A History of Box Elder County

The Box Elder Tabernacle

CHAPTER 8 THE BOX ELDER TABERNACLE W,h en William Davis, James Brooks, and Thomas Pierce came to Box Elder to locate a settlement, they chose a site on the alluvial fan formed by the larger predecessor of Box Elder Creek. The allu­vium lifts the townsite above the lakebed plain to the west. The old Indian trail, which became the Gold Road, crossed the Box Elder Creek alluvium from south to north. When the main street of Brigham City was laid out, it followed the already-existing trail, from the south side of the alluvium at 11th South to the north side near 9th North. Plat A was laid out with reference to the land which was most easily served by the millrace canal and a network of gravity-fed irri­gation ditches. That placed the main intersection, the courthouse, and the business section of town in the center of Plat A. As city build­ing got underway, Brigham Young, as was his custom, came to inspect, to approve, to reassure the settlers, and to give his counsel to the brethren in charge. On one of those early visits, he discussed with Lorenzo Snow the building of a tabernacle. A Mormon tabernacle is a structure for large community reli- THE BOX ELDER TABERNACLE 147 The Box Elder Stake Tabernacle. (Craig Law) 148 HISTORY OF BOX ELDER COUNTY gious gatherings. The first Utah tabernacle was built in Salt Lake City, on the Temple Block, to replace the pole-and-brush "boweries" which provided some shade and little comfort in the summer, and were unuseable in the winter. The "Old Tabernacle" was finished and ded­icated in 1852, and served until the "New Tabernacle" replaced it in 1868.1 Brigham Young told Lorenzo Snow that a temple would someday be built on the gravel eminence just east of the city cemetery.2 He also directed the building of a tabernacle for the Saints of Box Elder. A site was chosen across Forest Street north from Snow's compound, which was surrounded by a wall as Young's was in Salt Lake City. Excavation began and preparations made for the laying of cornerstones. Young passed through Brigham City on 4 May 1865, on his way to Cache Valley to lay the cornerstones for a tabernacle in Logan. When he was shown the excavation at Brigham City's main intersection, Brigham Young shook his bearded head and told the brethren that they had chosen the wrong spot. This will become the center of the business district, he told them. This is a commercial center, it is not the spot for your tabernacle. He led them two blocks south, to a place called Sage Brush Square, just outside the platted city. "This is the spot for the tabernacle; it is the backbone of the city, the highest spot along Main Street Look at the ditches. The water flows in three directions from this place, north, south, and west. The spot will be well-drained, and someday be the center of the city. A tabernacle built here, like a light on a hill, can be seen from afar."3 By the time President Young returned from his trip to Cache Valley, the new site had been exca­vated and prepared. According to one report, "Brigham Young him­self laid the cornerstones for the tabernacle on May 9, 1865."4 A cor­respondent reported to the Deseret News that " . . . preparations [were] made for erecting tabernacles at Logan, Wellsville, Mendon and Brigham City, foundations being in part excavated, rock hauled to commence the work, and a spirit manifested to have them speedily completed."5 The rock foundation of the tabernacle was complete by 1868, work no doubt being prosecuted during the agricultural off-season, between harvest and seedtime, when labor was available. About that same time, the local brethren took grading contracts on the transcon- THE Box ELDER TABERNACLE 149 tinental railroad, being built north from Ogden, through Box Elder west of Brigham City, west across the marshes past Little Mountain, and up the steep grades of the Promontory. Not only was the Union Pacific building west, but the Central Pacific was building grade east through Box Elder. The provisions of the Pacific Railroad Act allot­ted land and money grants for miles of track laid, not grade built. Thus the surveyors and graders of the the two companies met and passed each other, in a mad rush to get the most track in place before the meeting point was reached. The two companies surveyed and partially built 225 miles of parallel grades, from the mouth of Weber Canyon to Humboldt Wells, Nevada, before Congress fixed the meet­ing point at Promontory Summit. The men of Box Elder hired out, under subcontractors Sharp & Young and Benson, Farr & West, to grade for the transcontinental railroad in order to get the road built for converts to come more speedily to Zion, as well as to get the cash wages offered by the railroads.6 Construction of the great railroad took temporary precedence, and construction of the Box Elder Tabernacle waited. Work on the transcontinental railroad, construction of the Utah Northern Railroad, expansion of the Brigham City Mercantile and Manufacturing Association