married in the House of the Lord.
Roses are next to the wagon wheel, showing how the Lord helped the Saints make the desert ‘blossom like a rose’.
Finally, I added a prickly pear cactus because the Saints had to learn how to live in a desert when all were used to farming lands that were naturally more lush and had easy access to water.
The St. George temple is a testament to how the Lord can hear and answer prayers and help a people flourish in the most adverse of circumstances.
10 Facts About the St. George Temple
- The St. George temple is the longest operating temple built by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
- The St. George temple was designed similarly to the Nauvoo and Kirkland temples.
- The St. George temple was the first temple to have proxy baptism for the dead ordinances performed. Early figures of the foundation of America had their work performed here.
- Brigham Young purchased a home near the St. George temple work site. The St. George temple was the only temple out west to be completed in his lifetime.
- A canon from the Mexican American War was used in its construction.
- Couples from the south as far as Mexico and Arizona would travel the “honeymoon trail” to be married in the St. George temple until the completion of the Mesa Arizona temple in 1927.
- The original tower on the St. George temple was short and “squatty”, a feature that Brigham Young didn’t like. After his death it was struck by lightning and burned to its base. It was then replaced by a taller much more eye-pleasing tower. (ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org)
- The original foundation of the temple was made from local volcanic rock. (ChurchofJesusChrist.org)
- The first baptism for the dead performed at the St. George temple was by Susan Young who was baptized for a friend who had passed away.(History of the Saints Volume 2, ChurchofJesusChrist.org)
- Dances were held to raise money to build the temple. (History of the Saints Volume 2, ChurchofJesusChrist.org)
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