Gila Valley Arizona Temple

In a joint annoucement with the Gilbert Arizona Temple, President Thomas S. Monson has announced the construction of a temple in Arizona's Gila Valley near the communities of Thatcher and Safford.¹

The temple will serve the faithful saints of southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, who currently travel some 150 miles or more to attend the Mesa Arizona Temple. Located at the base of the soaring Pinaleño Mountains, the adjoining communities of Thatcher and Safford in the Gila Valley are best known among members of the Church as the home of President Spencer W. Kimball, 12th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Though born in Salt Lake City, President Kimball was reared in Thatcher from the age of 3. And after returning home from a mission and marrying Camilla Eyring in the Salt Lake Temple, the Kimballs settled in Safford to raise their children and run an insurance business. In the early 1980s, President Kimball initiated an unprecedented worldwide temple-building program—one of the hallmarks of his ministry.