When America banned polygamy in 1882, these nine Mormon leaders turned Arizona’s worst prison into a gentleman’s club

Mormon Leaders’ Genteel Captivity During the Polygamy Wars

Yuma Territorial Prison once held an unusual group of inmates: respected Mormon leaders who refused to abandon their plural wives. In 1882, the Edmunds Act made polygamy a federal crime, sending over 1,300 men to prison.

Nine prominent Mormon leaders ended up at Yuma, including town founders and community pillars. These educated gentlemen puzzled Superintendent Frank Ingalls, who knew they weren’t common criminals.

He let them read books, work freely, and eat well. This strange chapter ended in 1890 when the Mormon Church banned plural marriage.

Here’s how religious conviction collided with federal law in the Arizona desert.

Congress Made Mormon Marriages Illegal

Senator George F. Edmunds pushed a law through on March 23, 1882, going after Mormon polygamists across American territories.

This tough law made having many wives a crime with a $500 fine and up to 5 years in jail. The law created a charge called “unlawful cohabitation” so prosecutors didn’t need to prove actual marriages.

The government took away polygamists’ voting rights and banned them from office or jury duty. Over 1,300 Mormon men went to jail under this law.

Arizona Courts Went After Mormon Leaders

Courts in Arizona Territory got power to target Mormon polygamists under the new law. Prosecutors went after well-known community leaders to scare others into following the rules.

Twelve top Mormon leaders got convicted in different Arizona courts.

The first three men found guilty got harsher treatment and were sent to the Detroit House of Corrections in Michigan to serve longer sentences.

The government showed it was serious about stopping plural marriage.

William Jordan Flake Admitted Having Two Wives

William Jordan Flake, who helped start Snowflake, Arizona, stood before a judge in Prescott on December 5, 1884. Flake simply admitted he was guilty of polygamy and living with multiple women.

Judge Summer Howard gave him six months in jail and a $500 fine. Flake told the court about his two wives and family without hiding anything.

Despite his honesty, he still had to go to Yuma Territorial Prison.

Nine Mormon Men Landed in Yuma Prison

Yuma Territorial Prison’s gates opened for nine convicted Mormon polygamists: William Jordan Flake, Jens Neils Skousen, Alma Platt Spillsbury, George Thomas Wilson, Charles Innes Robson, Oscar Marion Stewart, James Thomas Wilson, Hyrum Smith Phelps, and Edmund Ellsworth.

These men stood out among the murderers, thieves, and violent criminals. All nine were successful farmers, ranchers, and respected officials who built strong communities across Arizona Territory.

The Prison Boss Didn’t Know What to Do With Them

Frank Ingalls, who ran Yuma Prison, faced a problem he never expected.

His new Mormon prisoners were educated, respected community builders with clean records except for their multiple marriages. Ingalls followed prison rules but showed these men proper respect.

The prison staff quickly saw these polygamists weren’t dangerous but men locked up for their religious practices. Guards came to view the Mormons as “prisoners of conscience.

Mormon Inmates Got Special Treatment

Flake and his Mormon friends got freedoms other prisoners couldn’t get. They picked their work jobs, read books from the library, and ate better food than regular inmates.

One Mormon prisoner, who once worked as a prison warden himself, took over kitchen duties and cut food waste. Another Mormon inmate sometimes watched the superintendent’s two young boys.

The nine men moved around the prison much more freely than other prisoners.

Church Leadership Kept Going From Behind Bars

William Jordan Flake kept his church role as counselor to the bishop of Snowflake ward while in prison. The Mormon prisoners kept up their religious practices and leadership positions despite being locked up.

Prison officials let them write to their families and hold religious activities.

The men spent their days studying religious books, writing poetry, and keeping detailed journals about their time at Yuma.

Prison Life Was Better Than Most Homes Back Then

Yuma Territorial Prison had electric lights and running water, things most Arizona homes didn’t have in the 1880s. Local Yuma people got annoyed that Mormon prisoners lived better than many free citizens in town.

The prison had workshops for blacksmithing, carpentry, shoe repair, and tailoring where Mormon prisoners used their skills.

The prison library and educational programs got better with help from these educated Mormon inmates.

Snowflake Threw a Party When Their Leader Came Home

William Jordan Flake walked out of Yuma Prison a free man on June 11, 1885, after serving his full six-month sentence. The people of Snowflake greeted him with a band playing “Dixie” to celebrate.

Flake went right back to both his wives and kept living with them openly despite his conviction. He jumped back into his role as a community leader and later became one of Arizona’s first state senators.

The Government Squeezed the Mormon Church to Breaking Point

By 1890, the U. S. Supreme Court let the government take LDS Church property under the Edmunds-Tucker Act.

Federal officials threatened to grab all church assets including sacred temples, pushing the church toward financial collapse.

Church President Wilford Woodruff received what he described as a revelation showing the terrible consequences if polygamy continued.

The choice became clear: give up plural marriage or lose temples, religious ordinances, and watch church leaders go to prison one by one.

The Church President Finally Said “No More Plural Marriages”

Church President Wilford Woodruff issued the Manifesto on September 25, 1890, officially ending new plural marriages in the Mormon church.

Church members voted to accept the Manifesto as “authoritative and binding” at General Conference on October 6, 1890.

This action closed a unique chapter in American history where religious belief clashed with federal law at places like Yuma Territorial Prison.

Utah finally became a state in 1896 after proving it would follow anti-polygamy laws, ending the federal government’s war on Mormon polygamy.

Visiting Yuma Territorial Prison

Yuma Territorial Prison at 220 N. Prison Hill Road offers self-guided tours through original cellblocks, the guard tower, and dark cell for $10 adults ($9 seniors, $5 youth 7-13, free for kids 6 and under).

The 3,600 square foot museum features exhibits on prison history including the Mormon polygamy cases. You’ll find interpretive panels with prisoner biographies throughout the site.

Open daily 8:30am to 4:00pm.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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