Forty Years: The Saga of Building the Salt Lake Temple

by Mark E. Henshaw

From the chilly February day in 18953 when the prophet Brigham Young drove a shovel into the soil to break ground for the Salt Lake Temple until its dedication in 1893, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were confronted with political hostility from the US government and severe challenges imposed by nature itself. Some of the nineteenth century's greatest events affected this monumental temple-building project, including the California gold rush, the Civil War, and the construction of the transcontinental railroad. The Saints tangled directly with five US presidents, Congress, the Supreme Court, Johnston's army, and hostile governors, biased judges, and zealous marshals determined to impose the federal government's will on the Utah Territory. Despite these hardships, the Saints moved forward with faith to complete the temple that would become a symbol of their determination to serve the Lord.

This enthralling book, written by master storyteller Mark Henshaw, tells the narrative of the building of that iconic temple—a place of worship and refuge forty years in the making.

Genres: Religion, History, Nonfiction, Lds, Historical, Inspirational, Church

560 pages, Hardcover

First published May 11, 2020

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was PHENOMENAL! Being the history buff that I am, I absolutely absorbed all the details. I like Henshaw’s writing style. Even though this book was jam packed with information, it read like a story. It’s amazing to me to see how many hold-ups there really were to the SLC temple’s construction. There were many familiar stories, but also many new ones. I’ve walked away from this book with a much deeper appreciation for the early Saints and for the sacrifices they made to build such a magnificent temple, which I think was the point Henshaw was trying to get at. Loved it! I would recommend it to any Church history lover!

[Ralph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding book covering not only the building of the Salt Lake Temple by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but of the history going on during that time influencing the building.

[Karen Danielson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent history of the early Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!! I feel so honored to be a descendant of these amazing faithful people who put God first in their lives regardless of how badly they were treated by representatives of the US government. They never became bitter and they never gave up building temples so we can all enjoy the blessings of exaltation. The current restoration of the Salt Lake Temple is truly a tribute to these remarkable people.

[Debbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this so interesting but it got bogged down at times. I had no idea the Saints were so persecuted once they got to Salt Lake. I just don't know how they all did it--such faith and determination.

[David Barney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book helps to fill in gaps regarding the building of the Salt Lake temple. Good information, presented nicely. There were parts that were a bit slow. Overall, good information.

[Brent Winslow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-researched, comprehensive and approachable history of the building of the Salt Lake Temple from 1853-1893. To tell this story, the history of (mis)treatment by the US federal and Utah territorial governments was explored, including the widespread arrests and disenfranchisement of church members involved in plural marriage, ending suffrage in the territory, and seizing church assets. Now that the temple is closed and being retrofitted for earthquakes, it has been inspiring to see the foundation and work on the temple today.

[Krystine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I’ve read on the Salt Lake Temple! Fabulous book!

[Becki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henshaw did a great job making the history of building the Salt Lake temple accessible to the non historian. There were times I thought HOW ARE THESE PEOPLE STILL BUILDING THIS BUILDING?!? And then I realized those builders probably felt the same way. In some ways this book is exhausting but I’m amazed by the dedication of the early saints to make it happen.

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting, & I learned a lot about church history in Utah.

[Travis Standley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been enriched by the history and storyline behind the building of the SL temple. I knew it took 40 years but I didn’t know all the reasons why - and it was a lot more involved than just quarrying stein from the mountain. I enjoyed the character profiles in luring Brigham Young, Truman Angel, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, Don Carlos Young, and others that are displayed throughout the book. There was a lot of deliberate effort that went into planning, design, artistic training, etc. fascinating that BY sent others around the globe for them to observe, train, and bring back the nest practices and knowledge to the temple work.

The historical context of the times provided a key backdrop to the building progress or stand-still. Personally, it got a bit heavy at times and felt like a large detour; that said, I understand it’s necessity.

