The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced the dates for the open house and dedication of two houses of the Lord in the western United States. They will be dedicated in consecutive weeks in October.
The Elko Nevada Temple will be dedicated Sunday, Oct. 12, by Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
The Grand Junction Colorado Temple will be dedicated Sunday, Oct. 19, by President Jeffrey R. Holland, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Each temple’s single dedicatory session will be broadcast to all units in the temple district. These dates were first announced Tuesday, April 8, on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Elko Nevada Temple
Leading up to the Oct. 12 dedication, there will be a media day for the Elko Nevada Temple on Wednesday, Aug. 27, then invited guests will tour the house of the Lord from Aug. 28-29.
A public open house will run from Saturday, Aug. 30, to Saturday, Sept. 13, excluding Sundays.
Church President Russell M. Nelson announced a house of the Lord for Elko, Nevada, on April 4, 2021, during April 2021 general conference. It was one of 20 temples announced at the conference.
Ground was broken on May 7, 2022, with Elder Paul B. Pieper, then president of the North America Southwest Area, presiding.
The house of the Lord in Elko is a single-story building of approximately 10,000 square feet. It was built on a 5.2-acre site by Ruby Vista Drive, adjacent to the southeast corner of Ruby View Golf Course.
Nevada has two operating temples — in Las Vegas (dedicated in 1989) and Reno (2000). A fourth house of the Lord in the state, the Lone Mountain Nevada Temple, was announced in October 2022 as a second temple for Las Vegas.
Many Latter-day Saints moved from Utah to Nevada in the late 1920s in search of better economic conditions. The Las Vegas Stake was created in 1954. Today, Nevada is home to more than 180,000 Latter-day Saints in over 340 congregations.
Grand Junction Colorado Temple
Before the Grand Junction temple’s Oct. 19 dedication, a media day will be Monday, Sept. 8, and invited guests will tour the house of the Lord from Sept. 9-10.
A public open house will run from Thursday, Sept. 11, to Saturday, Sept. 27, excluding Sundays.
President Nelson announced the Grand Junction temple also on April 4, 2021, alongside the Elko temple and 18 others.
Ground was broken for the Grand Junction temple on April 16, 2022. Elder Chi Hong (Sam) Wong, then first counselor in the North America Central Area presidency, presided over the ceremony.
Grand Junction’s house of the Lord — a single-story structure of about 29,000 square feet — is located on a 6.94-acre site at the intersection of Horizon Drive and North 12th Street in Grand Junction, the largest city in Colorado’s Western Slope region, with a population of about 65,000 people.
Colorado has two operating temples — in Denver (dedicated in 1986) and Fort Collins (2016). A fourth house of the Lord in the state was announced for Colorado Springs in October 2023.
The Church’s first mission in Colorado was established in 1896, with the first official congregation organized less than a year later, in January 1897. Colorado is now home to nearly 150,000 Latter-day Saints in about 310 congregations.
