History of the Yellowstone Stake

History of the Yellowstone Stake

522 YELLOWSTONE/ST. ANTHONY IDAHO STAKE

(2) President John McArthur White 11 Jan 1925 to 5 Jan 1936

First Counselor George Lowe 11 Jan 1925 to 16 October 1927

Second Counselor

Karl Conrad Klingler 11 Jan 1925 to 12 Apr 1931

The tabernacle was finally built at the corner of South Bridge Street and Fourth South which was voted to be more desirable and accessible.

The Tabernacle, a Gothic-styled building, was started in 1910 with Bishop Arnold D. Miller as chairman of the Building Committee and under the supervision of the newly appointed Stake Presidency. The contractor was the Miles E. Miller Company from Salt Lake City, Utah. The building was constructed of poured concrete from the ground up. It was heated by a coal stoker furnace and equipped with electric lights.

At this time St. Anthony was a young town and many things were in the process of being built to improve the town. People were not too wealthy and many of the Latter-Day Saints living in St. Anthony and the surrounding areas gave freely of their time, means and talents to help build this building. Funds for the building were also collected through ward budgets and assessments according to popu¬lation of the ward. The total cost of the building was $79,074.42.'

The Teton Peak-Chronicle of Thursday, May 9, 1912,, stated: "The St. Anthony Ward of the L.D.S. Church is preparing to move into new quarters for all of its services. The basement of the Stake tabernacle is to be finished and it will be used for all ward purposes. A committee consisting of F Miller, M. M. Hammond, John Black, J. 0. Ashcraft, Mac Redding and Geo. H. Lowe have been selected to take charge of affairs. Work will be com¬menced immediately and it is expected the building will be in use within two months."

The beautiful, large and spacious building was com¬pleted and ready for use in 1914, but was not dedicated until October 29, 1916 as there was a large indebtedness against the building. The Yellowstone Stake Tabernacle was dedicated by President Joseph F. Smith, sixth President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. . . . An older lady who attended the dedication said that as Presi¬dent Smith came up the front steps on the south side, the congregation stood up and started to sing "We Thank Thee O God For A Prophet". He walked down the aisle on the south side of the upper auditorium toward the pulpit, and as he did so, he truly looked like a Prophet of God with his long flowing white beard. There is no record of the Dedicat¬ory Prayer in the Church Historian's Office in Salt Lake City, Utah, and no record of it in Yellowstone Stake, so it has evidently been lost or destroyed.

The first Stake Conference in the new Tabernacle was held Saturday and Sunday, April 25 and 26, 1914. Apostles Rudger Clawson and Seymour B. Young of the First Council of Seventies officiated.

The Tabernacle served Yellowstone Stake as the only permanent Tabernacle ever used. It was also used for many years as a meeting place for the members of the St. Anthony First and Second Wards.

John M. White

Second President of Yellowstone Stake January 11, 1925 —January 5, 1936

AT THE REGULAR quarterly conference held Jan¬uary 10 and 11, 1925, the stake was reorganized with Apostle George K Richards presiding as he had done when the stake was first organized. John M. White, Bishop of the St. Anthony Second Ward was chosen as President with George H. Lowe as First Counselor, Karl | C. Klingler as Second Counselor and Leonard Kingsford as Stake Clerk.

The following High Councilmen were released owing to other church duties: Frank H. Mason, William L. Flint, Joseph S. Rudd, Fred H. Mason, Henry W. Miller, Joseph Jensen, Nephi Martineau and Charles E. Murri. The retiring Stake Presidency and others placed on the High Council were: Daniel G. Miller, Marion J. Kerr, Charles Lloyd, Willard W. Spiers, Royal A. Grover, Samuel F Davis, Byron Blanchard and Jacob O. Ashcraft.

The Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association was also reorganized. J. Edgar Birch was honorably released as Superintendent of the Y.M.M.I.A. together /ith his Counselors Luke B. Pocock and John T. Elliott. The new leadership was John T. Elliott, Superintendent; J. Edgar Birch, First Assistant; and Melvin J. Rudd, Second Assistant.

At a Stake Quarterly Conference held October 16, 1927, a change was made in the Stake Presidency. First Counselor George H. Lowe moved from the community and was honorably released. Willard W. Spiers was sus¬tained as First Counselor by Apostle George F. Richards. Karl C. Klinger remained as Second Counselor.

For some time the Stake leaders had felt a need for a stage in the tabernacle for various stake and ward auxiliary activities. During the latter part of 1927 the new stage was installed in the basement of the tabernacle at an approximate cost of $1,000.

The Presidency of the Young Men was: President George H. Lowe, First Counselor Willis Humphreys (no Second Counselor was listed) and Se¬cretary Brother Clark.

The following is also information that you might be interested in.

Alta K Lowe served as second counselor in the Stale Relief Society presidency from Feb 1917 to 28 October 1917.

Ella R. [Rebecca Merrill] Kerr served as treasurer of the Relief Society Jan 1915 to 25 April 1918, then as Secretary released 11 October 1919 and succeeded Alta as second counselor from 28 April 1918,

Ella the daughter died 8 April 1922 In Reno, before uncle George was even in the stake presidency. They moved in 1927 out of the stake so I do not think that the rumors were founded, but I do think that they did move to get out of the local gossip.