On February 13, 1994, the First Presidency of the Mormon Church announced that a Mormon temple would be built in Vernal, Utah. The Vernal Temple is the 10th temple in Utah. A groundbreaking ceremony and sited dedication were held on May 13, 1995. President of the Mormon Church, Gordon B. Hinckley presided at the meeting and gave the dedicatory prayer. An open house was held to allow the public to take tours of the interior of the temple October 11th through the 25th 1997. More than 120,000 people toured the temple during the open house.