Pogo Press

Engaging story of a vanished Minnesota community with roots in early Mormonism. Ms. Young tells the tale with consumate skill and deep respect for the small band who struggled the last half of the nineteenth century to establish and maintain stable communal life against the tides of social change. Steeped in Cutlerite traditions and lore, she weaves tale that will mesmerize any reader interested in American religions and the history of Minnesota, southern Iowa, and western Illinois.

This account of the rise and demise of the Cutlerites is notable for its sensitive analysis of feelings and motivations, its engrossing description of suffering for the sake of a flawed prophet and his prophecies, and for a new and persuasive interpretation of the role of Native Americans in that story -- Mario S. De Pillis, professor emeritus, University of Massachusetts, and past president of the Mormon History Association.