1925 Polygamist Cabin

By 1925 the Navajo Bridge was nearly finished and travelers had begun bypassing Lees Ferry, leaving the ranch quiet enough for a discreet life. Jerry Johnson, son of the ferryman Warren Johnson, built this cabin as part of a small polygamist haven. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had renounced plural marriage decades earlier and the practice was illegal, so a remote canyon suited those who kept it. The commune had scattered by 1934, and the cabin passed into a dude ranch.

What the plaque says

Jerry Johnson, son of former ferryman Warren Johnson and wife Samantha, built this cabin as part of a polygamist haven. With the completion of Navajo Bridge in 1929, travelers bypassed Lees Ferry and the ranch grew quiet. Johnson and his family decided it would be a perfect place to live and discreetly practice their religion, which included plural marriages. At that time, polygamy was illegal and no longer accepted by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. By 1934 the commune had relocated and new owners incorporated the cabin into their dude ranch.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Antelope Canyon — 12 mi
  Tsé bighánílíní — where the water runs through the rock

More markers nearby

• 1872 Founding Family — steps away
• Lonely Dell Ranch — steps away
• Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness — steps away
• Historic District River Trail — 0.6 mi