Manifestations Surrounding Wilford Woodruff at the Salt Lake Temple Dedication

During the Salt Lake Temple dedication in April 1893, some Saints witnessed what they understood as the apparent transfiguration of President Wilford Woodruff into the likeness of his predecessor, Brigham Young. Woodruff, the aged prophet who had been foreordained and long preserved to dedicate the temple, bore a visible resemblance to Brigham Young as he stood at the pulpit to conduct the sacred services. Other attendees observed a halo of glory or visible light surrounding Woodruff as he conducted the dedicatory services and offered the dedicatory prayer. He prayed with the strength of a man half his age. To those who saw these manifestations, they signified heavenly endorsement of Woodruff's prophetic office, the Lord's acceptance of the temple, and the continuity of prophetic keys from Joseph Smith to Brigham Young to Wilford Woodruff. The experience also recalled the reported transfiguration of Brigham Young into the likeness of Joseph Smith at the 1844 conference following Smith's martyrdom.