The Valley is full of transplants. Many of us moved here or our parents moved here, perhaps our grandparents.
Then there's Candice Copple, whose family has been in Arizona for six generations. Copple's ancestors came to Arizona in the 1800s as a part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Her great-great-great grandfather was Charles Innes Robson the 1st. He’s considered a founding father of Mesa in the East Valley. Charles came to Arizona with his father-in-law Francis Pomeroy and two other families under Brigham Young’s direction.
Today, Arizona has the fourth highest population of LDS members in the United States. We’re just behind Utah, California and Idaho. And Arizona’s history with the LDS Church stretches back before Candice’s family.
In today’s episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we find out more about the Valley’s connection to the LDS Church. Producer Amanda Luberto explores its history and why Arizona continues to have such a large LDS population today.
In this episode of Valley 101, our voiceover said, “A quick heads up for those who may be interested in exploring the Mormon history of Arizona: Non-members can go to any of the LDS Temples in the Valley during Christmas to look at the lights or Easter time to be a part of festivities, but only members are allowed inside.”
However, the only temple in Arizona to have a Christmas light display and an Easter Pageant is the Mesa Temple. Those events have been suspended during its renovation but will recommence once the renovations are completed.
The best way to listen is to subscribe to Valley 101 on your favorite podcast app, but you can also stream the full episode below.