To whomever you are and wherever you live:

I hope you will care and read. I am Samuel Mads Cottrell from Powell and want to talk to everyone interested about building our temple in Cody.

I was born and raised in the Big Horn Basin (Burlington 17 years, Meeteetse 37 and Powell 31) and have spent most of my life here — by choice, not chance.

Many other Big Horn Basin cities and towns would like to have our temple in their area, but in my opinion, there is just one town that shines out among the others: Cody has always been my family’s favorite place to go away from home, close to home.

Our chapels and temples mean very much to us in our earthly and heavenly lives. We already have been blessed with two buildings in Cody. Our chapel on Wyoming Street, including a visitors’ center and a famous mural, has been there for decades. The other building, located across the street from the rec center, is our Stake Center and was dedicated in 1981. Both of these buildings and their yards have been and are beautiful. The public is welcome to join us anytime and we invite them to come join us.

There is no reason we cannot agree with each other on the things that concern some of you and us. If you just don’t like us, I am very sorry. If this is the case, I would like to meet you personally so we can become friends, like three of my many Cody friends, Mac Taggart, Glenn Nielson and Sen. Alan Simpson, and in Powell, Dick Jones and Keith Bloom. I am listed in the Powell phone book.

Also, when our people come to Cody now, we buy groceries, supplies and support your restaurants and service stations. I believe this would continue and increase.

Please, let us get together, without a large crowd, settle our questions and continue on in peace, harmony and unity. We want to please the people of Cody so they will be happy for us to come join them in the temple, shop or whatever.

Thank you,

S. Mads Cottrell

Powell

Past Stake President of the Cody Wyoming LDS Stake (1983-93)