Letters NORTH AMERICA’S FIRST
Preserving History in the Face of Disasters
Paul Dale Roberts Elk Grove, California
West Coast Utopia I’m a long-time member of The Archaeological Conservancy and an avid reader of every issue of American Archaeology. I’m writing to comment on “The Remnants of Utopia” article that appeared in the Spring 2009 issue. The second paragraph of the article states that there were a number of 19th-century utopian communities in the Eastern U.S., “…but the Aurora Colony was the only utopian settlement on the West Coast.” However, as documented by Robert V. Hine in California’s Utopian Colonies, for
american archaeology •
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A MAJOR HISTORIC TRAD
E ROUTE
SPRING 2009
a quarterly publi
cation of The Archa
eological Conservan
cy
Vol. 13 No. 1
COPING WITH FL OODS AND FIRE
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The making of an emergencyresponse team. $3.95
I really enjoyed your article ‘Responding to Disasters’ in the Spring 2009 issue. Not only are disasters detrimental to people, livestock, pets, homes and businesses, but we need to take a long hard look at how we preserve historical artifacts, archival material, etc., when disasters occur. It takes a lot of preparation to have an efficient disaster response team. I am familiar with this, since I have worked with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and FEMA during two disasters: the Northridge Earthquake and the Napa Floods. I am glad we are learning from such disasters as Hurricane Isabel. We must always preserve our history.
FRENCH COLONY LIFE ON THE FRONTIER
varying periods of time between 1850 and 1950, at least 17 utopian colonies existed in California. Six of these were religious colonies: the Mormon settlement in San Bernardino (1851–1855), Fountain Grove (1870s–1900), Point Loma (1890s–1940s), Temple Home (1900s– 1910+–), Pisgah Grande (19teens– 1920) and Holy City (early 1900s–1950). Another 11 were founded on secular principles: Modjeska’s Farm (1870s), Icaria Speranza (1880s), Joyful (1880s), Kaweah (1880s–1890s), Winters Island (1890s), Altruria (1890s), Little Landers (early 1900s), Fellowship Farm (19teens-1920s), Llano del Rio (early 1900s), Army of Industry (early 1900s) and Tuolumne Farm (1945–1950). J. Charles Whatford Associate State Archaeologist Santa Rosa, California
Sending Letters to American Archaeology American Archaeology welcomes your letters. Write to us at 5301 Central Avenue NE, Suite 902, Albuquerque, NM 87108-1517, or send us e-mail at tacmag@nm.net. We reserve the right to edit and publish letters in the magazine’s Letters department as space permits. Please include your name, address, and telephone number with all correspondence, including e-mail messages. american archaeology
Editor’s Corner We’re all familiar with the British, Spanish, and French conquests of the Americas. But our history books give little attention to another powerful invader, Russia. In a contest of historical recognition, Vitus Bering is no match for the likes of Columbus or Captain John Smith. But as we learn in our feature “When the Russians Were Coming,” (see page 12). Bering did nothing less than cross the north Pacific in 1741 and declare Alaska a Russian territory. Thus began Russia’s colonization of America, an effort that was not nearly as successful and enduring as those of the British or Spanish, though it wasn’t lacking in ambition. Russia focused mostly on Alaska, but its reach extended to California and even Hawaii. Colonization, for the Russians, was primarily a business proposition, that business being furs. But as the other foreign powers learned, conquering the New World was no simple matter. The Russians, like the European powers, overwhelmed many of the natives they encountered with their superior technology. They were brutal at times, slaughtering the natives or forcing them into servitude. But it also served their interests to minimize their effect on the native cultures, and some of the lower class Russians adopted native ways. Due to the scarcity of Russian women, cohabitation and intermarriage were encouraged by Russian leaders. By the mid 1800s the American colonies were no longer yielding a profit, so the Russians, in true business fashion, chose to sell. As we do know from the history books, the United States bought Alaska for $7.2 million in 1867.
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