"The Jewel of the Church"

Last week the Larson Family Reunion (my dad's side) took place. We always rent a cabin in Pine Valley, Utah. Like most historical towns in Utah, Pine Valley was settled by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. When you drive into Pine Valley immediately on your right is the LDS Church building. This building is unique because it doesn't look like modern LDS Church buildings; it looks the way it does because it was built in 1868 and the person who designed it had some interesting inspiration.

My family has been going to Pine Valley every summer for about 10 years now, and I have always wanted to go inside the church building. This year I finally got that chance and took a tour of the church and learned about its history. Because Pine Valley is not as famous as Cove Fort, This Is The Place, or Temple Square, I want to share with you what I learned about this beautiful place.

The valley itself was discovered when a cow got away from its group that was heading to Mountain Meadow. Church leaders felt inspired to settle it. The pine trees nearby were used to make the pipes in the organ in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. The man who designed and built the chapel was a ship builder by trade, so he built it like an upside down ship. It has been renovated, so not much is original, but they kept the original look and style. Our tour guide told us that Gordon B. Hinckley called it "the jewel of the Church" because it's one of the oldest functioning LDS chapels.

The chapel has a ground level, second story, and small attic-like third story. The tour starts on the ground level. There are two rooms. One is a large classroom. It has wooden benches that are screwed into the floor (they used to not be as our tour guide told us they would be moved up against the wall for dances and other activities). The second room is a kitchen and the entrance to the stairs to the second level. Also on the grounds is a brick building that used to be a tithing house, it is now a classroom.

The second level is where Sacrament Meeting is held. The doors are the original and the chairs and benches are based on the original. The lights are kerosene lamps. The chapel is full of paintings of Jesus Christ. Our tour guide said that the paintings are there to show others that Mormons are Christians. (To be honest, that explanation didn't sit well with me, I don't think that's why the paintings are there, I just think it's a nice perk for the tourists who visit.)

The third level attic is tiny, and we were told that the Young Women meet there on Sundays. The wall is full of photos of people who are important to the Pine Valley church building - like the first Relief Society President of the ward. There is also a glass case that has historical artifacts in it. The old fashioned sacrament trays were my favorite. They are made of glass! If someone had me guess what material the old sacrament cups were made out of I would have guessed tin, not glass. They were beautiful. Our tour guide told us that the deacons were responsible for cleaning the sacrament glasses each Sunday after church.

Then we got to see the actual attic. We got to notice the curve of the beams that looks like a ship's bottom.

I loved visiting this Church building. It was fun to learn it's history, and it was so beautiful.

The rest of our time in Pine Valley was fun as well. Gerson and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary while there. We spent some time at the river, and Benjamin got to throw rocks in a river for the first time ever - and now he's addicted! Gerson and I went on an ice cream date, and we went swimming at Sand Hallow (which is an hour away). The kids LOVED it. Benjamin now asks to go throw rocks in the river and to go swimming every day. It has been several years since we have been able to go to the family reunions, so this was a much needed vacation.