In the twin towns of Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah, along the Arizona-Utah border, the once-dominant influence of a polygamous sect has significantly faded. Residents now embrace everyday joys like weekend soccer matches, local bars, and a nearby winery, transforming these remote communities near Zion National Park into vibrant, ordinary locales.
Before courts intervened to remove control from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), led by imprisoned prophet Warren Jeffs, activities such as youth sports and social gatherings were strictly prohibited. The rapid changes allowed the towns to exit court supervision last summer, nearly two years ahead of schedule.
A Community in Transition
The shift reflects deep internal changes among residents, as former FLDS spokesman Willie Jessop, who later distanced himself from the group, explains: “What you see is the outcome of a massive amount of internal turmoil and change within people to reset themselves. We call it ‘life after Jeffs’ — and, frankly, it’s a great life.”
Some ex-members recall positive aspects of FLDS life, including supportive mothers and childhood games. However, conditions deteriorated after Jeffs assumed leadership in 2002 following his father’s death. Church directives split families by exiling men and reassigning their wives and children, removed children from public schools, dismantled basketball hoops, and dictated daily routines and diets.
Shem Fischer, who departed in 2000 after his family was divided and later returned to establish a lodge in Hildale, describes the turn: “It started to go into a very sinister, dark, cult direction.”
Historical Roots and Legal Shifts
The FLDS community established Colorado City and Hildale in the 1930s to practice polygamy after splitting from the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which banned plural marriage in 1890. Authorities largely overlooked the practice until Jeffs’ rise.
Jeffs faced charges in 2005 for arranging a teenage girl’s marriage to a married 28-year-old follower, fleeing to become an FBI Ten Most Wanted fugitive before his 2006 arrest. In 2011, a Texas court convicted him of sexually assaulting two girls, aged 12 and 15, resulting in a life sentence.
Even post-arrest, federal officials alleged the towns operated as church extensions, withholding services like building permits, water connections, and police aid from non-members. In 2017, courts imposed oversight, separating church influence from local governments and the shared police force. A community board assumed control of the church’s real estate trust, facilitating sales to promote private ownership.
For 90 years under theocratic rule, the towns adapted to a new representative government. As court monitor Roger Carter noted in reports, residents unfamiliar with private property and open policies required guidance on neutral decision-making. Civic leaders now focus on community needs over religious ties.
Reunions and Renewed Connections
With Jeffs incarcerated and the church’s authority stripped, many FLDS adherents departed or disaffiliated. New places of worship have emerged, and active FLDS members now represent a minor portion of the population.
Hildale Mayor Donia Jessop, once linked to the Jessop family through marriage, highlights the progress: “The community has made huge strides.” She reconnected with estranged relatives, including a poignant reunion during the 2015 Hildale flood that claimed 13 lives. “We started to realize that the love was still there… And it just started to open doors that weren’t open before,” she shares.
Longtime resident Isaac Wyler, expelled by the FLDS in 2004, endured ostracism, denied services, and ignored vandalism reports. Today, interactions with police remain impartial, and former FLDS businesses have given way to a supermarket, bank, pharmacy, coffee shop, and bar. “Like a normal town,” Wyler observes.
Outsiders are increasingly drawn to the area’s mountains, canyons, clean air, and abundant sunshine. Gabby Olsen, who relocated from Salt Lake City in 2016 to work in climbing and canyoneering, and her husband Dion Obermeyer, who operates a guide service, note the surprise visitors experience. “When you tell people, ‘Hey, we’re getting married in Hildale,’ they kind of chuckle… But of course when they all came down here, they’re all quite surprised. And you’re like, ‘Oh yeah, there’s a winery.’”
Ongoing Challenges
Despite the sect’s diminished role, issues persist. Greater openness has introduced problems like drug use. Polygamy lingers in pockets; in late 2024, a Colorado City sect member with over 20 spiritual wives, including underage girls, received a 50-year sentence for coercion and related crimes.
Briell Decker, who at 18 became Jeffs’ 65th wife in an arranged marriage and now aids those exiting polygamy at a Colorado City support center, believes recovery will span generations. At 40, remarried with a child, she states: “I do think they can, but it’s going to take a while because so many people are in denial. Still, they want to blame somebody. They don’t really want to take accountability.”
