The Reawakening of Hildell and Colorado City [Video]

HILDALE, UTAH (AZFamily) — Mayor Donia Jessop is what you might call a Western pioneer.

She’s the first woman to hold Hildale’s top office. During her seven years on the job, Jessop has overseen a truly remarkable transformation in her town and adjacent Colorado City, Arizona.

“I think the good things that are happening here speak for themselves,” Jessop said during a recent interview in Hildale’s city offices.

“The businesses that are popping up here. We have a couple of breweries in town. Here in Hildale, we have a winery; if you haven’t been there, it’s absolutely beautiful,” Jessop said.

Add to that a brand new office complex just being completed, new multi-unit apartments, vacation rentals, excellent public schools, and a large shopping center—it’s a long way from where the community was not too long ago—when the two border towns were best known for the cult-control of polygamous prophet Warren Jeffs and his …