Big Water is a faded desert settlement near the southwestern end of Lake Powell. In the narrative, it is the Utah home of Alex Joseph, one of America’s best-known polygamists, and a brief meeting point for people whose journeys are already pulling apart. Its position near Colorado City, a stronghold of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, places Joseph’s compound within a wider landscape of polygamous communities in the American West.

Setting and Community

Joseph lived in Big Water with six or seven wives and their many children. The settlement’s faded, desert character contrasts with the scale of the household and the prominence attributed to its head: Joseph was known beyond his compound as one of the country’s best-known polygamists. The account also situates Big Water near Colorado City, emphasizing the region’s concentration of fundamentalist communities without suggesting that the two settlements were the same organization.

Dan and Laurene Grant’s Arrival

Dan Lafferty and Laurene Grant reached Big Water first, after leaving John W. Bryant’s commune in Oregon. Their new marriage had lasted about a week when Grant asked Dan for a writ of divorcement. He granted it, then hitchhiked back to Utah County before Ron arrived, leaving Grant at Joseph’s home to await Ron and her two older children. The stop thus became the setting for a rapid reversal: a journey begun as a couple’s departure ended with the couple separated and Dan heading back alone.

Ron’s Visit and the Removal Revelation

Ron Lafferty arrived in the Impala with Ricky Knapp, Chip Carnes, and Grant’s older boys shortly after Dan had left. The group stayed only overnight. During that brief visit, Ron shared his removal revelation with Joseph. Carnes, who overheard their conversation, recalled that the two men discussed Ron returning to Utah, collecting his guns, and going on a shooting spree. Joseph tried to talk him out of it. Big Water therefore marks a consequential encounter in the journey: Ron disclosed his violent intentions to another polygamist leader, but the attempt to dissuade him did not end the plans that would soon bring the travelers back to Utah County.