The
Edmunds Act, or Edmunds Anti-Polygamy Act of 1882, was passed by the United States Congress in response to unrest about the Mormon practice of
polygamy. It made polygamy a felony in U.S. territories and revoked polygamists' voting rights and their ability to serve on juries. These restrictions applied not only to those practicing polygamy but also to all members of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who professed belief in the church's doctrine of plural marriage. The
Edmunds–Tucker Act of 1887 provided further sanction, making polygamy punishable by fines and imprisonment. Mormons who practiced polygamy did not discontinue the practice; rather, they tried to maintain it in secret. As a result, either many children were kept hidden or their paternity was kept hidden. These families, which were already complicated, were struggling under the new legal strictures. Federal marshals frequently patrolled the
Utah Territory on horseback looking for polygamists, and many of the church leaders were arrested. Many of the community's business and political leaders were forced underground, disrupting the community at large. Several men were called in 1875 to serve missions in Mexico, where they preached to Mexican people and scouted for land for potential future colonization. These missionaries were impressed with the city of
Chihuahua, which had many buildings and churches, including a cathedral. Other groups of missionaries followed. In 1879, a Belgian man named
Emilio Biebuyck, who had been to Utah and was very influential in Mexico, had permission from the Mexican government to establish colonies in the Mexican states, with land and subsidies to be given to colonizers. He petitioned the Council of the Church to accept this offer, but the Council determined they were not yet ready to establish colonies in Mexico. In 1885, several church leaders rented of land in northern Chihuahua, and Mormon members began to plant crops. Other Mormon families from Utah and Arizona soon joined their fledgling community. Six weeks after the original settlers began to cultivate the area, the colonists numbered 350. Certain local officials became suspicious of the increase in the Mormon refugees and their activities. They appealed to the secretary of the state of Chihuahua, characterizing them as an armed band and implying they had nefarious intentions. The settlers were given orders to leave within 16 days. Some church leaders were given an audience with the governor of Chihuahua, who had dealings with Mormons in the past and been favorably impressed. He welcomed them as colonists. However, due to a problem with the deal between Brown and Huller, titles to the land could not be given to them. Instead, the colonists were forced to rent from locals or make their own individual purchases. When it was founded, the nearest train station to the colony was Gallego, away. Since a large percentage of goods consumed by the colony had to be imported from the
United States, prices were high. In 1897, a railroad was built from
Ciudad Juárez to a point outside Dublán. The railroad proved extremely valuable for the colony, as goods could be cheaply imported and exported. The Mexican colonies were founded to provide shelter from the persecution and legal restrictions of the United States, and also created new opportunities to do proselytizing. Families that participated in this colonization effort did so with the intention to build a home refuge for their families and intended for their posterity to remain there. While they escaped the threat of persecution for practicing polygamy, they faced other difficulties in the form of disease, political unrest, conflict with the Mexican population, and drought. The community was also the birthplace of
George W. Romney, former U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) secretary and father of former U.S. Senator and
2012 presidential nominee
Mitt Romney. ==Present day==