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Not Far From Los Angeles

out on the Pearblossom Highway about 20 miles east of Palmdale, one can find the ruins of a utopian community.

Llano del Rio

It is located in the Antelope Valley within the county of Los Angeles, California, USA, etc.

Founded on May 1, 1914 as an utopian socialist community, Llano del Rio Colony lasted only a few scant years in this location due to the disruption of water caused by a shift in an earthquake fault. The colony moved to Stables, Louisiana (renamed New Llano) were it lasted until 1939. Prior to abandoning the site in 1917, the colony had grown to over 1,000 inhabitants by 1916.

additionally:

• Members of the community owned stock in the company which chiefly produced fruits and vegetables.
• Among it’s founders was Los Angeles mayorial candidate and lawyer Job Harriman.
• It had one of the country’s first Montessori schools
• Its social services included low-cost housing, Social Security, minimum-wage pay (everyone was paid 4 dollars a day), and universal health care

it also went bankrupt due to infighting and financial woes.

Other Items:

• The artist David Hockney created a work called Pearblossom, Hwy., 11-18th April, 1986 in the area.
• Writer Aldous Huxley lived in Llano from 1940 until his death and it is where he wrote the utopian novel Island. Huxley died the same day as C.S. Lewis which was also the same day that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

Sarah traversing the ruins.