Inside The Caves Of A Utah Polygamist Community

[accadacca]

Video: http://www.kutv.com/mediacenter/loca...?videoId=66017
Google search: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...&oq=utah+caves

Somehow I wound up searching this term, "utah caves polygamist." Maybe this has been discussed before and I missed it, I don't know. Rather strange to find out that polygamists are cavers. Cyber slap me if this is a double post.

[offpiste]

lets go start our own cave city, polygamy not needed one wife is enough for me!
I want to go blow things up..........teehehehehe

[CarpeyBiggs]

wow. that's actually pretty cool. not your typical polygamists, it seems.

[Brewhaha]

We visited the ranch a few years ago and they were very nice. At the time they were offering their homes as a bed and breakfast to visitors. Since then they have expanded a great deal. The ranch is pretty close to Looking Glass Arch if anyone is interested.

[DiscGo]

These people seem really nice, but I don't really like the idea of living in a polygamyst community. That being said, I'm sure I'll draw some fire or be thought strange when I saw that something about this really appeals to me. I love the idea of living in Mountains like this with friends and family. They really seem to do a great job.

[Jaxx]

they are living my dream minus the multiple wives and neighbors.

[Bo_Beck]

Seems as though we all could learn. Self suffiency. Good on 'em'.

[BruteForce]

..and what would provoke you to Google those combined words?

[1Aussie]

The cave dwellings can be very nice with all mod cons but as far as the polygamy well it really pisses me off that a tv reporter can do a segment on it more or less portraying it as a happy little community that isn't hurting anyone at all. Bob Foster started the one in Moab & he left a family of 10 children to do so.Through the years they have sufferred from not having a father figure & guidance -let alone financial support. He then went on to have a total of 35 children, none of which he could support. He never paid taxes & now that he has passed away he has left a bunch of kids & grandkids & 3 wives behind. Personally I am glad he is gone & can't talk anymore young fathers into leaving their family's to follow his rediculas beliefs.The last one had six children. ( have a lot to say don't I?lol) sorry, kind of hits a nerve with me

[Don]

The cave dwellings can be very nice with all mod cons but as far as the polygamy well it really pisses me off that a tv reporter can do a segment on it more or less portraying it as a happy little community that isn't hurting anyone at all. Bob Foster started the one in Moab & he left a family of 10 children to do so.Through the years they have sufferred from not having a father figure & guidance -let alone financial support. He then went on to have a total of 35 children, none of which he could support. He never paid taxes & now that he has passed away he has left a bunch of kids & grandkids & 3 wives behind. Personally I am glad he is gone & can't talk anymore young fathers into leaving their family's to follow his rediculas beliefs.The last one had six children. ( have a lot to say don't I?lol) sorry, kind of hits a nerve with me

While I agree that this Foster guy sounds like a douche-bag It sounds alot like prejudice to me when you lump a group of people who appear to be happily and harmlessly living a different lifestyle (in a cave) with this douche-bag.

[1Aussie]

Yes Don,I understand what you are saying & I do sound that way I know. I am not just trying to dig at the familys & yes they are ' NICE' people, but the fact is that living the lifestyle & following in the footsteps of Bob Foster is promoting his lifestyle which I beleive is just encouragment for future problems. It is like a huge ball that gets bigger. Children suffer because these poligamist fathers are spread too thin between familys. I know I have a lot to say on the matter but trust me I know what I am talking about & 'NICE' just doesn't cut it Usually I don't get caught up in debates or arguments,I am just not that way, but this is a subject I feel very strongly about.

[bbennett]

wow. that's actually pretty cool. not your typical polygamists, it seems.

Couldn't agree more. That was the best looking polyg chic I've ever seen (video in link). Oh, and the caves are pretty cool too.

[Jaxx]

Aussie, sounds like you have some more juicyness that you aren't spilling. Let's hear it

On a more serious note. I do think that the kids and wives miss out on alot of dad/husband time because of the number of people one person has to split up. The wives choose the lifestyle, so I don't feel as bad for them. Its the children that I feel bad for.
But it's not just polygamy. I worry about families that have 12 kids and the kids getting the attention they deserve. My wife and I were just talking this morning about having another child. We already have 4 and I was expressing my concern about spreading our time as parents to one more child.
I have seen families that the parents had 9 kids and they were fairly well spread out and the parents did a great job giving the kids alot of attention. So not impossible I guess.

I do envy their tax evasive, self sufficient, outdoors living ways though.

Wow I was just going to make a little remark and it turned into this, sorry.

