#15: [18-May-22]

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#1: [16-Feb-01]

10-Dec-2001 -- This is quite possibly the easiest confluence in Utah/Arizona, as any of the reports, including mine, will attest. I parked a short distance from the confluence and walked across a bit of desert landscape to the exact location. It was snowing quite heavily, so I did not stay long.

Colorado City/Hildale looks like most other towns of its size in the area, with the exception that many of the houses are quite large, on the order of a dozen or more bedrooms. As was mentioned by David Mower in his post, this town has an interesting history. The reason I was in this area was business, which actually involved a resident of Hildale. I had the opportunity to learn a little about the peculiar practices (by my own standard) to which most of the residents of these towns subscribe, including a sort of communism or community property practice. All the land and homes are owned in common, and no one person truly owns anything. Many of the residents practice polygamy, which has been the cause of some tensions with the State government in recent years. Other than the introduction of automobiles, electricity, and indoor plumbing, not much has changed. Alcoholic beverages and tobacco products are not available anywhere in either town, I was told, (not that I would indulge, anyway). This is a reflection of the conservative standards promulgated by the religion in the town. Historically, the area was a refuge for polygamists during the early days of Mormon settlement in Utah. In the late 19th Century, the Mormon Church abandoned the practice of polygamy, and instructed all members to cease this practice as well. There were, understandably, some who refused, and these families settled in many of the outlying areas in Northern Arizona and Southern Utah. Colorado City is probably the largest and best-known of these cities, although other such towns exist today. It should be mentioned that no person who is known to be engaged in the practice of polygamy, or plural marriage, is recognized by the LDS (Mormon) Church as a member of that church, and that the LDS Church condemns this practice today, as it has for more than 100 years.

Geologically, this is an interesting area. The rocks and cliffs surrounding the town are a striking display of many colors, and the desert to the South, toward the Grand Canyon, seems to stretch on forever. I have been through the area before, which was fortunate, since had this been my first time in the area, I might have thought I was at the North Pole.