We found an abandoned socialist commune - from 100 years ago!

[robertpaulsen]

Llano Del Rio was a failed socialist utopian colony that was active from 1914 to 1918 in the California desert and it really intrigued me as to why anyone would attempt to create a living in such a desolate environment. The stone ruins of the buildings and aqueduct are all that is left of an ambitious experiment of a former ordained minister named Job Harriman.

Neek and I have driven past the ruins of this commune during a number of different road trips over the years. So we were very excited to get out of the car and explore it for the first time!

[pkdu]

1. Thanks ! Great mini documentary here too...

[robertpaulsen]

2. Nice! Excellent editing on that doc. Here's our blog entry on Llano del Rio.

That documentary did a great synopsis of the history.

These are our impressions of the place, as well as our research.

https://lexandneek.wordpress.com/2017/02/09/an-abandoned-utopia-llano-del-rio/

[Lars39]

3. I wonder how many socialist communes there were in the US.

This one is in TN...
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruskin_Colony

[Brother Buzz]

4. New Harmony, Indiana

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Harmony,_Indiana

[Lars39]

5. That's neat! Thanks

[Brother Buzz]

7. I visited New Harmony twice

The Working Men’s Institute Museum was worth the visit. Bizarre museum that was an eclectic clash between hoarding and oddities, with a lot of genuine old scientific stuff to round out the collection. If I was ever to put a museum together, it would look just like this one...genuine shrunken heads, and all!

[Lars39]

9. Oh, I love little museums like that!

Where the weird and curious collide. :-D
What was the deal with the horse and shoes?

[Brother Buzz]

10. That's Fly. She survived the Civil War, but not the taxidermist

I suspect they didn't let the taxidermist near her after he butchered stuffing the calf. I can't figure out the shoes, but you got to admit the cloven hoof shoes are pretty cool.

A good article on Fly:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0411/p18s02-hfks.html

[Lars39]

12. Glad Fly got to go back home and live a good long time.

[robertpaulsen]

15. Just wanted to say those are fantastic pictures!

Thanks for sharing, Brother Buzz!

[robertpaulsen]

8. I'm not sure if there is a comprehensive list.

I wish there was! The wikipedia entry is pretty incomplete.

[Jim Lane]

13. There's additional information in Wikpedia.

The category page for "Utopian communities" -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Utopian_communities -- has 121 entries, with more in the subcategories. It's pretty broadly defined -- I don't think of Burning Man in this context. If you want a comprehensive list, though, it's better to be overinclusive.

[robertpaulsen]

14. Thank you for that, Jim Lane!

I'll be sure to check out those subcategories. I'm definitely curious to find more places like Llano del Rio.

[onethatcares]

6. hit that area with a

metal detector. You never know what you'll find.

[robertpaulsen]

11. Awesome idea!

It really wouldn't surprise me if there were still a lot of artifacts from that time.