Kidnapped from That Land: The Government Raids on the Short Creek Polygamists

by Martha S. Bradley

In the early morning hours of July 26, 1953, several hundred Arizona state officials and police officers moved into the polygamist community of Short Creek, Arizona, to serve warrants on thirty-six men and eighty-six women. Officials staging the raid believed they were rescuing the community’s 263 children from a life of bondage and immorality.

Kidnapped from that Land is the first book to bring together the story of the 1953 raid and two previous raids in 1935 and 1944. Martha Bradley tells the story with insight and compassion for the families that were fragmented by the arrests. She also deals with the complex legal issues that persist in both Arizona and Utah, where the practice of polygamy is a felony that is no longer prosecuted.

Kidnapped from that Land will appeal to those interested in the study of Mormon history, of polygamy, and of western regional and American social history.
 

Genres: History

286 pages, Paperback

First published October 27, 1993

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got the chance to spend some time with Alvin Barlow. At 15 years old he was the youngest person left in Short Creek after the raid. His niece gave me this book to help me understand what happened in 1953. It is well written and has a lot of information about the political motivations and the people from Short Creek. After hearing Alvin's story and reading this book I can't help but think the events of 1953 helped set the community up to be mislead by Warren Jeffs.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thoroughly researched and comprehensive report on the Short Creek raids. As a scholarly accomplishment this book should receive a 5 star rating. For my own purposes, however, it was a bit of an info overkill. Some of the information seemed to get in the way of what I was looking for. I did find much worthwhile information and I did come to a greater understanding of the difficulties that occurred with polygamy during this time. I see it as a problem without a good solution.