Transcript

Transcript for Andrew Jenson, "Western States Mission," Encyclopedic History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Salt Lake City: Deseret News Printing Co., 1941), 945-46

Western States Mission comprises the states of Colorado, New Mexico and Nebraska, and parts of the states of Wyoming, Iowa and South Dakota. The mission is divided into nine conferences, or districts, namely, Black Hills, Denver, East Nebraska, New Mexico, Pueblo, San Luis, West Colorado, West Nebraska and Wyoming. On Dec. 31, 1930, the Western States Mission had a total Church membership of 6,562, including 22 High Priests, 32 Seventies, 272 Elders, 188 Priests, 67 Teachers, 263 Deacons, 4,396 lay members, and 1,322 children. Ninety missionaries were laboring in the mission, including 19 lady missionaries. The headquarters of the mission are at Denver, Colo.

The Western States Mission is a continuation of the Colorado Mission, organized in 1896, the name of which was changed to the Western States Mission in the beginning of 1907, on account of its limits being extended far beyond the boundaries of the state of Colorado. Joseph A. McRae, president of the Colorado Mission, continued as president of the Western States Mission after the change of name. Missionary work was continued by a large corps of earnest missionaries and included some work among the Indians at Van Hook in North Dakota, and among the Pueblo Indians in New Mexico. In 1918 the Indians in New Mexico were transferred to the Mexican Mission.

Denver, the headquarters of the mission, being an important railroad center, was visited by many of the authorities of the Church at different times and their presence was frequently taken advantage of to address large audiences in Denver and adjacent towns, thus encouraging the missionaries and greatly advancing their work. In 1919 a fine chapel and home for the missionaries was erected in Denver. In 1925 the state of North Dakota and most of South Dakota was transferred from the Western States to the North Central States Mission. Besides the chapel in Denver, chapels have been erected or purchased by the Church in Englewood, Pueblo, Alamosa and Grand Junction, Colorado; at Council Bluffs, Iowa; at Omaha, Nebraska; at Casper, Thermopolis, Sheridan, and Rawlins, Wyoming, and at Bluewater, New Mexico. Regular meetings in hired halls are held at Delta, Canon City, and Meeker in Colorado; at Blanca Basin and Belle Fourche in South Dakota; at Laramie, Wyoming, and Albuquerque, Gallup, Silver City, Clovis, Tres Piedras, Pagosa Springs and Thoreau, New Mexico. Regular Sunday schools are held in 50 places in the mission, including those held in the 23 organized branches of the Church. Lectures, illustrated with film pictures, were commenced in the mission in 1929 and have been continued with great success until the present (1930).

Following are the names of the presidents of the Western States Mission: Joseph A. McRae, April, 1907-1908; John L. Herrick, Dec., 1908, to June, 1919; John M. Knight, June, 1919, to March, 1928, and Elias S. Woodruff, April 1, 1928, to 1930.