enterprises and other community-build­ing enterprises delayed construction of the tabernacle. Actual construction of the tabernacle walls got under way in 1876. The thick walls, built of locally-available quartzite, were rising above the foundation when Brigham Young made his last visit to the city which bore his name. Young traveled throughout Utah, setting in order the stakes of Zion and reorganizing the church's priesthood structure.7 The graying Lion of the Lord came to Brigham City and presided at a conference held under the bowery on lower Locust Street on 19 August 1876. At that meeting the town was divided into four wards and Lorenzo Snow's son, Oliver G., was called to preside over the re-organized, re-ordered Box Elder Stake of Zion, to serve under his father's guiding hand.8 Work on the tabernacle moved ahead with vigor. At the first quarterly conference of the reorganized Box Elder Stake, two months after Brigham Young's visit, the tabernacle was a matter of discussion. Speaking on 28 October 1877, Lorenzo Snow regretted that "the con- 150 HISTORY OF BOX ELDER COUNTY gregation consisted of the priesthood only, the reason . . . was, that the house was too small to accommodate others, and the tabernacle, which was nearing completion, not being finished, they were under the necessity of turning the conference into what might more strictly be termed a priesthood meeting."9 By the time construction of the tabernacle got under way in earnest, the economy of Brigham City was booming. The industries of the Brigham City Mercantile and Manufacturing Association were fully developed and providing support, materials, and craftsmanship for the tabernacle project. All labor on the tabernacle was donated. The Scandinavian and Welsh craftsmen, who made up the majority of Brigham City's citi­zenry, were used to their best advantage to build a beautiful house of worship. Not only was labor donated, but also produce, which was sold to raise cash for materials such as glass, which had to be imported. Money raised from the sale of "Sunday eggs" was donated to construction of the tabernacle. The Box Elder Stake Tabernacle was built using native materi­als- limestone from the mountains, lime from the United Order lime kiln north of town, mortar sand from the alluvium, lumber cut from the foothills and canyons, sawed by the association's steam sawmill, rough-finished for joists, beams and rafters, finished by the craftsman's loving hand for benches and pulpit. Efforts to complete the tabernacle met with difficulties. The fire on 21 December 1877 which destroyed the woolen factory, seizure of the Brigham City Mercantile and Manufacturing Association's sawmill, agents of the federal government, the levying of a tax of $10,200 on the scrip of the association, as well as poor crops because of drought and grasshoppers brought loss and discouragement to the community.10 Lorenzo Snow, ever the optimist and savvy leader of men and women, realized that the best way to lift community spirits was work and a cause behind which all could rally. And just such a cause was before them: completing the magnificent Tabernacle. At a conference held Sunday, 26 January 1879, the call for re-commitment came and: "The people voted to sustain the tabernacle committee in erecting that building."11 Within six months the building was completed THE BOX ELDER TABERNACLE 151 enough that a meeting could be held within its walls.12 It took two more years of hard work and sacrifice, however, before the taberna­cle's dome dome was shingled, its benches in place, and its pulpit painted and ready for use. The entry in the Manuscript History of Box Elder Stake for Sunday, 24 April 1881, reads, "On this and the preceding day the 14th quarterly conference of the Box Elder Stake was held in the new tabernacle in Brigham City."13 It had been nearly sixteen years since Brigham Young selected the spot and laid the cornerstones. Finally the hopes, the sweat and the tears of the Saints of the Box Elder Stake of Zion had brought forth out of the gravel soil of Sage Brush Square a tabernacle, its gothic-arched windows letting in the light of heaven. The building was finished enough for worship, and was used for conferences, monthly fast meetings, and weekly sacrament meetings. Improvements came as the people had time and means. In 1887 a new organ was acquired, and, gradually, finishing touches were added.14 Even so, it was piecemeal. As the years passed, a desire grew to make the tabernacle into a more elegant, well-appointed house of worship. At the Forty-eighth quarterly conference of the Box Elder Stake, on Sunday, 27 October 1889, "It was moved and carried that the tabernacle be completed."15 A subsequent conference dwelt at length upon "sacrifice, tithing, offerings," and stake president Rudger Clawson "was pleased at the generous response made to furnish means to finish our tabernacle, which would not be dedicated until all expenses were paid." After exhorting the Saints, he noted happily that "Work on the galleries would