Polygamous town on Utah-Arizona border gets its first public library

HILDALE, Utah — The recent opening of a new public library in a mostly polygamous town on the Utah-Arizona border marks the latest sign that the community is slowly embracing government efforts to pull the town into modern society.

The Spectrum newspaper in St. George reports that the new library in Hildale, Utah was officially opened on Nov. 18.

The library was opened about five years after thousands of dollars of books were removed from a schoolhouse in the community, leaving people without books for a library.

Utah’s Washington County built the new library. Members of the sect, led by imprisoned leader Warren Jeffs, mingled with county officials and other residents at the opening ceremony.

Hildale Mayor Philip Barlow thanked everyone who worked on the project and paid tribute to the community’s pioneers who settled the remote town.