Published: Saturday, Feb. 13, 1999
Oct. 26, 1911: Stake missions were
established as 61 seventies in the Granite Stake in Salt Lake City were
called to serve.
June 9, 1911: The 10-story Church-owned
Hotel Utah opened in Salt Lake City. Renovated and remodeled, it is now the
Joseph Smith Memorial Building.
1912: Latter-day Saint colonists were
forced to flee Mexico because of a revolution in that country.
September 1912: The Church's first
seminary began, providing weekday religious instruction to students at
Granite High School in Salt Lake City. As the seminary program grew, the
Church phased out its involvement in academies.
Nov. 18, 1912: The First Presidency created a Correlation
Committee to coordinate scheduling and prevent unnecessary duplication in
programs of Church auxiliaries.
April 6, 1913: Maori Agricultural
College, a secondary school to train boys in farming, technology,
leadership skills and religion, was dedicated in Korongata, Hastings, New
Zealand. After an earthquake in February 1931 rendered the buildings
unsafe, the Church closed the college.
May 21, 1913: The Boy Scout program was
officially adopted by the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association and
became the activity program for boys of the Church.
July 27, 1913: President Joseph F. Smith
dedicated the site for construction of the Alberta Temple in Cardston.
January 1914: The monthly Relief Society Magazine began publication. Until
1970, when it was incorporated into the Ensign, it was the auxiliary's official
publication.
Dec. 19, 1914: In a message published in
the Deseret News, the First Presidency
reviewed events of the year, including compliance with the U.S.
government's advisory for all Americans to leave European countries
experiencing "widespread uprising." Under the pall of war, missionaries
were removed from France, Germany, Switzerland and Belgium. The First
Presidency said it was wise to remove missionaries also from Holland,
Sweden, Denmark and Norway; missionary work in Great Britain continued.
April 27, 1915: The First Presidency
inaugurated the "Home Evening" program, inviting all families to
participate.
June 1, 1915: President Smith dedicated
the site for construction of a temple at Laie, Hawaii.
Fall 1915: The first college classes were taught at Ricks
College, which had been Ricks Academy.
June 30, 1916: The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve
issued an official doctrinal exposition, "The Father and the Son," on the
identity and relationship of God the Father and Jesus Christ.
April 6, 1917: The United States
declared war against Germany. The resolution of war came on the opening day
of the 87th Annual General Conference of the Church.
Oct. 2, 1917: Construction was finished
on the Church Administration Building at 47 E. South Temple in Salt Lake
City.
May 1918: The Relief Society sold the
U.S. government 205,518 bushels of wheat it had in storage. As early as
October 1876, the Relief Society had been gathering and storing grain
against a day of scarcity.
February 1918: President Smith issued a statement on the
status of children in the resurrection.
Oct. 2, 1918: While contemplating the
meaning of Christ's atonement, President Smith received a vision of the
redemption of the dead, now published as Section 138 of the Doctrine and
Covenants.
Nov. 19, 1918: President Smith died at
age 80. He had served as president of the Church since Oct. 17, 1901. No
public funeral was held as Utah was under quarantine during a worldwide
influenza epidemic.
Nov. 23, 1918: Heber J. Grant was
ordained and set apart as the seventh president of the Church.
April 1919: Because of the influenza epidemic, general
conference was postponed until June 1, 1919.
1919: The Doctrine and Covenants, which had earlier been
divided into verses by Orson Pratt, was printed and published in Liverpool,
England, by George F. Richards.
Oct. 10, 1919: King Albert and Queen
Elizabeth of Belgium attended a recital on Temple Square to hear the
Tabernacle organ.
Nov. 27, 1919: President Heber J. Grant
dedicated the Hawaii Temple in Laie.
