Faith Leaders Celebrate New Missoula Temple
A long-awaited addition to Missoula’s faith community is officially under construction.
Hundreds of residents from across Western Montana gathered in the Lower Miller Creek neighborhood as regional leaders for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officially broke ground on a new temple.
Church officials say the sacred structure will serve as a central spiritual hub for members regionally.
Michael Tree, who advocated for the temple when he was "Stake President" in Missoula while working as General Manager of Mountain Line, came back from California to experience the milestone.
"15, 16 years ago, we were talking about a temple, and to see it here today in groundbreaking mode is special," Tree said after the event. "And it's great to see good friends who are so excited to have a temple in the area, and the goodwill today at the groundbreaking, from other ministers and pastors, and the city, the government leaders, just a feeling of peace and happiness."
"Before, we had to travel long distances to get to a temple, and a temple certainly is a place where a family goes and is strengthened together in learning more about Christ and making commitments. And so to have one in the city of Missoula so close by just means that families can visit more often and fill up that piece, and that's priceless."- Michael Tree, Church Leader
The Missoula Temple will be 19,000 square feet, nearly double the size of the temple that opened in Helena in 2023, and just a little under half the size of the Billings temple that's been operating since 1999.
�� Project representatives state that heavy excavation and initial site layout work will scale up quickly over the coming summer weeks.
Flooding threat drops
It looks like we've dodged the bullet when it comes to Montana flooding, stemming from the heavy rains and then snow melt over the past couple of weeks.
Emergency managers have been keeping a very close eye on regional river levels as mountain snowmelt accelerates. According to a hydrologic update issued by the National Weather Service Missoula Office, the Flathead River at Columbia Falls briefly peaked just above its critical 13-foot minor flood stage this week following upper-elevation rainfall.
Current levels at Columbia Falls were 11.4 feet Sunday evening, which is below the "action stage" of 12.5 feet. Moderate flood stage on the Flathead is considerably higher, at 18 feet.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Energy Keepers Incorporated are confirming that they are actively coordinating dam outflows downstream to pass the Flathead runoff downriver into the Clark Fork, and on into Lake Pend Oreille in Idaho, without causing any flooding downstream.
Billings man dies in Idaho River accident
Idaho State Police are confirming now that search and rescue teams have recovered the body of a 40-year-old Billings man from the North Fork of the Payette River in Idaho.
The recovery follows a devastating multi-vehicle wreck that occurred on Memorial Day Weekend along Idaho State Highway 55. As we reported last week, ISP says the victim's pickup truck went off the highway into the raging river. Witnesses initially reported seeing an occupant swept away by the swift, dangerous current before emergency units could intervene.
Others involved in the crash were all accounted for.
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Gallery Credit: Nick Northern