A polyamorous sect has fenced off a large chunk of land in southwestern Colorado and attempted to claim it for itself under the Homestead Act of 1862.
The Free Land Holders have fenced off about 1,400 acres of San Juan National Forest land.
The group was previously associated with the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other well-known figures, including imprisoned FLDS president Warren Jeffs, who called himself a prophet and is serving a life sentence in Texas for child sexual assault.
Free Land Holders, a branch of the main Mormon church, encourages its members to practice polygamy.
‘The Forest Service does not own the land. It’s not in your name. It is only managed by the Forest Service. I don’t think it’s mine. It is the Free Land Holders Committee that has the jurisdiction and authority,” said Free Land Holders member Patrick Pipkin. The Denver Post.
A polyamorous sect has fenced off a large chunk of land in southwestern Colorado and attempted to claim it for itself under the Homestead Act of 1862 (file photo)
The group maintains that historic treaties and deeds give it ownership of approximately 1,400 acres within the national forest. Several neighbors have gathered to raise the fence.
‘We come in peace and honor. People will see it and understand it. I know the intimidation tactics of what they choose to do. That’s not who we are.
Freeholder Committee member Patrick Pipkin, above, says he represents thousands of members who claim 1,400 acres of the San Juan National Forest as theirs.
The Homestead Act was a landmark American law that was intended to encourage westward expansion by offering free land to settlers, but it is no longer in use and the law was officially repealed in 1976 by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act. .
The Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office said the group’s actions resulted in a property dispute between Free Land Holders and the U.S. Forest Service in the Chicken Creek area.
Forest Service records show that the 1,400 acres in question have been owned by the federal government since 1927.
Last week, some angry residents cut away sections of the fence in the national forest near the town of Mancos, about 30 miles northwest of Durango.
The group says it has documents proving the land belongs to The Free Land Holders
The group has fenced off a 1,400-acre parcel of land they believe belongs to them. Forest Service records show the land in question has been owned by the federal government since 1927.
Locals were seen rolling up wire fences and pulling wooden posts out of the ground.
The construction of the fences caused particular alarm among ranchers who use federal lands to graze cattle and those who enjoy mountain biking, hiking and cross-country skiing in the area known as Chicken Creek.
They worry the group could cut off access to public lands entirely.
“They couldn’t have chosen a piece of land more beloved by the city than that area,” Brad Finch, who uses the national forest almost daily to hike, bike and ski, told the Post.
“These people clearly illegally built this fence on public land and negotiated an agreement that allows the fence to remain in place,” Finch said.
Many members of the group were born into the cult led by Warren Jeffs, pictured, and managed to escape once the leader was jailed in Texas for rape and his role in the arranged marriage of teenage cousins.
Jeffs led a polygamous sect called the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had many “wives.”
‘The people of the community do not accept that agreement. To them, the fence is a clear violation of public lands regulation and probably some kind of criminal law.’
The Sheriff’s Office says the group has not restricted public access to roads or trails and has “no plans to do so,” meaning the Chicken Creek trail system remains open to the public for hiking, biking, graze and hunt.
The group has been cooperating with the Forest Service and Sheriff Steven D. Nowlin of the Sheriff’s Office to resolve the ongoing dispute.
“Public access is not denied,” Nowlin said. ‘I’m just trying to scare away all these people who have gotten into trouble with false information.
‘I don’t want any damage to happen to public land or private land. Let them resolve it in court. Alright.’
Locals use the San Juan National Forest for hiking, biking, herding livestock, and hunting. Pictured is a file photo of a campsite in Mancos, Colorado.
Nowlin explained that many members of the group were born into the cult led by Jeffs and managed to escape once the leader was jailed in Texas for rape and his role in the arranged marriage of teenage cousins.
Both sides have agreed that no additional development will occur on the disputed property, including the construction of additional fencing, until a federal judge rules on the property.
The sheriff’s office has asked citizens not to remove any fences until a decision has been made.
‘These people are just like you and me. They are normal people. “They’re not any kind of vigilantes or anything like that,” Nowlin said.