YFZ Ranch

The YFZ Ranch, or Yearning for Zion Ranch, was a 1700acre Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) community that at one time housed as many as 700 people and was located just outside Eldorado in Schleicher County, Texas, United States. As of April 2014, the State of Texas took physical and legal possession of the property. Under Texas law, authorities can seize property that was used to commit or facilitate certain criminal conduct.Basic informationThe YFZ Ranch was about 45mi southwest of San Angelo and 4mi northeast of Eldorado. The Ranch was settled by members of the FLDS Church who left Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona under increasing scrutiny from the media, anti-polygamy activists and law enforcement officials.Creation of propertySpeaking in Sunday church services on August 10, 2003, Warren Jeffs declared that the blessings of the priesthood had been removed from the community of Short Creek (Colorado City and Hildale). Following the sermon, Jeffs suspended all further religious meetings but continued to allow his followers to pay their tithes and offerings to him. He then turned his focus to what he called "lands of refuge": secret communities that he had started to build up. Jeffs referred to Yearning for Zion Ranch, one of the lands of refuge, by the code name R17.