commence tomorrow."16 Three months later a scheduled quarterly conference was postponed, "On account of the unfinished condition of the tabernacle in Brigham City, no Conference was held in April."17 By the second week in May, construction was basically com­pleted. The building, as it stood in 1890, was ninety-eight feet long by fifty-eight feet wide, built of local limestone and quartzite with sandstone trim around the doors and windows.18 Brick buttresses capped with pinnacles were added along the side walls between the windows and across the back during the 1889-90 phase of construc­tion, as was the balcony or gallery, and the vestry or east stone addi­tion. The pulpit was in the east end of the building with the choir loft 152 HISTORY OF Box ELDER COUNTY behind. 19 T h e tower, added d u r i n g this "completion" phase was a small, squat s t r u c t u r e , which was apparently neither graceful nor attractive.20 A stake conference was held on Monday, 12 May 1890, after the completion of the improvements. The Deseret News reported that "This is the first conference here, and the meeting was the first held in the Stake Tabernacle since the galleries were put in and the other improvements made, at cost of nearly $6000. The building is now furnished, and is commodious and handsome."21 By the middle of July, any remaining finishing touches and finan­cial obligations were taken care of, and after twenty-five years of off-a n d - o n construction, the tabernacle was ready for dedication. An article in the Brigham Bugler on 19 July titled "Ready for Worship" reported, The tabernacle is completed. The large force employed on the brick, carpenter and painting work was discharged Wednesday evening. But a few men are left to clean up and apply the finishing touches. Between $5,000 and $6,000 have been expended in the completion of this building. Every stroke of the work seems to have been put to good account with the exception of that on the tower. This will undoubtedly be improved later on. The erection of the tower, sixteen pilasters, and a large front step and an entire repaint­ing has been done on the outside; the construction of two long gal­leries; and enlargement of the choir; a marked improvement of the painter's work and several other changes and improvements cover the main work in the interior. By the aid of the new galleries, the seating capacity is enlarged 400. The Tabernacle ought now to seat between 1,200 and 1,500. After the Stake Conference, 27th and 28th, the regular afternoon Sunday services will be held at this place.22 At the Fifty-first quarterly conference of the Box Elder Stake, held on 27 and 28 October 1890, t h e tabernacle was dedicated. It was a time of fulfillment, of completion, of rejoicing. It was a benchmark in Brigham City's history. The conference was at once solemn and joyful. Even Wilford Woodruff, president of the LDS church, was in attendance to offer the prayer of dedication. "The Choir commenced t h e afternoon services by singing the dedicatory hymn. President Woodruff offered the dedicatory prayer, after which the Sacrament THE BOX ELDER TABERNACLE 153 was administered by the Bishopric of the Third Ward."23 The Bugler report adds the following: Sunday afternoon, the Brigham City Tabernacle was dedicated to the Lord by President Wilford Woodruff, leader of the church of lesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. People came in from all the surrounding settlements to attend Conference. Each meeting was unusually well attended. Wilford Woodruff, President of the Church; Lorenzo Snow, President of the Twelve Apostles; Apostle Franklin D. Richards, and A. H. Cannon, of Salt Lake Stake, were among the speakers at the Quarterly Conference. The largest congregation which ever assembled at the Tabernacle was that which met last Sunday afternoon. The main room and gallery were jammed; many were obliged to stand and scores were nable to gain admittance. This shows the necessity of a huge Stake Tabernacle being erected at Brigham City in the near future.24 At the conclusion of the conference, Brigham City's own Lorenzo Snow, now president of the Q u o r um of Twelve Apostles of the LDS church, stood and looked out over the congregation, the people he had led and guided for over three decades. President Snow proposed that, after singing, the congregation should give the sacred shout of hosanna to God and the Lamb as the closing exercises of the conference. The singing over, all stood up and joined in the glorious shout with oneness of heart, "Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna! to God and the Lamb. Amen! Amen! Amen!"25 It was a grand building, perched at the apex of Main Street, visi­ble for miles. Assistant LDS Church Historian Andrew Jenson wrote in 1891, "The Stake Tabernacle, occupying a beautiful site on one of the most elevated spots in Brigham City, is one of t h e finest Stake houses of its size in Utah."26 Improvements continued to be made including the addition of a furnace in late fall 1891. A