The Remarkable Transformation of Twin Border Towns
The neighbouring towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona, situated along the remote Arizona-Utah border, have experienced a profound and dramatic transformation in recent years. This change follows decades of control by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), a polygamist sect that broke away from mainstream Mormonism in the 1930s. The sect's grip on municipal governments and shared police force has been broken, leading to a new era for these communities.
Historical Control and Legal Challenges
For many decades, the FLDS exercised near-total authority over Hildale and Colorado City, originally known as the Short Creek community. This control extended to denying basic services like water hookups and police protection to those outside the sect. The situation began to unravel significantly with the conviction of the sect's leader, Warren Jeffs, in 2011 for sexually assaulting two girls. Federal prosecutors successfully argued that the towns were engaging in religious discrimination, leading to a landmark 2016 verdict and subsequent court supervision in 2017 to overhaul municipal operations.
Key Events in the Timeline of Change
The journey from sect dominance to independent governance has been marked by several pivotal moments:
- July 26, 1953: Authorities conducted a major raid on the Short Creek community, resulting in dozens of arrests and children placed in foster care. The operation backfired as public sympathy grew from images of separated families, causing officials to largely ignore polygamy in the towns for years afterwards.
- November 2002: Warren Jeffs emerged as the new leader of the FLDS following his father's death, consolidating power over the communities.
- June 2005: Jeffs faced charges in Arizona for allegedly arranging the marriage of a teenage girl to an already-married follower, though these were later dismissed in 2010.
- August 28, 2006: While a fugitive, Jeffs was arrested during a Las Vegas traffic stop with multiple disguises, phones, and substantial cash, facing charges related to underage marriages.
- September 25, 2007: Jeffs was convicted in Utah as an accomplice to rape, though this conviction was overturned in 2010.
- April 2008: A massive raid on the sect's Texas ranch, prompted by a hoax call, uncovered evidence of underage pregnancies and polygamist marriages that would contribute to Jeffs' eventual conviction.
- August 9, 2011: Jeffs was convicted in Texas of sexually assaulting two girls and sentenced to life imprisonment, marking his only successful prosecution.
- March 7, 2016: The Justice Department won a religious discrimination verdict against the towns for denying services to nonbelievers.
- April 2017: A court placed Hildale and Colorado City under supervision to remedy constitutional violations.
- July 2, 2025: The towns were released from court supervision nearly two years earlier than expected, having made significant progress in reforming their governance.
A New Chapter for the Communities
With Warren Jeffs imprisoned and the FLDS stripped of its municipal control, many sect members have either left the organisation or moved away from the area. The early release from court supervision in 2025 signifies the substantial strides made by Hildale and Colorado City in establishing fair and constitutional local governments. This represents a remarkable turnaround for towns that were once synonymous with sectarian control and isolation, now moving towards integration with broader society while grappling with their complex history.
