Isolated and Mysterious Discovery

No, not talking about myself, but this little town in southern Utah we stumbled upon yesterday in finding a remote canyon hike.

First, the hike up Squirrel Canyon was "strenuous" and at the top, the view from the ledge or bench was as good as any we've seen.  Stunning scenery, but wanted to share our experience in the village nearby at the bottom of the canyon. 

Driving through Hildale, UT, the remote collection of houses felt strange with many unfinished structures and tall fences or walls.  The residences appeared incomplete and some abandoned, while others were huge, but with crude construction for a place that would house many people.  There was one relatively new, big brick structure with a 12 ft. wall around it, appearing to be a school, civic hall or church, but we could only see the top of it.

Of the few residents we saw all of the women and girls had ankle-length homemade dresses and one single braid down their necks and onto their backs.  Not many men in sight except for a group of guys with cowboy hats working with dozens of penned horses of a breed I have not seen.  The animals were not full-sized, but more like the ponies used in Mongolia, beige-colored with short, spiked manes.

People looked the other way as we passed and Glynn refused to let me stop and ask a few reporter-type questions.  So we inquired through our old friend Google.  Hildale is the headquarters for the FLDS, a breakaway group from the LDS religion who maintain plural or "celestial" wives and other practices not approved by mainstream Mormons. This was the home community of Warren Jeffs, imprisoned leader of the FLDS and a controversial individual who reportedly still controls the organization.

What is most interesting is that although it is a very isolated place, it is rife with conflict internally and externally.  There are acrimonious divisions within the town who have separated themselves.  The state and federal government is attempting to take control of the property owned by a trust set up by the FLDS and worth millions of dollars.  Multiple lawsuits are in play.  Many of the practicing families live in compounds, hence the high fences.

So why is this interesting? I would love to look into the town and do an in-depth story of how such a town in a lovely setting could come to today's unsettled crisis.  There are many story lines for an enterprising reporter - starting with freedom of religion and moving to abuse and legalities and high retardation from genetics of marrying relatives - but it would be extremely difficult to get trust and a willingness to visit.  It could also be dangerous. 

I will have to settle for the thrill of hiking to the precarious top of the canyon, just outside fascinating Hildale, Utah.  Ah, but what a story sits there, awaiting the light of day.