I feel enlightened on this temple and all that went into it. It is the Lord’s house many died and sacrificed much to make it stand. The saga of the SL temple continues today and is a wonderful metaphor for the saga of our lives and the importance of working to the end and staying dedicated to the Lord’s purposes for our lives.

[Edy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having been a member of the church my entire life and having lived in the suburbs of Salt Lake during most of my life, I knew about the struggle the early members of the church encountered as they built this beautiful edifice. I knew about Johnston's Army and how the early saints buried the foundations of the temple to conceal where it was located. I knew how hard it was to quarry the stone and transport it to Temple Square. I also have been in many places in that holy building both as a patron and as a temple worker. -- but there is so much more to learn about its construction. I loved this book; I loved the history Henshaw included that contextualized the story. This gets a high recommendation from me.

[Jason Burt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. This was a very well written book! Really liked learning more about this early period of Church history! I was amazed by the amount of faith and effort went into building the Salt Lake Temple and by the tribulations the Saints had to endure during this time!

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

About half of the book is historical peripheral information that could have been left out. I would have given 5 stars if more focused. Lots of interesting information though.

[Spence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just an incredible read. Loved learning about the history of this era. Can't recommend this book enouhg.

[Tatiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forty Years: The Saga of Building the Salt Lake Temple by Mark Henshaw is a story about the building of the Salt Lake Temple. The whole story goes through parts of the lives of the first Latter Day Saint prophets and explains the settlement of Salt Lake City and the effects that the Saints had on America, and how they were discriminated against for many reasons. These discrimination's often led to people of higher powers attempting to take Church property, that is, property from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. One of the properties that people often tried to seize was the Salt Lake Temple. This story basically covers the history of what happened while the Salt Lake Temple was getting built, and what effects the temple had on the people, and the time and effort that was even involved in building it. This book was really interesting and I learned a lot about the history of Utah. It provided a lot of information and even occasionally had a joke or an interesting fact in it. As odd as it may seem, the jokes were often quoted from prophets, and they were good jokes too. As good as this book was, it was really hard to get through, and normally it doesn't take me long to get through any type of book. Because it was a nonfiction history, it wasn't always interesting. Overall this book was pretty interesting, but I probably wouldn't read it again. I'd probably rate it a 3.5 out of 5 stars, although it can be rounded up to a four star review. This book probably isn't the greatest for teenagers to read, only if they're really invested in reading it. I would recommend this book to adults, mainly those who are interested in the history of Utah, or even just history.
In Forty Years: The Saga of Building the Salt Lake Temple by Mark Henshaw, I learned a lot of interesting things. Some things that I think were especially interesting were the people and their stories. Throughout the duration of the story I got to learn about four different prophets and their influence they had on the church while they were in office. I also learned about the workers and the architects that helped build the temple. At one point I did some personal research on a variety of related topics and I learned that I am actually related to one of the muralists who helped paint sections of the Salt Lake Temple Which is pretty cool.

[Laura Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints all of my life and grew up relatively close to the Salt Lake Temple so I thought I knew its story well. But when I read 40 years, I was amazed at how much I didn't know. Mark Henshaw is a master historian and story teller. He has such a marvelous ability to be able to paint the bigger picture of all the moving parts that affected the building of the temple. The Saints not only had the tremendous task of building this temple while trying to figure out how to survive in the Salt Lake Valley, they also had numerous and constant attacks on them by the government. My respect for the saints grew ten fold from reading this book.

[Alan Marchant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forty Years is a dramatic historical work, telling the four-decade story of how the iconic Salt Lake Temple came to be. It addresses the methods and challenges of its construction; the dynamic political, social, and technological milieux through which it rose; and the spiritual significance to the Saints of the trials and triumph of building their great temple. Henshaw doesn't describe it this way, but the building of the Salt Lake Temple can be understood as the Latter-day Saints' "forty years in the wilderness." Thanks to Henshaw's unique background as an historian, novelist, and analyst, his book is altogether satisfying as an objective history, a faithful account, and a compelling story. This is the best volume of Church history that I've ever read.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very informative book, more than just a history of the Salt Lake Temple, but really in many ways a history of the Church during that 40-year time period of its construction that was in any way connected to the building of the temple. Building the railroad through Utah, sending artists and architects to Europe to learn better methods, dealing with government intervention and its impact on the temple, church finances, many other things as well as the sacrifices and effort made all the way that enable us to have this one-of-a-kind edifice dedicated to the work of the Lord are all part of this work and presented in an interesting and accessible way. I also appreciated reading the dedicatory prayer itself.

