"In the 1880s, as a precondition to granting Utah statehood, the Unites States government enacted laws to put a stop to the Mormon practice of plural marriage. These who continued to practice this principle were forced underground as federal marshals roamed the territory searching for "polygs." In response, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints looked for safe places to send its members. Many found refuge across the border in Mexico.".

"Romney was raised in the colonies, making this firsthand account a significant contribution to LDS history. It chronicles a new kind of Mormon pioneer facing the hardships of an unfamiliar land, struggling to maintain a tenuous relationship with the government, and finding the necessary fortitude to hold fast to one's beliefs in the face of difficulty and trial. Unavailable since its original publication in 1938, this important document of a little-known chapter in Mormon history is now reprinted with an introduction by Martha Sonntag Bradley."--BOOK JACKET.