Situated along the Arizona-Utah border, the remote communities known as Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah, were long dominated by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), a religious sect that diverged in the 1930s from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—the mainstream Mormon church that had publicly abandoned the practice of plural marriage in 1890.
For decades, the FLDS exerted control over the local governments and shared police department of these neighboring towns. However, this dominance faced significant legal and social challenges starting in the early 2000s. A key figure in this period was Warren Jeffs, the FLDS president and prophet, who rose to prominence following the death of his father, the previous leader, in 2002.
Jeffs' leadership was marked by controversy and legal troubles. In 2005, as regional prosecutors from Utah and Arizona coordinated efforts to investigate alleged abuses within FLDS communities, Jeffs was charged with offenses including arranging marriages between underage girls and adult men. Despite these charges, he evaded capture for several years until his arrest during a traffic stop in Las Vegas in August 2006. Authorities discovered numerous items in his possession—including disguises and large sums of money—as they apprehended him.
The judicial system pursued multiple cases against Jeffs. In September 2007, he was convicted in Utah as an accomplice to rape related to forcing a 14-year-old to marry her 19-year-old cousin; this conviction was later overturned. The most consequential verdict emerged in 2011, when Jeffs was tried and found guilty in Texas of sexually assaulting two minors. This led to a life sentence, the only successful prosecution to date resulting in his imprisonment.
Compounding the legal scrutiny, federal authorities examined the governance practices of Colorado City and Hildale. In March 2016, the Department of Justice secured a verdict finding that the towns had engaged in religious discrimination by denying nonbelievers essential municipal services such as building permits, water hookups, and police protection.
Responding to these findings, a court placed the towns under supervision in April 2017, instituting reforms aimed at eliminating constitutional violations and restructuring municipal governance. Over the subsequent years, progress toward these goals was monitored and assessed.
The influence of the FLDS on these border towns waned significantly following Jeffs' incarceration and ongoing legal oversight. Many FLDS members left the sect or relocated away from Colorado City and Hildale.
By July 2025, the court formally ended its supervision nearly two years ahead of schedule, acknowledging the advancements the communities had made in governance and civil rights protections. Today, Colorado City and Hildale present a markedly different social and governmental environment compared to the earlier decades dominated by FLDS control.
Key Historical Events Include:
- 1953: Authorities raided the towns, then called Short Creek; a significant public backlash followed after families were separated.
- 2002: Warren Jeffs ascended as FLDS leader.
- 2005: Legal charges initiated against Jeffs for underage marriages.
- 2006: Jeffs arrested during a Las Vegas traffic stop while evading law enforcement.
- 2007-2011: Multiple trials involving Jeffs, culminating in a life sentence in Texas.
- 2016: DOJ lawsuit leads to findings of religious discrimination by town governments.
- 2017: Court supervision imposed over municipal authorities.
- 2025: Supervision lifted early as progress acknowledged.