large, stone basement r o om was built beneath the east vestry in anticipation of the installation of a furnace to replace t h e stoves which had provided uneaven heating at best 154 HISTORY OF BOX ELDER COUNTY d u r i n g the tabernacle's first decade. The furnace installation was explained in an article in the Brigham City Bugler: The Tabernacle is to be heated by hot air. The pipes are now being laid and the furnace placed in position. The system may not be ready for operation by tomorrow, but will be entirely completed by Tuesday and consequently in perfect working order by the fol­lowing Sunday. Three registers are being placed on each side of the main room, one on the choir stand and two in the vestry, making nine in all. This number will comfortably warm the entire build­ing. The use of an evaporating pan, to be placed in the furnace, will give the necessary moisture to the otherwise rather dry air. The idea of putting this hot-air system in the Tabernacle was conceived by President Clawson, proposed and accepted by unan­imous vote of the Congregation last Sunday afternoon and in less than ten days rushed through to completion. President Clawson is to be congratulated for his energy and so are the people who are stepping so promptly forward with their generous donations to secure this very essential modern appliance for their house of worship.27 The new furnace was not without problems as hot and cold days b r o u g h t complaints from the congregation. Then on 9 February 1896, as the people were assembling for church services,28 someone smelled smoke. John Baird and Lars M o r t e n s e n rushed outside, opened the doors to the basement, and discovered the source of the smoke. The furnace had flamed. The flames had entered the main building through the large heat duct through which heat entered the building to be dispersed by convection. The duct was of wood, and it provided a ready conduit for the flames. Already the timbers directly beneath the pulpit were on fire. The cry of "Fire!" was raised, and the building evacuated of the few people who had gathered. Fortunately the fire occurred before the building filled with its usual 1,000 Sunday morning worshipers. The a l a rm was raised in town, and as soon as possible the fire department was on the scene. The fire was beyond the scope of their equipment. The Bugler notes that "They were handicapped from lack of hose and shortage of water. But the fire had already got such a headway that work as they did, like young Trojans, they could not THE BOX ELDER TABERNACLE 155 The Box Elder Stake Tabernacle after the fire in 1896. (Box Elder County) cope with the rapidly spreading flames."29 The Bugler account con­tinued with an eyewitness of the conflagration: In less than an hour from when the fire was discovered, the main building was a mass of furious, crackling flames, and the fire had eaten its way through the roof and leaped upward into the inflammable tower. At 2:30 P.M., there was little left of the noble structure excepting the bare walls, now blackened, cracked and stripped of every square foot of wood; even the plaster was com­pletely skinned off. Excepting chairs, benches, etc., rescued from the vestry in the rear, nothing was saved. A heavy south wind was blowing all during the conflagration. Burning cinders were carried a quarter of a mile into the northern part of the city. Several structures were thus set on fire, but the flames were promptly extinguished.30 The tabernacle fire rivaled the spectacular nighttime fire at the Woolen Factory n i n e t e e n years before, but, being daytime, and Sunday, a crowd of 2500 to 3,000 people gathered to watch. The grief 156 HISTORY OF BOX ELDER COUNTY of the community was put into words by the editor of the Brigham City Bugler: So Brigham City's splendid tabernacle is no more. It was a substantial brick and stone structure that might have bid defiance to the ravaging hand of time for hundreds of years to come. It is the last building in town one would have imagined would catch fire and burn to the ground. The foundation of the structure was laid some thirty years ago-broad, deep and strong. This was built up several feet from the ground, in which condition it stood for years. Some fifteen years ago the people took hold of the building again with admirable ardor; completed the walls; constructed the roof and in time had the structure so nearly completed that ser­vices could be held in it. About six years ago the building was greatly improved and by the addition of galleries nearly doubled the seating capacity. At least $5,000 was spent on the structure at this time. The seating was about 1,200. The cost of the building is variously estimated from $20,000 to $25,000. In addition to the building, which was a total loss, an $800 pipe organ, $300 worth of sheet music, etc., and an old and valu­able solid silver sacrament service, worth over $200 were entirely destroyed. No insurance on anything.31 A meeting was convened, almost before the embers cooled. The question was not