The 1912 Exodus of Mormon Colonists From Mexico

The Mormons stayed aloof from Mexican politics and only a few became Mexican citizens. This refusal to assimilate into Mexican society created suspicion and hostility among the revolutionaries toward the Mormon colonists.  With the overthrow of Diaz, the Mormons lost their powerful protector.

Warring factions of the Mexican Revolution threatened the safety of the colonists. Several Mormons were murdered in the early months of the revolution and few of the suspected murders were arrested.  Ragtag armies bullied their way into shops and ranches demanding food, firearms, supplies, and horses (Young, 1968). 

The colonists maintained their neutrality, which did not win them friends on either side. Peaceful negotiations proved unsuccessful. When Salazar, a leading revolutionary general, demanded that the Mormons surrender all their guns to his army, the Mormons knew they would be defenseless.  They hurriedly made preparations to move their families out of the country.

At 7:30 a.m. on July 29, 1912, the Colonia Diaz colonists were informed that they would need to leave in three hours.  By 10:30 a.m., 800 colonists were ready to board trains bound for El Paso.  The trains contained mostly women and children.  Many of the men rode north hoping to avoid militia in an effort to drive their remaining livestock across the border. As many as 1,500 colonists found themselves homeless in El Paso during the summer of 1912 (Young, 1968).     

The Sonora colonists left their homes on August 30, 1912 in 60 wagons carrying 450 people. They headed for Douglas, Arizona. It was a miserable journey through mud and driving rains. 

Once villages were abandoned, Mexican troops ransacked and burned homes and property. Livestock was slaughtered and left to rot in the street.  Furniture was set ablaze within comfortable, clean homes.  Machinery was smashed to bits.  For a revolution ignited by poverty, such wanton acts of destruction revealed an alarming rage. The Sonora colonies were utterly destroyed never to be resettled (Romney, 1938).

After 25 years of careful cultivation, the crops and orchards were particularly bountiful that season and the colonists were forced to leave just before harvest.  George Sevey wrote in his memoirs of the day the women and children left, “Our gaze is now turned toward the north, there like field after field of corn, oats, and potatoes, clothed in that deep rich verdure which promises abundant harvest of mature products.” (Landon, 2004, p. 80).

Not all the colonists living in the Chihuahua colonies left.  Many living in the rural settlements stayed for a few more months, some for as long as two years after the others had left.   By 1914, things had gotten so dangerous, that virtually all the Mormons left.  Not until 1920 did the Mormon Church encourage colonists to return.  Nearly one fifth did.  Their descendants (including the extended family of Governor Mitt Romney) occupy those areas to this day.

Much has been written about the Mexican colonies and the exodus of the settlers. That terrible summer of 1912 cannot be adequately understood outside of the context of polygamy, social upheaval, and cultural isolation. The exodus of the colonists was achieved in a short time and in several waves.  Some left by train, others by wagon or on horseback.  Many of the men rode the back trails driving cattle, careful to avoid the marauding Mexican revolutionary soldiers. Many were robbed, some were beaten, and a few were killed (Young, 1968).

Primary sources give the detailed firsthand accounts and convey a sense of fear and loss.  Secondary sources provide a larger perceptive. Many colonists believed that they would return within a month. Others were doubtful of ever seeing their homes again.

          As colonist, William Morley Black, wrote in his 1915 autobiography, “We went to Mexico for a common cause, and for 25 years we had toiled together and had become endeared to each other by the sacrifice we made, and as a finishing touch to our experiences we had drunk together from the bitter cup of expulsion from our homes.”

References

Hardy, B. C. (1963). The Mormon colonies of northern Mexico: A history, 1885-1912. (Doctorial dissertation, Wayne State University). Retrieved from ProQuest Disserations and Theses database. (DAI-A 28/11, 4571.)  

Landon, M. N. (2004). We navigated by pure understanding: Bishop George T. Sevey’s account of the 1912 exodus from Mexico.BYU Studies, 43(2), 63-101.

Romney, T. C. (2005). The mormon colonies in Mexico. Salt Lake City, UT: University of Utah Press.

VanWagoner, R. S. (1989). Mormon Polygamy: A History. Salt Lake City, UT: Signature Books.

William Morley Black 1826-1915. Retrieved from http://black.forefamilies.com/wmblack.html

 Young, K. (1968). Ordeal in Mexico: Tales of danger and hardship collected from mormon colonists. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book Company.