Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1882-02-02
Imposing Mormon Temple.

being pushed ahead with as large force
of workmen as convenience will permit,
and the walls of the building are begin
ming to loom up and are covered with
scaffolds and derricks. We learn from
Mr.. ID. Wilkin, who has just returned
from trip out in the Manti country.
that the temple is being constructed of
white limestone. The building is stu
ated on top of a mountain a spur of the
Wasatch range. that extends into the
town of Manti, and is called by the
people OF Utah the Mountain of the
Lord. The foundation of the temple is
63 feet above the level of the road, and
Is set In solid rock, the top of the noun
tain having been excavated and removed,
making it level is 95 feet in width and ITO
IN length. From the ground 10 the
square will be 80 feet in height. There
Will be two towers erected, Que at the
east, and the other ae the west corner of
the building. The tower at the east
corner will be 179 feet in height. while
that at the west corner will be ten feet
lower, or l69 feet in height. They are
four terrace walls around the mountain
In front of the temple. which will aver
age about II feet in height and are about
900 feet in length, and in all contain
about 2,400 cords of rock, as at present
built, and 55, 900 yards of debris has
been excavated and hauled away. The
stairway from the road to the upper ter
race is 63 feet, and will contain 132
stone steps, Is feet in width. In back
of the terrace will be filed with rich
soil, TO the top of the stone work, and
trees and shrubbery planted, and the
tops of terraces are TO be Ornamented by
neatly dressed and cut alone, and stat
ues will be placed at various and ap-
propriate places. The water TO supply
the temple will be brought in wooden
pipes from a spring situated about mile
and quarter east of the temple, back
in the mountains, and has fall of 70
feet to the reservoir TO the tower terrace.
The whole side of the mountain is to be
planted with trees and flowers, and the
crystal stream poured forth by the little
spring, as it winds its way down the side
of the mountain, will travel from root to
root, quenching their thirst, thus assis-
ting the trees to produce their foliage in
spring, the flowers in bloom and the
grass to grow. The building of the tenn
pie was first commenced five years ago,
and has been worked on ever since, and
it Is expected that it will be in condition
in about three years that it can be used
but it Is estimated that it Will take fully
five years to complete the building. The
building will be fifty feet in height, and
the excavation at the east end Of the
basement is about forty six feet in depth
Mr., Folsom is the architect, and as to
his skill and ability as an architecturist,
the Manti temple will speak for years
after he has passed from the face of the
earth. 1t was President Young's inten-
ton, when he ordered the erection of
this temple, that it should be the grand
est and most imposing structure erected
on the American continent, and all indi-
cations point to such being the case!
Manti is situated about 125 miles, a
little east of Salt Lake City, and $50
miles northeast of Pieche. and is quite
a large town, being the third oldest set
tlement of Utah Territory. 1t is located
at the foot of the east side of the Wa
satch mountains, in one of the most fer
tile valleys in the Territory, which is
dotted its entire length with well stocked
farms and large orchards. The Wasatch
river, a tributary to the Sewer river,
flows through the town, supplying the
people with water for all necessary pur-
poses, including irrigation. The Manti
and surrounding valleys is the granary
of the mountain country. Its fruitful
farms not only produce sufficient guam
tity of grain to supply the greater por-
ton of Utah with grain and -four, but it
supplies the greater portion ofSouthern
Nevada with -four and goodly portion
of the grain consumed by us.
Brigham Young had made several
trips down into Saupete county, from
which tue church derived large por-
ton of its revenue, for the purpose of
locating spot where temple should be
erected. He first intendad to locate it
at Mount Ephraim, but changed his
mind; and, after several trips and chan
ges of location, the prophet. while in
Manti one day, upon being told the leg
end of how the mountain, at the foot of
which he was stopping, derived its name
the Mormon prophet said: 'The tenn
pie shall be buiIt upon the Mountain of
the Lord"
The following legend, in regard to the
naming of the mountain, is told and be-
ieved by the Mormon people OF that
vicinity: One day little child, years
ago, rushed into the house, calling
Mammal mammal and telling its par
ents that it had just seen a great large
man riding on big horse that nearly
reached to tie skies, on the top of the
mountain, and it looked like the Lord.
The parents rushed out and called their
neighbors, telling them the child's story