whether to rebuild, only how. The town and the stake had grown since 1865, when the building was originally laid out, and some consideration was given to razing the still-standing rock walls and building a larger, more commodious tabernacle. After inspection, the verdict was a n n o u n c e d by stake president Rudger Clawson: "Excepting the tower, the walls and pilasters of the burned Tabernacle are injured little, if any. Bishop Hansen tells me the build­ing could be restored for about $12,000. The cost of tearing down the walls to put up a larger structure would be enormous."32 The decision was made within two days, as the ashes were being cleaned away, to build again on the flame-cleansed stone walls. It was not an o p p o r t u n e time for such an expensive project. Brigham City a n d Box Elder C o u n t y had not recovered from the financial losses which brought about the collapse of the Co-op, exac­erbated by t h e great national financial depression of 1893. It was a THE BOX ELDER TABERNACLE 157 time of trial. President Clawson and his two counselors, Adolphus Madsen and Charles Kelly, went to Salt Lake to consult with the pres­idency of the church. They explained their s i t u a t i o n , discussed options, and finally requested financial help from church headquar­ters. The brethren sympathized but said that they were in a financial pinch as well. They could not help as much as they might like.33 The stake leaders appealed to the people of the church at large through newspaper articles from the Bugler and and the Deseret News. The First Presidency of the church sent out a circular letter to all presiding authorities and members of the church in the Stakes in Zion requesting donations, and stating that "notwithstanding every dis­couragement, vigorous and active measures are being taken by the Presiding brethren of Box Elder Stake to repair the damage done and restore the Tabernacle to its former condition of beauty and usefulness. The undertaking is of such magnitude the Saints of Box Elder-few in numbers and limited in means as thy are-cannot meet it alone, and it is thought the members of the Church gener­ally will be disposed to assist them. We think so, and feel that any assistance thus rendered them in the hour of dire calamity would be praiseworthy. We commend this matter to the favorable atten­tion of the Latter-day Saints.34 The letter was signed by Wilford Woodruff, George Q. Cannon, and Joseph F. Smith. Loss of the tabernacle made necessary the suspension of stake conferences as there was "no meeting house in the Stake large enough to accommodate the people or even half the people who would wish to attend."35 John B. McMaster was honorably released from a mission in Scotland to return to Brigham City to supervise the rebuilding of the tabernacle.36 Within a year, work on the rebuilt Box Elder Stake Tabernacle was n e a r i n g completion. The Bugler reported on 16 January 1897 that choir director S. N. Lee was rehearsing the choir for the upcoming quarterly conference after having gone to consid­erable trouble and expense to replace song books and sheet music destroyed by the fire.37 In actuality, the conference was postponed, because the earlier estimates of the time required to finish the build­ing were unduly optimistic. By t h e first of March, however, the end 158 HISTORY OF Box ELDER COUNTY was in sight. It was determined to dedicate the new Tabernacle on 21 March 1897. On the 20th, a report in the Bugler revealed the details of the new building: Tomorrow our handsome new Tabernacle will be dedicated to the worship of God. It will be a great day of thanksgiving to the many devout souls, who, for over a year past, have had no general place for holding Sunday services, conferences, etc. One day this week a BUGLER reporter went in and examined this new building. The last time he was inside the tabernacle was last spring, when with kodak in hand he took a picture of the inte­rior after the fire. What a marvelous change since then! Willing hands and generous hearts have completed such a beautiful and commodious place of worship as will inspire even the careless with the knowledge that they are in the house of the Lord. What on the day of the great fire appeared a calamity, will tomorrow be looked upon as a great blessing-there is really no comparison between the old and the new. It is a strictly up to date building with a seating capacity of about 1,400 people and standing room for probably 200 more. All the seats in the house will be "good seats," as the pulpit is so nicely in harmony with the auditorium that all will be able to see as well as hear. The eyes help the hearing and understanding more than most people imagine. The vestry is so arranged that on occasion the folding doors between this and the main room may convert the two into one. The upstairs vestry is finished in pure white: chairs, desk and all. The main building is finished in oak. The graining and panneling are indeed very handsome and give the interior an elegant appear­ance. The