The Church history of Mesa started October 14, 1878, when Apostle Erastus
Snow, on his memorable trip through the Southwest, at Fort Utah,
appointed a late arrival, Jesse N. Perkins, as presiding elder and H.C.
Rogers and G.W. Sirrine as counselors. Perkins died of smallpox in
northeastern Arizona. In 1880, President John Taylor at St. George, Utah,
appointed Alexander F. Macdonald to preside over the new stake. He
arrived and took office in February of that year. Macdonald was a sturdy,
lengthy Scotchman, a preacher of the rough and ready sort and of
tremendous effectiveness, converted in Perth, in June, 1846, and a Salt
Lake arrival by ox team in 1854. In 1882, on permanent organization of
the Stake, Chas. I. Robson succeeded Sirrine as counselor. Robson
December 4, 1887, succeeded to the presidency, with H.C. Rogers and
Collins R. Hakes as counselors, Macdonald taking up leadership in the
northern Mexican Stakes, pioneering work of difficulty for which he was
especially well suited. In December, 1884, he headed an expedition and
surveying party into Chihuahua, Mexico, looking for settlement locations,
and secured large landed interests. He became ill at El Paso, on his way
back to his home at Colonia Juarez. He died at Colonia Dublan, thirty
miles short of his destination, March 21, 1903.
[Illustration: MARICOPA STAKE PRESIDENTS
1--Alexander F. Macdonald 3--Collins R. Hakes
2--Chas. I. Robson
4--Jno. T. Lesueur 5--Jas. W. Lesueur]
[Illustration: MARICOPA DELEGATION AT PINETOP CONFERENCE OF THE FOUR
ARIZONA STAKES, JULY, 1892]
Chas. I. Robson served as President to the day of his death, February 24,
1894. He was of English ancestry, born February 20, 1837, in
Northumberland. He was specially distinguished in the early days of Utah
through his success in starting the first paper factory known in western
America. As a boy, he had worked in a paper factory in England. In 1870,
he was warden of the Utah penitentiary.
May 10, 1894, Collins R. Hakes (of the San Bernardino colony) succeeded
to the presidency of Maricopa Stake, with Henry C. Rogers and Jas. F.
Johnson as counselors. At that time were five organized wards, with 2446
souls, including 1219 Indians in the Papago ward, and to the southward
toward Mexico. Mesa then was credited with 648 people of the faith, Lehi
200, Alma 282 and Nephi 104.
In 1905, President Hakes transferred his activities to the development of
a new colony of his people at Bluewater, N.M., near Fort Wingate. His
death was in Mesa, August 27, 1916.
To the Maricopa Stake Presidency, November 26, 1905, succeeded Jno. T.
Lesueur, transferred from St. Johns, where, from Mesa, he settled in
1880. He is still a resident of Mesa. He resigned as president in 1912,
the position taken, on March 10 of that year, by his son, Jas. W.
Lesueur, who still is in office.
December 20, 1898, first was occupied the Stake tabernacle, 75x45 feet in
size, built of brick and costing $11,000. At its dedication were Apostle
Brigham Young, Jr., and a number of other Church dignitaries.
For more than a year plans have been in the making for erection at Mesa
of a great temple of the Church, to cost about $500,000. It is to be the
ninth of such structures. The others, in the order of their dedication,
are (or were): at Kirtland, Ohio, of date 1836; at Nauvoo, Illinois,
1846; at St. George, Logan, Manti and Salt Lake, Utah, and at Laie,
Hawaiian Islands. Another is being built at Cardston, Alberta, Canada.
The Kirtland edifice was abandoned. That at Nauvoo was wrecked by
incendiaries in 1848. The great Temple at Salt Lake, its site located by
Brigham Young four days after his arrival, in July, 1847, was forty years
in building and its dedication was not till 1893.
Merely in the way of explanation, it may be noted that a Mormon temple is
not a house of public worship. It is, as was the Temple of Solomon, more
of a sanctuary, a place wherein ecclesiastical ordinances may have
administration. It has many lecture rooms, wherein to be seated the
classes under instruction, and there is provision of places for the
performance of the ordinances of baptism, marriage, confirmation, etc.
Especially important are considered the baptism and blessings
(endowments) bestowed vicariously on the living for the benefit of the
dead. There also is added solemnity in a temple marriage, for it is for
eternity and not merely for time. Due to this is the unusual activity of
the Church members in genealogical research. It is believed that the
Mormon Church is the only denomination that marries for eternity, this
marriage also binding in the eternal family relation the children of the
contracting individuals.
The temple administration is separate from that of the Stake in which it
may be situated and its doors, after dedication, are closed save to its
officers and to those who come to receive its benefits. In the past years
these ordinances have been received outside of Arizona, at large expense
for travel from this State. Naturally, there has been a wish for location
of a temple more readily to be reached by the devout.
The temple idea in Arizona appears to date back to an assurance given
about 1870 in St. George by Brigham Young. A prediction was made by Jesse
N. Smith about 1882, to the effect that a temple, at some future day,
would be reared on the site of Pima in Graham County. The first donation
toward such an end was recorded January 24, 1887, in the name of Mrs.
Helena Roseberry, a poor widow of Pima, who gave $5 toward the building
of a temple in Arizona, handing the money to Apostle Moses Thatcher. This
widow's mite ever since has been held by the Church in Salt Lake.
Possibly it has drawn good interest, for through the Church Presidency
has come a donation of $200,000 to assure the end the widow had wished
for.
Another "nest egg," the first contribution received directly for the Mesa
edifice, came from another widow, Mrs. Amanda Hastings of Mesa, who, on
behalf of herself and children, three years ago, gave the Stake
presidency $15.
The new temple, of which there is reproduction herewith of an artist's
sketch, is to rise in the eastern part of Mesa upon a tract of forty
acres, which is to be a veritable park, its edges occupied by homes. The
architects are Don C. Young and Ramm Hansen of Salt Lake. The temple
will rise 66 feet, showing as a vast monument upon a foundation base that
will be 180x195 feet. This base will contain the offices and preparation
rooms. While the structure will be sightly from all sides, on its north
will be a great entrance. Between the dividing staircase will be a
corridor entry to the baptismal room. The staircase, joined at the second
story, will stretch 100 feet in a great flight, its landings successively
taking the initiates to the higher planes of instruction. In this
respect, the plan is said by Church authorities to be the best of any
temple of the faith. The rooms will be ample in size for instruction
of classes of over 100.
The building of the Mesa temple was the primary subject at all meetings
of congregations of the faith on September 12, 1920, and from voluntary
donations on that day there was added to the temple fund $112,000.