Cowley in Big Horn County, Wyoming — The American West (Mountains)

Big Horn LDS Stake Office and Tithing Building

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, July 20, 2021

1. Big Horn LDS Stake Office and Tithing Building Marker

Inscription. In 1900, Lorenzo Snow, prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints, sent settlers to northern Wyoming under direction of Apostle Abraham Owen Woodruff. They were to establish two communities, Byron and Cowley, and build the Sidon Canal, which would furnish water from the Shoshone River to the communities.
In 1909, the Big Horn LDS Stake Presidency, President Byron Sessions and Counselors Jesse W. Crosby and Charles A. Welch, selected a location on the main street of Cowley for a building to be used for church administration and tithing offices. This native sandstone building with its single-piece double columns was a tribute to the ingenuity and strength of these early pioneers. The stones had to be hauled from hills five miles north of Cowley, shaped at the site, and set in place without benefit of power equipment.
For many years after the LDS Stake office was moved to Lovell, the building was used for various purposes by the Cowley Ward, Cowley School District, and the community. By 1997, it was extensively remodeled to become the office of the Cowley and the Pioneer Museum/History Center.

Erected 2003 by Daughter of the Utah Pioneers, Sagebrush Camp. (Marker Number 536.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists:

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Churches & Religion • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Daughters of Utah Pioneers series list.

Location. 44° 52.991′ N, 108° 28.138′ W. Marker is in Cowley, Wyoming, in Big Horn County. Marker is on South Division Street near Main Street (State Highway 789), on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 20 South Division Street, Cowley WY 82420, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Big Horn Academy (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Cowley Log Community Center (about 400 feet away); The Mormon Colonists (approx. 3.2 miles away); The Jeep (approx. 5 miles away); Henry Gilbert, Jr. Memorial (approx. 5 miles away); Byron Sessions (approx. 6.2 miles away); Deaver Reservoir (approx. 8.2 miles away); Sidon Canal (approx. 9.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cowley.

Big Horn LDS Stake Office and Tithing Building and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, July 20, 2021

2. Big Horn LDS Stake Office and Tithing Building and Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on January 10, 2022. It was originally submitted on January 10, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 187 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 10, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.