pulpit and choir are now in the west end of the building. The tabernacle is lighted with electricity and heated with steam. In various parts of the building are large radiators, while under each pew and in any other necessary part of the building pass the steam pipes. The city water-works are also connected with the building. In the vestibule there is a handsome onyx wash bowl. The onyx is from Box Elder County and is of most beautiful coloring and quality. This is indeed a credit to Box Elder county resources and to home skill in manipulation. THE BOX ELDER TABERNACLE 159 The choir stand, with its pretty oak chairs, will seat nearly sev­enty singers. The gallery has a very sloping floor and no doubt will be as pleasant as the lower floor. There are four stairways. One of the attractive features of this "so-as-by-fire" tabernacle is the fact that all space is so conveniently utilized. Cunning little cupboards and roomy cloak rooms, closets, etc., are tucked away in very convenient but quite unexpected places. Yes, the interior of the building is very much handsomer than the exterior. This has been merely restored. It is substantial and not aggressively plain, but the tower smacks a little of the city hall in style of architecture. The interior, though is that of a modern church. Attractive to the eye, comfortable and convenient, it can­not fail to please all who have helped to contribute to its restora­tion. Out of the $13,000 which the tabernacle has cost, $10,000 has been contributed by Box Elder county; The people have been nobly generous in donating their money and the stake officers have been untiring in their efforts to give their spiritual flock a commodious fold. A year ago many said the tabernacle could not be rebuilt with­out working hardship to the people. It is ready for use and we fully believe none complain. Now we have a tabernacle again, which no doubt is already insured against fire, will the mischievous boys and girls who take delight in defacing the beautiful, keep their destructive pocket knives and pencils in their pockets or, safer yet, leave them at home? The building burned on that eventful Sunday afternoon, February 9, 1896. Its rebuilding has taken but little more than one year. Yes, tomorrow will be a day of general rejoicing among the Latter-day Saints of Box Elder County.38 At the dedication, not only the people of Brigham City and sur­rounding communities were present, but the stand was graced with t h e presence of distinguished visitors from church headquarters, i n c l u d i n g "President George Q. Cannon, Elders Lorenzo Snow, Franklin D. Richards, Bishop William B. Preston, Elders Seymour B. 160 HISTORY OF Box ELDER COUNTY Young, Hiram B. Clawson, C. F. Middleton of Ogden, the presidency and High council of the Box Elder Stake, and the Bishops of the var­ious wards."39 In a fitting tribute to the pioneer Saints who built the first tabernacle, the opening prayer was offered by pioneer patriarch Alvin Nichols. Ninety-year-old church president Wilford Woodruff, who had been planning to offer the dedicatory prayer, was forced by illness to remain at home in Salt Lake City, and his place was taken by his first counselor, George Q. Cannon. Reconstruction of the Box Elder Tabernacle had cost $15, 117.04.40 The second life of the Box Elder Tabernacle began with celebra­tion and dedication. As the Bugler rightly said, the fire had proved, after all was said and done, a blessing. "What on the day of the great fire appeared a calamity, will tomorrow be looked upon as a great blessing-there is really no comparison between the old and the new."41 Over the years changes came in the natural course of events. In 1947 outdoor lighting was installed to illuminate the sturdy rock walls and soaring Gothic Revival tower at night.42 In 1951 a campaign was raised to purchase a new pipe organ for the tabernacle. The peo­ple were offered, for their donations, a certificate, indicating "owner­ship" of a pipe or pipes, depending upon the amount of the dona­tion. The new organ was installed in a case built behind the pulpit against the west wall of the choir loft in 1951. The great windstorm of May 1954 knocked one of the sheet-metal pinnacles off one of the brick buttresses, installed during the 1889-90 finishing phase of the tabernacle, and caused worried leaders to reinforce the soaring tower. The history of the tabernacle from the 1920s until the late 1980s was basically one of maintenance, of neglect, and of decline. In the 1970s some stake presidents began to question the value of the build­ing, suggesting it was out-of-date and that Brigham City was not keeping up with the rest of the church. Other stakes had fine, new stake centers with classrooms, kitchens, basketball hoops, and elec­tric pulpits which went up and down at the touch of a button. Some called for the old tabernacle to be torn down and replaced by a new, up-to-date structure. Fortunately, Boyd K. Packer, a Brigham City native and member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, came