[D. Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing to read about all the events and massive efforts related to the building of the Salt Lake Temple.
"Most reader of this volume will have some idea of the major plots points in the story of the building of the Salt Lake Temple: it was difficult to move the stone from the mountains, the construction took a long time, and it required a great deal of faith and sacrifice to get it done. That is all true. And Yet, when Latter-day Saints, as well as those of other faiths, stand in the presences of this temple, they know intuitively that those facts don't quite explain the value of this building. It somehow means more than that. " by Jacob W. Olmstead

[Leonsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detailed description of the building of the temple, the forty year struggles the members faced along with extensive narrative of the negative dealings and religious discrimination the leaders & members faced during the many phases of the forty year saga. The book is not a quick read, it requires close concentration & focus. The book is over 500 pages including the reference section & details the individual interactions of the main characters involved, planned, & constructed the temple. This book is not for everyone, only for the few who enjoy the historical story of the church & the temple's sacred importance to it's members.

[Alisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, I thought this book was spectacular. It was SO much more than a history of the building of the SLC temple. It covered not only church history, but also US history and expansion to the west. It illustrated for me just how complicated it was for the Latter-day Saint pioneers to not only pioneer a new territory (ideally, free from persecution), but also try to maintain their autonomy in the territory as westward expansion brought in more influences and trials than I was aware of. Fascinating read!

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating, fair, and fast-moving narrative-style history of the building of the Salt Lake Temple and the events surrounding it and Church growth in the immediate aftermath of the migration west by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Henshaw does an excellent job weaving Church history with American history during the same time period, circa 1847-1897. Highly-recommended.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just couldn't finish it. It is such a long book, and so many stories that just are not interesting enough that makes worth pushing through. Is every little stories included. A lot of them are lacking substance and importance of being put in. I'm even listening to the book... A book has to be really boring for me not even wanting to listen to it, but I just couldn't get through. It's obviously been well researched, well documented, but seriously needed some editing. Too long, and two bland.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing wonderful book. Very well researched and written in such a way that it is compelling. I couldn't put it down. It is inspirational, faith inspiring, with examples of such perserverance, diligence, attention to excellence. I understand better why it took 40 years to build the temple. Fasinating. I highly recommend it.

[Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many times while reading this book I was filled with emotions. They ranged from anger (towards the enemies of the church) to utter awe. The saints at this time were truly called to fulfill the mission of building this House of The Lord. I’m so thankful that this book was authored. It enlarged my understanding of my faith, my ancestors, and the will of The Lord.

[Becky Parry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this history of the temple building and marvel at the work that was done to bring it to pass. The temple stories were my favorite part. I did feel that there was too much extraneous information like, for instance, way too much information about the Civil War. There are other examples, but I will not go into them.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Subject was great, but the author was all over the place with history that didn't seem needed. A shorter book with more focus would have been better. Nevertheless, once the building was addressed, it was interesting and informative

[Swhe641200 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book it is really a history of the church emphasis on all the Temples especially SaltLake. I had no idea of all the opposition they faced. We have so many blessings to Thank all those wonderful Pioneers for. What great Prophets we have and had to led us here on this earth.

[Terry Kent Hermansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

40 years, the Saga of the building of the Salt Lake Temple by Mark E. Henshaw
This book outlines many details regarding struggles and miracles experienced by the early Saints as they strove to obey the Lord’s command to “build an house unto me.” I may read this book again and I do recommend it.

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding book!