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As of January 1, 2016 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported 284,631 members in 61 stakes, 552 Congregations (481 wards and 71 branches), eight missions, and three temples in Washington. In addition, members in the Bellingham Washington Stake are served by the Vancouver British Columbia Temple and members in and around Vancouver, Washington are served by the Portland Oregon Temple.
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History
The first known member of the Church moved to Washington in 1852, with missionaries arriving in Washington Territory from California as early as 1854. Enough converts were baptized along the Lewis River in the southwest portion of the state that a congregation was created in that area. Tensions escalated to the death of one member in 1911, who has given a secret burial at night.
Members of the Church helped construct the Oregon Short Line Railroad in the 1880s. By 1930, nearly two thousand members lived within the state with chapels located in the Puget Sound Region and in Spokane. Washington saw many members move to the state after the completion of the Grand Coulee Dam and during World War II to work in defense industries.
The first branch in Washington was created at Tacoma near the end of 1899, with its first stake being created at Seattle in 1938. Washington's first temple was built in Bellevue in 1980. There are now also temples in Spokane and Richland.
Missions
On July 26, 1897, the Northwestern States Mission was organized to search out Latter Day Saints who had moved Washington, Oregon, and Montana. On January 1, 1968, The Pacific Northwest Mission was created with Joe E. Whitesides as president. On June 10, 1970, its name changed to the Washington Mission and ultimately the Washington Seattle Mission on June 20, 1974. As of 2016, Washington is home to eight missions, three of which are east of the Cascade Mountains, and five are on the west side.
Temples
Washington currently has three temples in operation.