to the defense of the tabernacle. When the rumblings of razing the historic Box Elder Stake Tabernacle reached his ears, the word came down THE BOX ELDER TABERNACLE 161 from church headquarters, "Just what's wrong with the Brigham City Tabernacle?" Upon inspection, it turned out that several minor things were wrong. The sound-amplification system was woefully outdated and on its last legs. The restrooms did not conform to disability access laws, and it was discovered that the old wiring had nearly caused another disastrous fire. It was decided to renovate the taber­nacle. The project began in 1983, with the selection of the architec­tural firm of Wallace N. Cooper and his associate, Allen Roberts. Seasoned historical architects, they ran interference, deftly deflecting recommendations to cover the ceiling with acoustical tile and hang a cluster of speakers-and other historically insensitive suggestions. The entire electrical, plumbing, and mechanical infrastructure of the building was replaced. A new roof was put on, the window glass was replaced, and the building painted more in keeping with its his­toric architectural style. Originally, the native softwood benches and woodwork had been "grained" to simulate oak. The "dark old" grain­ing had been painted over in the 1930s. In the renovation, all the woodwork was grained, similar to its original appearance, by master grainers Charles James and Ron Wheat, and a crew of helpers and apprentices. Gold-leaf highlights were added to finials and pulpit, and the pillars supporting the gallery were painstakingly painted to resemble dark green marble. On the evening of 12 April 1987, the tabernacle was filled past capacity with townspeople, now proud of their newly-renovated tabernacle. The crowd was so large that the proceedings were broad­cast by closed-circuit television to other church buildings in Brigham City. The dedicatory prayer was offered by Elder Boyd K. Packer, whose watchful eye over Brigham City has proven a fit successor to those of his predecessors, Lorenzo Snow and Rudger Clawson. The Box Elder Stake Tabernacle-a monument to stalwart pio­neers, a relic of a more pastoral era, a reminder of the faith and devo­tion of our ancestors, and a necessary monument in an age of pre­fabricated construction and disposable plastic-remains the focal point of Brigham City's Main Street. Surrounded by its green sward, it still crowns the alluvial fan upon which the city rests, strong, dig- 162 HISTORY OF BOX ELDER COUNTY nified, and graceful-a living testimony to all that is good among the Latter-day Saints. The sturdy, stone Box Elder Tabernacle remains the focal point of Brigham City from the freeway. It is an icon, but also an anachro­nism. In t r u t h , it has neither kitchen, nor classrooms, nor a basket­ball hoop. It is a symbol, but in reality a symbol of that earlier time, t h e time of not only yearning for, but building, Zion. Most of Brigham City's stake conferences are held in stake centers. The taber­nacle, as of 1998, has been largely t u r n e d over to the community at-large, for interfaith meetings and productions. The centennial of the dedication of the tabernacle, rebuilt after the great fire was forgot­ten- 21 March 1997-passed uncommemorated, unnoticed. Still, t h e tabernacle is a w o r t h y Brigham City l a n d m a r k and a favorite b u i l d i n g to visit a n d p h o t o g r a p h for travelers t h r o u g h n o r t h e rn Utah. ENDNOTES 1. lames E. Talmage, The House of the Lord (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1962), 202-203. 2. Much of the information for this chapter comes from Frederick M. Huchel, History of the Box Elder Tabernacle, (Brigham City: author, 1997). 3. Ibid. 4. "Church News" section, Deseret News, 23 March 1968. 5. E. L. Sloan, "President B. Young's Trip to Cache Valley," Deseret News, 17 May 1865; Huchel, History of the Box Elder Tabernacle, 4. 6. See Robert G. Athearn, "Contracting the Union Pacific," Utah Historical Quarterly, V37 (Winter 1969) 16-40; John J. Stewart, The Iron Trail to the Golden Spike (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1969), 175 ff. 7. See also B. H. Roberts, A Comprehensive History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Century I, (Provo: Brigham Young University Press, 1965), 5:507-509; Russell R. Rich, A History of the Church from 1846 to the Present, (Provo: Brigham Young University Publications, 1972), 355-357; Discourse by President John Taylor, Ogden, Utah, 21 October 1877, in Journal of Discourses, 19:146. 8. Brigham Young died 29 August 1877, in Salt Lake City. There is a monument to the visit of President Young to Brigham City for the stake reorganization on the site of the conference, where the pioneer bowery THE Box ELDER TABERNACLE 163 stood, originally known as the Public Square (where government handouts were doled to local Indians), known in the early years of the twentieth cen­tury as Chatauqua Square (because it was the site of traveling shows and cir­cuses) and now called Brigham Young Park. 9. "Manuscript History of Box Elder Stake," Sunday, 28 October 1877, located in the LDS Church Historical Department Archives. 