Though no longer fully subscribing to the faith tenets of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Mr. Lowder remains a proud fourth-generation Utah Mormon whose maternal grandmother was the youngest of handcart pioneer John Watkins’s thirty-two children (from three wives). At the feet of his Granny Lily, Jeffrey heard firsthand tales of life in a polygamous household. 

Growing up a Utah Mormon, he was also steeped in stories of the Brigham Young-led migration and colonization of the mountain west. He knows the area where most of this story takes place. Jeffrey's lifelong love affair with southern Utah has included cumulative months hiking and mountain biking between historical sites in the sagebrush desert and red rock country.