The 'lost boys"

Hundreds of boys have been kicked out of Colorado City/Hilldale in the last six years. 

"We have watched many documentaries about the FLDS. However, none of them so far seem to address a fundamental demographical problem within the denomination:

1) Boys and girls are born into the FLDS at approximately equal rates.
2) Males in the FLDS are expected to have many wives.

In order to maintain polygyny as the normal family structure, the FLDS must have many women available for each man. This can only be accomplished by getting rid of most males. This is typically done wrenching male youths from their family origin with a few minutes warning, driving them to another city, and dumping them there without any means of emotional or financial support. They are often referred to as the "lost boys." In essence, the Church creates thousands of orphans as a matter of policy." Source

The current treatment of "lost boys" is a huge waste of human potential.  But what if a branch of the FLDS learned instead to utilize the surplus males for the benefit of the group?

A new mystery novel, Prey for Zion, is based on just that concept.  A successful FLDS entrepreneur, Jesse Cage, gave the "lost boys" love and attention.  Combined with religion and desert isolation, this created in the "lost boys" a fierce loyalty to Jesse Cage.  He then placed them around the country, where they assumed positions of power as judges, officials, and officers in the military.  Now influential men beholden to Cage, they are ready to help Cage when he makes his move--to seize power.

Prey for Zion helps explain the history behind Mormon polygamy and Mitt Romney's ancestors as polygamists in Mexico.

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See many more articles here, when you put in search term "lost boys."
The 19th Wife, a novel about a polygamist culture, realistically portrays the life of a "lost boy."

Field guide to polygamists in Colorado City

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To find polygamists in number, you have to go to their habitat. The first thing you wonder is, "Where are all the men?" The next thing you wonder is, "Where is anybody?" Big houses with lot's of cars parked outside, but nobody's outside.

Colorado City is only about 11 miles from the Springdale entrance to Zion National Park, as the raven flies.

The typical polygamist house in Colorado City looks like a shabby hotel, surrounded by a wall.

Prairie dress and hairstyle sets fundamentalist Mormon women apart, so it's hard for them to mix with outsiders. Polygamist men tend to look more mainstream.

A detailed and well-written source: "Colorado City Polygamists: An Inside Look for the Outsider," by Benjamin G. Bistline. The cover photo alone is worth the purchase. 2004

See the wonderful photos showing the daily life of women and children at Yearning for Zion Ranch in Texas.
The Oprah Winfrey Show offers a rare look at the lifestyle behyond the stereotypes.

Here's and account by David Ebershoff of his visit to Colorado City--similar to mine, except I wasn't tailed.

"A House, Ten Wives: Polygamy in Suburbia"