10. Eliza R. Snow Smith, Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow, One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Salt Lake City: Deseret News Company, 1884), 308. 11. "Manuscript History of Box Elder Stake," 26 January 1879. 12. Vaughn Nielsen, in his The History of Box Elder Stake (Brigham City: Brigham City, Utah Box Elder Stake, 1977, p. 41) states that "the tabernacle was used for the first time (27 July 1879), though it was not quite finished" 13. "Manuscript History of Box Elder Stake," 30 lanuary 1881. 14. "lournal History of the Church," 4 September 1887 LDS Church Historical Department. 15. Deseret News, 39:622, copied into Manuscript History of Box Elder Stake, Sunday, 26 October 1889. 16. Deseret News, 40:275, copied into Manuscript History of Box Elder Stake, Sunday, 26 January 1890. 17. "Manuscript History of Box Elder Stake," April 1890. 18. "Description of the Box Elder Tabernacle," n. p., n. d., LDS Church Historical Department. 19. Olive H. Kotter, "Brigham City to 1900" in Through the Years, (Brigham City: Brigham City Eighth Ward, 1953), 11; The Brigham Bugler, 19 July 1890) 1: and LaPreal Wight, "The Tabernacle, Brigham City, Utah," 2, typescript, copy in my possession. I am indebted to Dr. Wynn S. Andersen for his good offices in regard to Miss Wight's tabernacle history. 20. The Brigham Bugler, 19 July, 1890 1. A recently rediscovered paint­ing, by C. Eiseley, shows the tabernacle as part of a panoramic view of Brigham City. The painting was done in 1893, between the "finishing" of the tabernacle and the fire. The painting was donated by the owner, Lewis H. lones, Ir., to the LDS church. After cleaning and restoration, the painting was placed in display in the Museum of Church History and Art. 21.. Deseret News, 41:232, copied into Manuscript History of Box Elder Stake under the date 27 July 1890. 22. The Brigham Bugler 19 July 1890, 1. 23. Deseret News, 41:653, copied into Manuscript History of Box Elder Stake under the date 27 October 1890. 24. The Brigham Bugler, 1 November 1890, 1. 164 HISTORY OF BOX ELDER COUNTY 25. Deseret News 41:653, copied into "Manuscript History of Box Elder Stake," 27 October 1890. 26. "Description of the Box Elder Tabernacle,." 27. Brigham City Bugler, 21 November 1891, 3. 28. It might be mentioned here that, in early Mormondom, the meet­ing system was not as it is today. At first, only a sacrament meeting was held on Sunday. Priesthood meetings were held on weekdays, as were the chil­dren's Primary (organized in 1878), the Young Ladies Department of the Cooperative Retrenchment Association (later Young Women), organized in 1869, and the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association (Young Men) in 1875. The Sunday school began as a children's organization. It was not until 1906 that adults attended Sunday School. Monthly fast meetings were held on Thursdays until the turn of the twentieth century, when business replaced agriculture as the mainstay of the Mormon economy. After the division of Brigham City into four wards by Brigham Young in 1877, the four Brigham City wards came together at the tabernacle for Sunday after­noon sacrament meetings. This continued until after the new tabernacle was dedicated in 1897. 29. Brigham City Bugler, 15 February 1896, 1. 30. Ibid. The Bugler noted, in the verbose prose of the time, that "One old lady fainted in the Tabernacle when it was announced to the few present that the building was on fire. Had the fire occurred but half an hour later, when 1,000 people would have been seated in the building, there would have been a rush, crush and trampling down of scores. Many old people would have sunk down in faints and when the crowd had cooled down sufficiently to return to rescue the prostrated, the sufficating [sic] smoke would have driven them back and a terrible holocaust would have been the result." 31. Ibid. 32. Ibid. 33. "lournal History of the Church," Wednesday, 19 February 1896. 34. Wilford Woodruff letterbook No. 1352, Vol. 17, 226-27, LDS Church Historical Department. 35. Brigham City Bugler, 25 April 1896. 36. Ibid., 2 May 1896. 37. Ibid., 16 January 1897. 38. Ibid., 20 March 1897. 39. Ibid., 27 March 1897; Deseret News, 54:468, copied into the "Manuscript History of Box Elder Stake,"21 March 1897. 40. Brigham City Bugler, 27 March 1897. 41. Ibid. THE BOX ELDER TABERNACLE 165 42. Interview with former stake president Glen M. Bennion by Frederick M. Huchel, 11 December 1981. Because the city owned the hydro­electric power plant at the mouth of Box Elder Canyon, the tabernacle was the architectural jewel of the city, and the majority of Brighamites were Mormons, the city did not charge for the electricity. When criticism was voiced in the 1980s of a similar arrangement in St. George, concerning light­ing the temple there at night, Brigham City and the LDS church terminated their arrangement.