While I am on the subject of St. George, Utah (see my
post on the homeshow),
I told you how St. George is just 4 hours south of us, while
we lay wasting in snow and they have palm trees, well here
you see them at the St. George LDS Temple.
We visited there while we were down for the homeshow
and I captured this photo at the blue hour. The stunning
white stucco against the intense blue is just gorgeous.
This temple was the first LDS temple finished in Utah. It was announced
in 1871 and completed in 1877. It is 110,000 square feet - quite an
accomplishment for early pioneers and designed by Truman O. Angell
who had been sent to Europe to study architecture there.
This particular building has always been of
interest to our family
as my great great great grandfather,
Christopher Lister Riding was a tin smith
and he worked on this
gray top piece and the ball which were originally fashioned out of
tin. They have since been replaced with fiberglass.
Christopher Lister Riding
(on my mother's side) was a daring man and when the top was completed,
he stood on his head on the ball to celebrate
(the directional arrows had not been added at that point).
As we were growing up in Wisconsin and would come through
Utah to visit my grandparents in Henderson, Nevada, my
mother would always tell that story.
What a small world - as I repeated that story once, my
next door neighbor said he was also related to Christopher Lister Riding
and also knew that story. He gave me a photo of him and a copy
of the history he had. So now I know one of my distant cousins and he
lives right next door!
Christopher was born February 10, 1816 in Burnley, England.
We loved this photo -
notice the clean shaven face but the underbeard!
Men and their fashions!!!
I am so glad that my parents shared some of their family history with me.
This beautiful building stands as a tribute to the pioneers to came
west and settled here and created beauty out of barren desert.
Share some family stories with your family.
Don't forget my giveaway.
Click here and tell me what you would make
with a Sara Lee Pound Cake. The winner
will earn a $50 Visa card.
