CASPER, Wyoming — Between 1847 and 1868, more than 60,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints passed through what is now Casper on their overland trek to Salt Lake City, crossing the North Platte River at a spot not far from the new Casper Wyoming Temple.

Most early members came across the plains without severe incident, but members of the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies of 1856 suffered starvation, exposure, death and other ordeals. A significant event was the 1856 Sweetwater River rescue in Central Wyoming, in which young men carried desperate pioneers across the freezing water.

One of those young men was David Patten Kimball, great-grandfather of Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

“My grandfather, Crozier Kimball, explained to me that one of the reasons these young men were heroic was because they were following the prophet,” said Elder Cook. “He taught me that following the counsel of the prophet in our own day would be equally heroic.”

Now, Latter-day Saints in Casper will participate in that kind of heroism by rescuing their ancestors through temple work.

On Sunday, Nov. 24, Elder Cook dedicated the Casper Wyoming Temple 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.

The Casper Wyoming Temple on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024.

Serving 15,000 Latter-day Saints in nearly 50 congregations within its district, the Casper Wyoming Temple is the state’s second dedicated and operating house of the Lord, following the Star Valley Wyoming Temple, which was dedicated in 2016. The Cody Wyoming Temple, which was announced in 2021, held its groundbreaking ceremony on Sept. 27, 2024.

Elder Cook said there are great blessings for those who engage in the work of redeeming the dead, particularly in regards to a person’s own ancestors.

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“I believe that the youth of the Church will have greater protection from the adversary if they immerse themselves in searching for their ancestors, preparing their names for the sacred vicarious ordinances available in the temple and then go to the temple to stand as proxy for them to receive the ordinances of baptism and gift of the Holy Ghost, or act as a witness,” Elder Cook said.

Saints in the temple district have currently been traveling to the Fort Collins Colorado Temple or the Bismarck North Dakota Temple.

Casper Wyoming East Stake President Steven D. Higginson said, “Not only is it going to be wonderful to be close to a temple to do ancestral work, but so many more of our members will have the opportunity to serve inside the temple as temple workers,” he said. “The blessings will be just as important for those who did not have that opportunity before.”

Church members arrive for the Casper Wyoming Temple dedication on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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During the two week open house from Aug. 29-Sept. 14, 27,000 people came to tour the temple.

Beth Worthen, a long-time Casper resident and chair of the temple open house committee, shared the community’s warm reception. She’s spoken with locals, civic leaders, business leaders and others who feel that the temple brings peace to the community.

“It’s our responsibility to keep talking about the temple and the feelings that it gives us and the transformational power that it holds, so that people in our community are continually reminded of that and see how it can fit into their lives,” she said.

Read more about today’s dedication in the Church News.

Elder Ricardo P. Giménez, Sister Catherine Giménez, Bishop Gérald Caussé, Sister Valérie Caussé; Elder Quentin L. Cook, Sister Mary Cook, Elder James R. Rasband, Sister Mary Rasband, outside the  Casper Wyoming Temple.
From left: Elder Ricardo P. Giménez, General Authority Seventy and second counselor in the North America Central Area, and his wife, Sister Catherine Giménez; Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé and his wife, Sister Valérie Caussé; Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Mary Cook; Elder James R. Rasband, General Authority Seventy and assistant executive director of the Temple Department and his wife, Sister Mary Rasband, pose for photos outside the Casper Wyoming Temple following the dedication on Sunday Nov. 24, 2024. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
People exit the Casper Wyoming Temple with a backdrop of snowy mountains following the temple dedication on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024.
Church members exit the Casper Wyoming Temple following its dedication on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
The Casper Wyoming Temple on Friday Nov. 22, 2024. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Casper Wyoming Temple on Friday Nov. 22, 2024. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Elder Quentin L. Cook and Sister Mary Cook and others exit the Casper Wyoming Temple to take a few photos following the dedication on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024.
Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and his wife, Sister Mary Cook, and members of the official party exit the Casper Wyoming Temple following the dedication on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
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