Paris Tabernacle

The stone waited longer than the sign says. Settlers stockpiled materials for about twenty years before church leaders in Salt Lake City let building begin in 1884, after the Logan temple was finished, and the work ran under Thomas G. Lowe of Logan. A fire partly destroyed the interior before the planned 1888 dedication, and it was dedicated instead on September 15, 1889. The ceiling is the work of James Collings Sr., an English shipbuilder who modeled it on the hulls of the ships he had built. It seats about 1,500, with 70 more in the choir loft.

What the plaque says

Paris Tabernacle Designed by one of Brigham Young's sons, this imposing Romanesque tabernacle was built between 1884 and 1889 by skilled local craftsmen. Swiss stone masons cut and carved red sandstone that horse and ox teams hauled from a canyon 18 miles away. In winter, sled loads of rock were pulled over ice across Bear Lake. Shingles and other lumber came from nearby forests. After a century of use, this unaltered monument remains as a reminder of pioneer achievement. 386 Text prepared by the Idaho Historical Society Marker made & installed by Idaho Transportation Department

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge — 3.4 mi
  The Bear River crosses this marsh twice: once in a canal into Bear Lake, and once in another canal on its way back out.
• National Oregon/California Trail Center — 8.6 mi
  Emigrants came down off Big Hill and camped in the clover here. Brigham Young renamed the town; the trail center brings the camp back in costume.
• Minnetonka Cave — 11 mi
  Found by a grouse hunter, named first for a porcupine and then in a language from the far side of the Rockies. Five kinds of bats winter inside.
• Beaver Mountain Ski Area — 19 mi
  A family-owned ski hill that has been run by the same family since 1939

More markers nearby

• Paris — steps away
• British Settlers — 2.9 mi
• Smith's Trading Post — 7.7 mi
• Bank Robbers — 8.0 mi