Bountiful, British Columbia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bountiful, British Columbia
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Unofficial Settlement
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 Bountiful, British Columbia
Location in British Columbia
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| Country |  Canada |
| Province | BC/BCE |
| Region | Kootenays |
| Regional district | Central Kootenay |
| Population
(2007)
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| • Total | 1,000 estimated |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (MST) |
| Area code(s) | 250, 778 |
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Bountiful is a settlement in the Creston Valley of southeastern British Columbia, Canada, near Cranbrook and Creston. The closest community is Lister, British Columbia.
Bountiful is made up of members of two polygamist Mormon fundamentalist groups. The settlement is named after Bountiful in the Book of Mormon.
History
The first member of the group that bought property near Lister was Harold (aka) Michael Blackmore, who moved there with his family in 1946. Other members of the church who believed in the principles of plural marriages soon followed. After Winston Blackmore became the bishop in the 1980s, the group took the name of Bountiful.
In 1998 the estimated population was 600 and has since grown to about 1,000. Most of the residents are descended from only half a dozen men.
The Mormon fundamentalists in Bountiful have divided into two groups: about half are members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church), and the other half are members of the Church of Jesus Christ (Original Doctrine) Inc., an FLDS-offshoot based on the teachings of Winston Blackmore, who split with the FLDS Church after concluding the president of the church, Warren Jeffs, had exceeded his authority and become too dictatorial. The current FLDS bishop is James Oler.
Alleged relations to YFZ Ranch
A Canadian girl was taken under custody during the YFZ Ranch raid in Texas in 2008. Two Canadians from Bountiful travelled to Texas shortly after their daughter was removed in the raid of 2008. They told authorities that their 17-year-old daughter was visiting her grandmother, and wanted to take her home. An observer who has compiled genealogical maps of the families said that the daughter's father helped build the YFZ compound in Texas, but her grandmother does not live there, raising questions about why the girl was in the Texas compound.
