Altruria, California
Altruria was a short-lived utopian commune in Sonoma County, California, based on Christian socialist principles and inspired by William Dean Howells's 1894 novel, A Traveler from Altruria.[1]
History
Founded by the
The Altrurian, the group's Berkeley-based newspaper, was first published in October 1894.[5] The Altrurian sought to promote the community's ideals and the formation of Altrurian societies. As reported by the Altrurian in fall of 1894, the Altrurians had secured property with several small houses and a grist mill in the hills near Santa Rosa.[6] The first colonists arrived in October 1894.[citation needed] After settlement, the community started a hotel on the property.[7] Poor management and funding challenges posed by the hotel project caused the group to implement a reorganization plan to avoid bankruptcy only one year after the group was founded. At the same time, the group founded two new locations. The financial problems however proved insurmountable; all the locations were abandoned in 1896.
The Altrurians kept orchards and gardens and sold their produce in a shop in San Francisco, whose manager was Job Harriman.[citation needed]
See also
- Altruism
- Llano del Rio, founded in 1914 by Job Harriman
References
Footnotes
- ^ Greenwalt 1955, p. 20; Widdicombe, Morris & Kross 2017, pp. 36, 448.
- ^ Ferrier, William Warren (1933). Berkeley, California: The Story of the Evolution of a Hamlet into a City of Culture and Commerce. pp. 134 and 201-202.
- ^ O'Connor 2000, p. 96.
- ^ O'Connor 2000, pp. 126–127.
- ^ Hine 1983, p. 190.
- ^ O'Connor 2000, p. 131.
- ^ Hine 1983, p. 107.
Bibliography
- Greenwalt, Emmett A. (1955). The Point Loma Community in California, 1897–1942: A Theosophical Experiment. Berkeley, California: University of California Press.
- Hine, Robert V. (1983) [1953]. California's Utopian Colonies. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-04885-0.
- O'Connor, Peter Shaun (2000). On the Road to Utopia: The Social History and Spirituality of Altruria, an Intentional Religious Community in Sonoma County, California, 1894–1896 (PhD thesis). Graduate Theological Union.
- Widdicombe, Toby; Morris, James M.; Kross, Andrea L. (2017). Historical Dictionary of Utopianism (2nd ed.). Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-5381-0217-6.
Further reading
- Bjerklie, Steve (2001). "Sowing the Seeds of Eden: Utopias, Communes, and the Search for a Better Way in Sonoma County". Archived from the original on July 30, 2004. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
- ISBN 978-0-9615010-1-3.
- ISBN 978-1-57392-222-7.
- Rauschenbusch, Walter (1907). Christianity and the Social Crisis. New York: Macmillan Company. Retrieved January 16, 2020.