140 years ago today - Apr 1, 1874

[Brigham Young Sermon] President Young briefly stated the object of meeting together, namely, to deposit in the place prepared, a box containing records, and some of our publications, in token of our faith, to be here preserved until the Savior comes; and then to be subject to His will and pleasure; together with the temple, for the use of the living and the dead. [The articles were placed in the box] President Brigham Young offered the following dedicatory prayer: Father in Heaven, In the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, we, Thy servants present ourselves before thee on this occasion; and as we have deposited this box, containing these records of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which Thou hast cause to be organized according to Thy will and commandment in these our days, we desire that this box and all this it contains may remain here in safety, undisturbed, until it is Thy will that they shall be brought forth. We dedicate unto Thee this box and the materials of which it is composed. We dedicate its contents, the paper upon which the records are printed and written, the ink with which this has been done; the plate and the engraving thereon, together with all other material and labor used in getting this deposit ready to be placed in this wall. We dedicate unto Thee, this rock which has been prepared for the reception of this box; and we dedicate unto Thee these walls, as far as they are completed, together with the ground upon which they stand, which has already been dedicated to Thee, and the grounds round about. We also dedicate the material which is upon the ground, and that which is yet to be brought and used in the construction of this Temple which is being erected to the Most Holy Name, to be used according to Thy will and commandments, as a Holy Place, in which to attend to the ordinances of the Gospel, for the living and the dead. We dedicate ourselves, our wives, our children, our labors, our brethren and sisters, and all that we have, and are, unto Thee; and ask Thy acceptance of this dedication; praying Thee to bless us and all Israel, in our labors of Zion, in advancing the cause of truth on the earth. These blessings we ask for ourselves, our brethren and sisters, the Lamanites, and for all the honest in heart, in the name of Thy Son, Jesus Christ. Amen. -- St. George, Utah

[Source: James G. Bleak. Â"Annals of the Southern Utah Mission,Â" Archives, Church History Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah..; Brigham Young, The Man and His Work. Preston Nibley. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1960. 504-505 as quoted in The Complete Discourses of Brigham Young, Ed. Richard S. Van Wagoner, Smith-Pettit Foundation, Salt Lake City (2009), http://bit.ly/BY-discourses]