Cardston is a town just north of the Canada-US border. It is about an hour southwest of Lethbridge. The town was founded in 1887 by pioneers, led by Charles Cards, who sent on colonizing missions from Utah. Today, Cardston has about 3500 residents.
Cardston was the first settlement of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served as the major site of church activity as more saints traveled to Alberta and began to found other settlements in the area (see our Magrath and Raymond pages). Today there are two stakes (Cardston and Cardston West) that are headquartered in the town.
In 1923, the Cardston Alberta Temple was completed and dedicated. President Heber J. Grant, the prophet at the time, came to dedicate it. It was the sixth operating temple and first outside of the United States. The temple is now considered a National History Site by the government of Canada. The temple is situated on Temple Hill and can be seen night and day for miles outside of Cardston. The temple is unique in its architecture. It is one of a very few that does not have an Angel Moroni Statue at the top. It is also one of two (the other being the Laie Hawaii Temple) that was built in the form of a cross. There are no spires- only five other temples do not have a spire. The granite that forms the major structural pieces of the temple came from quarries close to Nelson, BC. These quarries were used again in the construction of the Vancouver Temple
To book an appointment to attend the Cardston Temple, follow this link.
Cardston is home to the Remington Carriage Museum. It is one of the largest collections of horsedrawn carriages in Canada. They are not just museum pieces though. If you go to any of the major parades from Calgary south to the border, you will see at least one specimen use to carry the VIPs and other dignitaries.
Young Single Adult members of the Church are encouraged to attend the Cardston YSA Ward.
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