Kaweah Colony
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The Kaweah Colony was a utopian Socialist community in central California founded in 1886. Located in the Sierra Nevada range, they lived near groves of giant sequoia trees. The colony officially disbanded in 1892. The establishment of Sequoia National Park in 1890 contributed to the colony's demise. Some of their descendants still reside in the area.
Inspired by the writings of Laurence Gronlund, colony leaders attempted to apply the ideals of scientific socialism. The writings of United States socialist Edward Bellamy also influenced the project. This colony based its economy on logging. Membership cost $500 with $100 payable upon application and the remainder in installments of cash or labor. Estimated nationwide membership peaked at 300-500 individuals, many of whom were non-resident supporters. The colony published the local area's first newspaper.
Kaweah Colony is notable for its exploration of giant sequoia groves. It began the local tradition of naming notable trees and correctly identified the world's largest tree. The United States Park Service changed that tree's name to the General Sherman tree. Kaweah Colonists had called it the Karl Marx tree.
The colony ran into legal problems when they attempted to continue operations after the creation of the national park. A Los Angeles court convicted them of illegal logging. For more than four decades some colonists attempted to gain government compensation for the loss of their logging claims.
[edit] References
Jay O'Connell, Co-Operative Dreams: A History of The Kaweah Colony. ISBN 0-9673370-0-3
[edit] External links
- Kaweah Commonwealth Online
- United States Park Service publication about Kaweah Colony
- Kaweah country
