Far West Temple Site

The Far West Temple Site marks the center of what used to be a large city with thousands of residents. The temple, though never completed, was a focal point for the early Saints. Wherever the Saints settled, the Lord revealed through His prophet the location of a temple, usually at the center of the city. Today, a monument and the four cornerstones of the temple memorialize the efforts of the Saints to build a stake of Zion and the revelations received here.

After mob violence thwarted efforts to build temples in Independence, Missouri, in 1833, Latter-day Saints focused their building efforts on the house of the Lord in Kirtland, Ohio. The Kirtland Temple was completed and dedicated on March 27, 1836. In 1838, the Lord commanded that a new temple be built at the center of Far West in Caldwell County, Missouri. On July 4, 1838—Independence Day in the United States—Joseph Smith oversaw the ceremonial laying of four cornerstones on the public square in the heart of the growing city. Thousands of spectators witnessed the ceremony.

Efforts to build the temple were short-lived. Conflict with local Missourians caused the Latter-day Saints to abandon Far West in November 1838. Months after the main body of Saints left, five members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and others returned to the temple site in obedience to a commandment from the Lord (see Doctrine and Covenants 115:11; 118:5). On April 26, 1839, the Apostles returned to the site and ordained Wilford Woodruff and George A. Smith to fill vacancies in the quorum in anticipation of a mission to Great Britain.

Read more about the Saints’ time in Far West in Saints, volume 1, chapters 24–33.

What to Expect

The Far West Temple Site features a fenced area with a monument commemorating the events that occurred there. Restrooms, a picnic area, and farmland surround the fenced area. There is no visitors’ center with missionaries, so all experiences at the site are self-guided. Look for the four temple cornerstones within the fenced area. Guests spend about 30 minutes at the site.