Colorado City Polygamists: An Inside Look for the Outsider

Eldorado is being invaded by polygamists from Colorado City. Texas outsiders unfamiliar with what they do and how they do it are aggressively seeking information about the group. And they should . . . The public needs to know how the one-man dictatorship developed and how maniacal Warren Jeffs rules today. He and his lieutenants are highly skilled and articulate business men who have mastered the art of deception and therefore pose a threat to any community they inhabit. Colorado City historian Benjamin Bistline's first deeply documented book, The Polygamists: A History of Colorado City, Arizona was written to present the truth of the beginnings of the group and its original religious doctrine. Over the years, that doctrine has been verbally rewritten by religious leaders to support their claim of God's approval of their one-man tyrannical dictatorship. For outsiders to whom Colorado City and polygamy are new, the first book was overwhelming with deep documentation. So we offer you this book, condensed, simplified, and easy to follow. People across America are asking how it is that girls as young as thirteen can be forced to marry, and not even to young men but old men; and how it is that women are treated as chattel and belong not to themselves or their husband, but to the Priesthood; and how it is that wives and children can suddenly be reassigned to a more obedient man; and how it is that teenage boys are cast out so older men can have more wives. And finally, how is it that tax dollars of American citizens are not only supporting many large polygamist families, but helping their communities expand. Polygamy abuses in America remain in the public eye thanks to Oprah, CNN, ABCPrimetime, A&E Television and other media sources, including newspapers The Salt Lake Tribune, The Spectrum of St. George, Utah, The Phoenix New Times, The Arizona Republic, and the Deseret Morning News. With polygamists setting up an enclave in Texas, The Eldorado Success, San Antonio Express-News, Fort Worth Star Telegram, The Dallas Morning News, and others are working to make their citizens aware.