![]() One of the founders of the commune, interviewed by the University of Kansas' 60s Commune Project and quoted in Miller: ![]() There was a tension between those with a radical-even paramilitary-persuasion who wanted to pursue weapons training and possibly harbor radical political fugitives and the many pacifists. Members of the commune were key organizers of Ent Forestry, a co-operative which took tree planting and forest rehabilitation contracts with the US Forest Service and Redwoods National Park, and provided income to the commune for several years.ĭespite their remoteness, the community managed to keep in contact with a variety of radical groups including the Hells Angels and Black Power groups. To raise money to pay for food and supplies, they found work fighting fires in the nearby forests. The community homeschooled their children, and maintained tools like chainsaws and cars without a need for mechanics. The residents managed to gather large quantities of food and medical supplies to see them through the winter and were able to treat a variety of illnesses and medical problems onsite, delivering babies and performing veterinary care. Īlthough they struggled at first due to a lack of planning, the community at Black Bear Ranch learned to live self-sufficiently, as the ranch was often snowed in for extended periods during the winter months, and was many hours' drive from the nearest city. The money from the entertainment industry was obtained through what Stephen Holden in The New York Times describes as "emotional blackmail", quoting Michael Tierra: Early life Īccording to the historian Timothy Miller, the community bought the property for $22,500 using money from a variety of sources including from supporters in the entertainment industry, as well as "one large unexpected angelic gift" and the "proceeds from a major LSD deal". It is located in a steep pocket valley in the Siskiyou Mountains. At the Summer Solstice Gathering in 2013, there were over 40 residents, the highest population in decades. The commune still exists today and continues to follow the basic ideals which motivated its founding. Black Bear Ranch was the subject of the 2005 documentary Commune by Jonathan Berman. The commune's legal ownership was held by one resident, Richard Marley, until in 1987 it was transferred to the Black Bear Family Trust, which limits development of the property and established trustees to oversee various specified duties. īefore being converted into a commune, it was a ghost town that had been a gold mining settlement in the 1860s. It has been considered by some participants and commentators to be one of the more radical examples of communal living/intentional communities that grew out of the counterculture of the 1960s. ![]() It was founded in 1968, with the watchword "free land for free people". Black Bear Ranch is an 80-acre intentional community located in Siskiyou County, California, about 25 miles from Forks of Salmon.
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