One more thing. What happens when the dig houses all around that rock? I sit possible for it to tip over? That would suck to have your house tip over.

tl;dr kids need attention

[CarpeyBiggs]

Was Joseph Smith an adequate father? What about Brigham Young? Just wonder if they are considered inadequate as well.

[1Aussie]

lol, yeah well- there are lots of things I could tell ya' but we don't have a big enough forum. In regard to the rock out there, it is huge & all the homes are in the rock not around it apart from a barn for the hay storage.Yes I totally agree that it is the kids that suffer & the wives went along with it so they are quiet happy. I am really just talking about BF the main man, he had 3 wives, one in CO, one in SLC who is a doctor & the other is still out at the rock. He did a lot of travelling & rarely spent enough time with any of them to make a difference to the kids lives. The first family had & still has a lot of emotional turmoil, although they all are getting on fine in there adult lives of course untill the question of "why did he do it" surfaces once in a while.It is a sad situation to see such lovely people in such hurt & anguish over what he did to them & their Mother when he left to take 3 wives.
I have one thing to say about BF, He won't be needing a coat where he went.

[Jaxx]

Was Joseph Smith an adequate father? What about Brigham Young? Just wonder if they are considered inadequate as well.

Oh I see what you did there...
Lots of kids + 1 dad is hard to spend alot of time with each kid. Can it be done? Sure. Are those people or all polygamists bad dads? Not what I was going for, nor do I believe they are.

Does that answer your troll?

[Jaxx]

lol, yeah well- there are lots of things I could tell ya' but we don't have a big enough forum. In regard to the rock out there, it is huge & all the homes are in the rock not around it apart from a barn for the hay storage.Yes I totally agree that it is the kids that suffer & the wives went along with it so they are quiet happy. I am really just talking about BF the main man, he had 3 wives, one in CO, one in SLC who is a doctor & the other is still out at the rock. He did a lot of travelling & rarely spent enough time with any of them to make a difference to the kids lives. The first family had & still has a lot of emotional turmoil, although they all are getting on fine in there adult lives of course untill the question of "why did he do it" surfaces once in a while.It is a sad situation to see such lovely people in such hurt & anguish over what he did to them & their Mother when he left to take 3 wives.
I have one thing to say about BF, He won't be needing a coat where he went.

Sounds like you know the family personally. Sad deal for everyone. Thanks for your response.

[1Aussie]

Don't get me wrong.People who plan for a bunch of kids are generally very good parents, they are there for their children 24/7. But they are not running around the countryside away for weeks with 3 familys scattered everywhere, while they continue to talk young men into leaving their own familys in persuit of a better life in the eyes of a polygamist with rediculas beliefs.

[1Aussie]

lol, yeah well- there are lots of things I could tell ya' but we don't have a big enough forum. In regard to the rock out there, it is huge & all the homes are in the rock not around it apart from a barn for the hay storage.Yes I totally agree that it is the kids that suffer & the wives went along with it so they are quiet happy. I am really just talking about BF the main man, he had 3 wives, one in CO, one in SLC who is a doctor & the other is still out at the rock. He did a lot of travelling & rarely spent enough time with any of them to make a difference to the kids lives. The first family had & still has a lot of emotional turmoil, although they all are getting on fine in there adult lives of course untill the question of "why did he do it" surfaces once in a while.It is a sad situation to see such lovely people in such hurt & anguish over what he did to them & their Mother when he left to take 3 wives.
I have one thing to say about BF, He won't be needing a coat where he went.

Sounds like you know the family personally. Sad deal for everyone. Thanks for your response.

No problem, I am very glad to be able to shed some light on this otherwise shhh.... subject

[Rock]

I am not Mormon or a follower, but had opportunity to spend 5days at this community this summer. The kids of this "clan" came from all over the state, and during their study camp that I was allowed to sit in on, and participate, I found the 7-14 year old incredibly educated, open minded, articulate and well spoken. The hundreds of Utah mispronunciations of common words were conspicuously absent.
"Everything" I had "known" about Polygamist communities was "out the window"
I was given freedom to explore the community alone, multiple times, spent time visiting and chatting with the wives of my host, and one afternoon had opportunity to have a few hours with the younger children (1-7 years old) of my host.
At every moment I was treated with utmost respect and courtesy, and the 45 young men at the camp all greeted me ever time they passed me by name and with a big genuine smile...
The instructions of how the young boys and young men were raised on how to treat women was overwhelmingly "politically correct". (Though no discussion on polygamy was given at these seminars).
This group has no resemblance to Warren Jeff's sick cult...