Archives West Finding Aid

The Logan Temple Time Books reflect labor time spent on the construction of the Logan Temple in Logan, Utah from 1877 to 1884. Cache Valley farmers divided their time between farming and contributing labor at the temple block. Originally 127 time books were kept, each containing the number and names of laborers, their place of residence, wages, type of work performed and number of days worked. These titled notebooks included: Franklin Quarry (4 books); Green Canyon Quarry (11 books); Hyde Park Quarry (3 books); Lime Kiln (6 books); Saw Mill (24 books); Wood Camp (9 books); Temple Block (7 books). Other contributions in kind were listed in various accounts contained in the temple ledger books, consisting of five volumes covering the years 1877-1886. Though the three time books held in Utah State University Special Collections and Archives are available for scholarly use, the remaining time books and ledgers held at the Historical Department Archives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, are not accessible to scholars.

A temple district in northern Utah had been organized under Brigham Young's direction and was comprised of Cache, Box Elder and Rich counties. The nine acre temple site was chosen by President Young and dedicated by the prayer of Orson Pratt on 17 May 1877. Charles Ora Card, a sawmill operator, was appointed superintendent of construction on 17 May 1884 by President John Taylor. Constructed from local materials, at completion the temple measured 171 feet long, 95 feet wide and 86 feet high at the square.