H. Ray Hart was 8 years old when his father, Cecil E. Hart, escorted Church President George Albert Smith up the steps to the newly completed Idaho Falls Temple on Sept. 23, 1945. Pausing, the elder Brother Hart, who was a stake president at the time, introduced the prophet to his young son, who was standing to the side.
The boy and Church leader shook hands, then the two men proceeded into the sacred edifice for dedication services.Now 58 years old, Brother Hart is married with children and grandchildren of his own. A gospel doctrine teacher in the Idaho Falls 31st Ward, Idaho Falls Idaho Central Stake, he vividly remembers the dedication half a century ago.
"There were crowds - throngs of people - and they were all so happy and so excited," he said. "I didn't really understand why, except I knew who the prophet was, and it was a thrill to shake his hand and to know that my father was there with him. You could feel the Spirit. I remember looking up at the temple and seeing the spire and the beauty of the white temple."
Years later, his children watched the elder Brother Hart sustained as the fourth president of the temple in 1970.
Brother Hart's story is most likely similar to many in the temple district who recall the construction and dedication of "The temple by the river." (Please see article on page 3 on the Jubilee commemoration of the temple.)
According to the Sept. 1, 1945, issue of the Church News, the First Presidency of the Church announced plans in March 1937 to build a temple in Idaho. "By fall of 1939 plans for the new edifice were finished and approved. On December 19th, 1939, at 10 a.m., amid a big program and celebration, ground was broken and the work of excavation began."
One of the first challenges builders faced was a solid foundation, so an 18-foot excavation was done. "At that depth a solid bed of lava rock was encountered which provided a most ideal foundation," the Church News reported.
On Oct. 19, 1939, the cornerstone was laid at the southeast corner of the temple with President David O. McKay officiating. President J. Reuben Clark Jr. was in charge of the ceremony. The Church News related: "An excellent program was rendered during which a group of trumpeters upon the roof of the six story hospital building a block away rendered in most melodious strains that sacred and cherished number, `An angel from on high the long, long silence broke.' "
The capstone ceremony took place Aug. 19, 1941. The exterior was reinforced concrete; the walls were faced with pure white cast stone. According to the Post Register, based in Idaho Falls, the temple was completed in 1944, but war-time travel restrictions and gas rationing delayed the dedication.
The Idaho Falls Temple - the eighth in the Church - was finally dedicated in eight sessions Sept. 23-25, 1945, by President George Albert Smith.
Now, 50 years later, the temple continues to stand as a "symbol of purity," according to the North America Northwest Area presidency. Full-time missionaries serving in the Idaho Pocatello Mission extol the benefits of having a temple in their area.
One such missionary is Sister Sarah Walsh of Las Vegas, Nev., who is returning home the end of September. "Having a temple centered where we're serving is a big benefit," she said. "A lot of people I've come in contact with have asked questions about it. Many of the people we taught were here in the visitors center."
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Idaho Falls Temple presidents
David Smith, 1943-49
William L. Killpack, 1949-65
Parley Arave, 1966-70
Cecil E. Hart, 1970-75
Delbert V. Groberg, 1975-80
Devere Harris, 1980-84
Rheim Magleby Jones, 1984-87
Milton A. Romrell, 1987-90
C. Gayle Williams, 1990-93
Preston B. Brimhall, 1993