One husband, two wives, 13 children: At home with the Mormon families of Rockland Ranch whose houses are blasted from a cliff



They are Mormon fundamentalists practicing polygamy and Enoch Foster has two wives and 13 children

Formally known as Rockland Ranch, it’s a community of approximately 100 people in about 15 polygamist and monogamist families living near the southern tip of Canyonlands National Park




Near the southern tip of Canyonlands National Park in one of the most beautiful settings in the world, a rather large family dwell.



Their inflated size is due to the fact they are Mormon fundamentalists practicing polygamy and man of the house, Enoch Foster has two wives and 13 children.



Their unusual home is blasted from a rock wall at the Rockland Ranch community outside Moab, Utah.



Giving thanks: Enoch Foster, a fundamentalist Mormon practicing polygamy, prays before a meal with his first wife Catrina Foster, second from left, and several of his 13 children

A place to call home: Enoch Foster, a fundamentalist Mormon practicing polygamy, along with his first wife Catrina Foster and several of his 13 children enter the Charity House at the Rockland Ranch community outside Moab, Utah

Formally known as Rockland Ranch, it’s a community of approximately 100 people in about 15 polygamist and monogamist families living near the southern tip of Canyonlands National Park.

The community was founded about 35 years ago on the south face of a sandstone rock face that reaches 400 feet tall in places.

Polygamy was a part of the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was brought to Utah by faithful Mormons in the late 1840s.



Family affair: Enoch Foster prepares dinner with his first wife Catrina Foster and their daughter Evangelina, 1, the youngest of several of his 13 children from his two wives

Devoted: A bible quote hangs on the wall in the home as Evangelina aged one and Enoch Foster's youngest child tucks into dinner at the rock face house

Double the fun: Enoch Foster, with six of 13 children. The mainstream Mormon church abandoned the practice in 1890, but an estimated 37,000 Mormon fundamentalists continue the practice today and believe plural marriage brings exaltation in heaven



The mainstream Mormon church abandoned the practice in 1890, but an estimated 37,000 Mormon fundamentalists continue the practice today and believe plural marriage brings exaltation in heaven. The homes, many measuring more than 5,000 square feet, are blasted out of the sandstone with explosives and then filled with the fixtures of modern living, including electricity, internet, running water and more.

The community rely on one another to participate and provide labor to maintain the community.

Absent the reminders of the rock it was blasted from, once inside a home it would be easy to forget you are in a cave, according to the photographer. Fun in the mountains: Girls play on a trampoline outside the unusual Utah home

Working the land: Suzanne Morrison sorts potatoes from the community garden with her daughter Eve, 2, at the Rockland Ranch community

The photographer who took these snaps of every day life had to pass a test of judgement before his was let inside the close-knit community. 'Members of the community had to have a vote to decide if we were going to be allowed back in to work. After several weeks of waiting we got word – we were in,' said Jim Urquhart.

'Once I started photographing I kept thinking to myself that I must absolutely do this fairly and do a good job.

'This was a rare look on the inside and I owed it to those that consumed our work and to those I was covering to portray them just how they are.'

Feeding the family: Bradee Barlow, a fundamentalist Mormon practicing polygamy, holds her newborn daughter Lucy while she shops at the store room at the Rockland Ranch community Taking a stroll: Enoch Foster and Catrina Foster walk along with their children on the land outside their home

Same religion, different set up: Cary Knecht, a fundamentalist Mormon who is monogamous, (left), harvests potatoes with Enoch Foster, a fundamentalist Mormon practicing polygamy

Farming: Suzanne Morrison, a fundamentalist Mormon practicing polygamy, left)) harvests beets with her daughter Sophia Morrison, 8, and Melinda Gilbert, a fundamentalist Mormon who is monogamous

History: The 'Rock' as it is referred to by the approximately 100 people living there in about 15 families, was founded about 35 years ago on a sandstone formation near Canyonlands National Park

It was an almost ideal setting to raise a family. Yes, they lived in the side of rock formation, but they had all the trappings of the modern world.

The setting on the edge of wilderness provided children with a safe environment to thrive in and explore the world. I did not see one wasting the day playing on a video game console. Instead I saw children working alongside their parents in the community garden, running around chasing each other and also getting ready to embark on an afternoon of rappelling. He said he noticed a real sense of community spriit as 'eighbors knew each other and watched out for each other.' He said while the inhabitants still can go out and into town and enjoy a drink with dinner, alcohol and drugs were not in the community.

Mother's love: Anna Knecht tends to her newborn daughter Evahny Knecht

Following father: Abel Morrison tends to a community garden with several of his children at the Rockland Ranch community

Mormon community: Polygamy was a part of the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was brought to Utah by faithful Mormons in the late 1840s



