John Moyle: The Temple Builder

John Rowe Moyle (1808–1896) was an English-born stonemason who emigrated to Utah in 1856 and became one of the most dedicated workers on the Salt Lake Temple. A master craftsman, Moyle was among the skilled stonecutters who shaped the massive granite blocks quarried from Little Cottonwood Canyon into the intricate exterior of the temple. His work on the building spanned decades, a labor of devotion that would come to define his life.

Moyle lived in Alpine, Utah, roughly 22 miles south of Temple Square. Each week, he walked to Salt Lake City on Monday morning and returned home on Saturday evening — a round trip of nearly 44 miles. This routine alone was a remarkable commitment, but it became legendary after a farming accident in which a cow kicked Moyle in the leg, shattering it so badly that it had to be amputated below the knee.

Rather than retire from temple work, Moyle carved himself a wooden leg and, after a period of recovery, resumed his weekly 22-mile walk to the temple. He continued this practice for years, arriving each Monday to take up his chisel and mallet. Among his most enduring contributions is the inscription "Holiness to the Lord" carved across the east face of the temple — words that Moyle chiseled into the granite one letter at a time.

John Moyle never saw the Salt Lake Temple completed. He died in 1896, three years after its dedication in 1893, though he had likely been too elderly to attend the final stages of construction. His story has become one of the most beloved in Latter-day Saint culture, frequently cited in sermons as an example of quiet, persistent faith. The phrase he carved — "Holiness to the Lord" — remains the most visible inscription on the temple and greets every visitor who approaches from the east.