CHAPTER 3 Administration of Richard Fry For forty years members of the Church had toiled and sacrificed to build the Salt Lake Temple. When the time for completion neared, the Saints in Morgan gathered in their ward meetinghouses for a special fast meeting on Saturday, 25 March 1893, to listen to a letter from the First Presidency counseling them to prepare spiritually to enter this holy temple.1 The meeting held in Croydon was perhaps typical. It was explained that no one would receive a recommend to the dedicatory services if he or she had any malice or unresolved grievance toward a neighbor. All those who planned on attending the dedication were then given the opportunity to speak and express their feelings and desires. The Spirit of the Lord prevailed throughout the meeting.2 Dedication of The Salt Lake Temple The finishing touches to the interior of the Salt Lake Temple were made during the afternoon of 5 April 1893. In the evening, the temple was opened for inspection. Not only members of the Church were admitted, but nonmembers as well. President Wilford Woodruff personally invitedagroup of non-Mormon citizens to pass through the sacred building and inspect its interior.3 The temple had cost nearly three and a half million dollars and was finally dedicated on 6 April 1893 by President Woodruff. The dedicatory services were held in the assembly room, which seated 2,252 persons. This, however, was not nearly enough room for the thousands who desired to attend, so the services were repeated until thirty-one meetings had been held and 75,000 Latter-day Saints had witnessed the services. No one was admitted without a recommend signed by the bishop of his ward and the president of his stake.4 "All who attended the dedicatory services on the morning of the 6th of April, 1893, remember the impressiveness of the day. The sky was overcast and lowering, and shortly before the hour of beginning, a strong wind set in from the northwest. This wind increased to a veritable hurricane and throughout the morning session it seemed indeed, that the prince of the air was in full control; but the peace and serenity of the assembly was rendered the more impressive by contrast with the turmoil and storm without."5 Members of the Morgan Stake were assigned a specific day and session to attend. They were instructed to present themselves with their recommends at the West Gate of the temple block at 8:00 a.m. for the morning session and 12:30 p.m. for the afternoon session on the days designated. They could not be admitted any other time.6