Pinesdale, Montana — A quiet, isolated town nestled in the Bitterroot Valley, Pinesdale has been home to a tight-knit community of Mormon fundamentalists for over 60 years. Founded by a splinter group of the Apostolic United Brethren (AUB), a Utah-based Mormon sect, Pinesdale was intended as a haven where members could practice polygamy and live communally, free from the oversight of the mainstream Mormon church and Montana laws.
Over the decades, the residents built their homes, school, church, and community center — all on land owned by the AUB. The expectation was that their tithes and labor would benefit both their spiritual lives and the community’s well-being. However, as time passed, tensions began to rise, culminating in a legal battle over land ownership that could have far-reaching implications for the residents and the future of the community.
At the heart of the dispute is a question of property rights. AUB owns the land under which many of the homes are built, but some residents argue that the “Law of Consecration,” a Mormon doctrine originating in the 1830s, entitles them to eventual ownership of the land on which they have lived for decades. Under this doctrine, communal sharing of resources is encouraged, and, according to some, land should eventually be transferred to individual ownership.
For years, the arrangement worked: residents paid taxes on their homes while AUB covered the taxes on the land. But after allegations of child molestation surfaced against AUB leader Lynn Thompson in 2014, some residents began to question their relationship with the group. As a result, a growing number of Pinesdale residents have sought to separate themselves from AUB, with many asserting that they deserve to own the land beneath their homes.
“We want to help each other, work together, but we also want to own our homes and our land,” said Peggy Lynch, one of the plaintiffs in the case and a resident of Pinesdale since 1972. Lynch and other community members argue that ownership of their land is not just a financial matter but a matter of personal freedom and dignity.
In the 1980s, much of the land in Pinesdale was transferred to the control of Unified Industries (UI), a for-profit entity associated with AUB. The town adopted a unique “town meeting” form of government, where residents vote on local affairs. Today, Pinesdale is primarily residential, with a single store, a school, a church, and a few private businesses. But despite the residents’ labor in creating the town’s infrastructure, they argue that ownership of the land is rightfully theirs.
The legal battle gained momentum after the molestation allegations against Thompson surfaced. As the community became more distrustful of AUB, many began to feel they had been exploited. “They just realized that they were bamboozled and swindled,” said Joan Mell, the attorney representing the plaintiffs. “And then they started looking at the money and realizing how much AUB gains — millions of dollars.”
In 2017, AUB proposed allowing residents to purchase their lots for $18,000, a price the plaintiffs argue is too low given the current value of the land. The AUB’s decision to stall the subdivision process, however, has fueled further resentment. Residents like Lynch believe that the organization is unwilling to part with the land, possibly because it stands to make far more than the initial asking price.
“Their intentions are clear,” Lynch said. “They don’t want to give us our land anymore.”
AUB, which has grown in notoriety due to its connection to the reality TV show “Sister Wives,” maintains that the residents do not have any legal claim to the land. In legal filings, AUB’s attorneys argue that the tithes paid by residents were never intended to translate into land ownership. Furthermore, they contend that the land is worth far more than what the residents have tithed over the years.
“The Defendants cannot claim that the circumstances of tithing now give them the right to take the gift of tithing money back in the form of real property,” AUB’s attorneys wrote in court documents. They further assert that the money tithed by the residents cannot be directly linked to the ownership of the land.
Meanwhile, residents like Stephen Stoker are adamant about the importance of land ownership. “The quickest way to grow wealth in America is to own land,” Stoker said. “Your house is how you’re going to get wealth. I’d love to have the ability to have a line of credit so if I wanted to go and buy a piece of dirt somewhere else, I could do that.”
For many, the inability to own the land has kept them financially stagnant, unable to invest in their future. One anonymous community member explained that, without ownership, they have no control over their destiny. “Just because my dad or grandpa chose to live this way and subscribe to this ideal, you know, we don’t,” the resident said, highlighting the generational impact of the legal struggle.
The lawsuit has become a defining moment for the community, with many residents stating that it represents their desire to take control of their own story and their futures. They argue that owning the land would not only allow them to build wealth but also restore a sense of autonomy that they believe was undermined by AUB’s control.
The case is currently being handled by District Judge Matthew Wald, after the two district court judges in Ravalli County recused themselves. A ruling is expected soon, though no timeline has been set.
As Pinesdale’s residents wait for the legal process to unfold, the dispute serves as a stark reminder of the complexities of communal living, religious doctrine, and property rights. It remains to b
