One of earliest LDS churches in Pocatello to receive historical plaque Thursday

POCATELLO — The site of the original 1st Ward building of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will receive a plaque detailing the history of the building.

Spencer Stucki of Portneuf Pioneers, the chapter of Sons of Utah Pioneers that is presenting the plaque, said the building was originally built in 1909. It was torn down in 1961.

“The purpose of the plaque is to commemorate where the building was and a little history on the plot,” he said.

Stucki said part of the site of the original building is where the Pocatello High School seminary building is now. The rest of the site is a parking lot. He said the ceremony will take place in that parking lot.

“The ceremony will take place at the Northeast corner of Garfield and Center streets,” he said. “It’s diagonally across from the Marshall Public Library.”

Stucki said Kert Howard, who was the stake president for the LDS Church during its 100 year anniversary in Pocatello, will be speaking during the ceremony.

“He will be speaking and giving some history and background,” he said. “He adds a little perspective. We’d like to give people who went to church in that building an opportunity to talk about their experiences.”

Stucki said they would also be awarding scholarships to high school seniors during the ceremony.

“We’ll be awarding two of those at the meeting,” he said.

Stucki said he has a personal experience with the original building. He grew up in the Bear Lake area, but he did have an opportunity to visit the building while he was in high school.

“For the high school, they held music clinics,” he said. “I studied with my high school choir, and I was selected to come to the clinic. The tenors practiced in that building.”

Stucki said the Sons of Utah Pioneers is an organization that is primarily focused on recognizing the history of early pioneers. It is more prevalent in Utah but has four chapters in Southeast Idaho, including the Portneuf Pioneers that Stucki belongs to.

“We pick historical sites and put markers of some kind on them,” he said.

Stucki said his favorite part about his involvement with the Sons of Utah Pioneers is learning about the history of the people that came before him.

“Reviewing or looking at the history of my ancestors is important to me,” he said.

The ceremony will be held on Thursday in the parking lot at the corner of Garfield and Center Street. The event will start at 6 p.m.