Dedication of the Casper Wyoming Temple
Paying homage to the earlier pioneers who trekked along central Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska and the Lakota Nation territory between 1847 and 1868 to Salt Lake City, Elder Quentin L. Cook recounted the impact of his great-grandfather, who was among those Saints who crossed the Sweetwater River in 1856.
“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, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “He taught me that following the counsel of the prophet in our own day would be equally heroic.”
Even those in the temple district who do not live in Wyoming claim Martin’s Cove and the pioneer sites as their own, said Rapid City South Dakota Stake President M. Troy Nesbit, especially as the youth of his stake have traveled to those sites for pioneer trek reenactments. “All of our members have a very strong sense of belonging to that area from a Church history standpoint,” President Nesbit said. “It is a very tender spot for us.”
Elder Cook dedicated the Casper Wyoming Temple on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in a single session broadcast to all units within the Casper temple district. The Casper temple is the Church’s 201st dedicated and operating temple. It’s the state’s second dedicated and operating house of the Lord, following the Star Valley Wyoming Temple, which was dedicated in 2016.
Elder Cook was accompanied by his wife, Sister Mary Cook; Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé and his wife, Sister Valérie Caussé; Elder Ricardo P. Giménez, a General Authority Seventy and second counselor in the North America Central Area presidency, and his wife, Sister Catherine Giménez; Elder James R. Rasband, a General Authority Seventy and assistant executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Mary Rasband.
“Here in mortality, we have the privilege of being the congregation of the righteous to find our ancestors and, by proxy, perform sacred ordinances for those who are in spirit prison,” Elder Cook said ahead of the dedication. “As we do so, we do for them what they cannot do for themselves.”
Before the Casper temple’s dedication, many members of the Rapid City stake traveled north to the Bismarck North Dakota Temple — which is about five hours by car from Rapid City. Since rough North Dakota winters can be rougher than Wyoming, the Casper temple eases the burden of long journeys for the local Latter-day Saints.
President Nesbit said having a closer temple will be a blessing for many members. “Casper is more climatewise like us, and so there’ll probably be many more opportunities from a weather standpoint to go in the winter,” he said.
Casper Wyoming East Stake President Steven D. Higginson said that between the two Casper stakes, 61 people were serving as temple workers in the Fort Collins Colorado Temple. Leading up to the Casper temple dedication, more than 100 members of his stake alone were interviewed by their bishops to be temple workers.
“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.”
The Saints in Wyoming have felt those blessings even before the dedication. Many recounted spiritual experiences when entering the temple for the open house. Steve and Diana Gleaseon, who served as co-coordinators of the open house and dedication committee, witnessed some of these blessings in their experience leading open house tours.
Diana Gleason recounted one young woman who’s had many challenges said she felt her grandmother’s presence in the celestial room. “She said, ‘I know she was right there with me,’” Diana Gleason recalled. “Things like that change people’s lives. She knew that somebody loved her in that building.”
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “We are grateful for the sacrifice and commitment of early pioneers who traversed this Platte River territory and acknowledge the terrible price that some paid, and the heroic rescue that others provided. ... We also acknowledge and are grateful for the sacrifice of modern Latter-day Saints whose religious observance, devotion and consecrated contributions have made possible the construction of this sacred edifice.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Casper Wyoming Temple here.
Timeline of the Casper Wyoming Temple
The Casper Wyoming Temple was announced April 4, 2021, by Church President Russell M. Nelson. The groundbreaking and site dedication were held on Oct. 9, 2021, and presided over by Elder S. Gifford Nielsen, North America Central Area president.
After a public open house from Aug. 29 to Sept. 14, 2024, the Casper Wyoming Temple was dedicated Nov. 24, 2024, by Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Architecture and Design of the Casper Wyoming Temple
The Casper Wyoming Temple is a single-story building of 9,950 square feet. It features a steel-framed modular structure, built similar to the modular construction first used by the Church with its Helena Montana Temple, which was dedicated in June 2023. The exterior is a cladding of glass-fiber reinforced concrete.
The design motifs through the interior are based on the stylized versions of the Indian paintbrush — Wyoming’s state flower — and the sagebrush, both native to Casper and the surrounding area. Floor coverings include green carpet tile in the instruction room, cream wool area rugs in the celestial and sealing rooms, and red, green and tan decorative rugs in the entry and waiting area. Porcelain in the Timeless Marfil color is used in the interior, with granite in the color of Coast Green in the baptistry.
Art-glass windows and interior decorative painting feature local flora — including the Indian paintbrush — and geometric Native American patterns. The doors are stained sapele and painted poplar, with millwork employing the same woods. Landscaping of the 9.52-acre temple grounds includes large boulders and stones and grasses — all reflecting the region’s rocky prairie — along with native plants, multitrunk trees and evergreens.
Interior Photos of the Casper Wyoming Temple
