On 6 December 1844 the last sunstone was placed on the top of the capitals of the temple. Clayton noted that “about 2 hours after this last stone was placed on the Wall it commenced to snow severely and continued until it lays about 4 inches deep. It has also grown very cold. It appears that the Lord has held up the weather untill we have got the Capitols in there places.” With the inclement weather, work halted on the exterior of the structure. Nevertheless, stonecutters continued their work and a portion of the building was enclosed to form a carpentry shop. In January 1845 the Times and Seasons noted that “great numbers of carpenters, masons, and other workmen are daily engaged in this arduous undertaking, so that not only is stone being prepared, but the sash, flooring, seats, and other things are progressing rapidly.” William Huntington, one of the stonecutters, recorded that by the end of February nearly all the remaining stones for the exterior walls were ready to be placed on the structure. (Clayton, Journal, 6 Dec. 1844; Clayton, History of the Nauvoo Temple, 62, 64–65; Brigham Young, “An Epistle of the Twelve,” Times and Seasons, 15 Jan. 1845, 6:779; Huntington, Reminiscences and Journal, 25 Feb. 1845.)

Clayton, William. Journals, 1842–1845. CHL.

Clayton, William. History of the Nauvoo Temple, ca. 1845. CHL. MS 3365.

Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

Huntington, William. Reminiscences and Journal, Apr. 1841–Aug. 1846. CHL.

This apparently refers to plural wives, though participants in plural marriage in this era did not typically use the term “spiritual wives” in reference to plural wives.