Columbus Ohio Temple
Columbia South Carolina Temple
Bismarck North Dakota Temple
61st dedicated temple in operation
© Aaron Nuffer. All rights reserved.
Services
NO visitors' center open to the publicNO arrival center available
NO patron housing available
NO distribution center on site (Store Locator)
Announcement:
29 July 1998Groundbreaking and Site Dedication:
17 October 1998 by Kenneth JohnsonPublic Open House:
10–11 September 1999Dedication:
19 September 1999 by Gordon B. HinckleySite:
1.6 acres | 0.6 hectaresExterior Finish:
Granite veneer from QuébecArchitectural Features:
Single attached spire with an angel Moroni statueOrdinance Rooms:
Two instruction rooms (two-stage progressive), two sealing rooms, and one baptistryTotal Floor Area:
10,700 square feet | 994 square metersElevation:
1,850 feet | 564 metersTemple History
The Bismarck North Dakota Temple was the first temple built in the Dakotas (and in North Dakota).
Though the members of the temple district were scattered among a large region, the completion of the Bismarck North Dakota Temple brought the blessings of the temple much closer to the Saints. For example, those living in Grand Forks, North Dakota, made a 16-hour trip to attend the temple in Chicago. Members in Minot, North Dakota, drove 14 hours to Cardston, Alberta. Saints in Rapid City, South Dakota, traveled 7 hours to Denver. Robert B. Dahlgren, the temple's first president, noted that members of the district were highly dedicated and used to traveling long distances. He spoke of a retired couple who lived some distance from Bismarck who readily agreed to move to Bismarck to work in the temple full time.1
President Gordon B. Hinckley's trip to dedicate the Bismarck North Dakota Temple was his first time in North Dakota, the only state in the United States he had never visited. Having logged millions of miles of travel to most of the countries of the world, this was a welcomed trip to a state in his own country.2
- Dell Van Orden, "Shortening the vast distances," Church News 25 Sept. 1999: 3.
- Dell Van Orden, "Well-traveled president visits North Dakota for the first time ever," Church News 25 Sept. 1999: 3.