Short Creek Photographs
A mother and her children at Short Creek in 1953.
During the 1930s, Short Creek, a town on the border of Arizona and Utah, became a refuge for fundamentalists who practiced polygamy after the LDS church renounced the practice completely in 1904.
In 1953, the state of Arizona raided the community and seized 263 children. The public became outraged at the action and the treatment of the families, and in the end, the raid was an expensive failure for law enforcement. Within three years, the state had returned all the children to their families.
These photographs were taken around the time of the raid. They show husbands, children, homes, lifestyles, and scenes from the raid.
In 1958, Short Creekâs name changed to Colorado City, and the Utah part of the town was named Hildale.