Welcome to Promise of Paradise, Back to the Land Oral Histories of Mendocino County. We are working to document an experiment that began roughly fifty years ago all across the country. In the 60’s and 70’s, young people began to “tune in, turn on, and drop out.” Anything was possible. College-educated hippies began to stream away from the cities and into the country, to put a modern twist on ancient homesteading skills. We’ll hear about the sense of exhilaration, the resilience, and how these now aging hippies recall their rush towards freedom and responsibility.
We’ll also hear about how the lack of boundaries led to tragedy and disillusionment; the racial insensitivity; and how the back to the land experiment altered Mendocino County.
Who were these people, why did they come, and what mark did they make on this county’s history?
Promise of Paradise is supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, California Humanities, the Arts Council of Mendocino County, the Judy Pruden Historical Preservation Fund of the Community Foundation of Mendocino County, the Mendocino Institute, StoryCenter, and Grace Hudson Museum.
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Stuart Greenbergs' parents were communists who were politically active in the 1930s. They moved often during his childhood and passed on their values of…
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This is Kate Magruder with Promise of Paradise, Back to the Land oral histories of Mendocino County. Today we’ll be hearing from John Scharffenberger of…
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This is Laura Hamburg with Kate Magruder for Promise of Paradise, Back to the Land oral histories of Mendocino County. Today we’re bringing you the story…
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Leon Springer moved to Potter Valley in 1974 to build yurts and live communally. Now a successful businessman, he remembers how he discovered what he…
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Dorothy Cong was born in Ft. Bragg in 1946. She grew up on the Sandkulla ranch near Elk. Her family were among the first white settlers on the Mendocino…
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Lynn Meadows moved to the intentional communty of Greenfield Ranch outside Ukiah, CA in 1972 with her husband, Bob Dress. They have lived there ever…
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May 23, 2019 — We’ve heard a lot of stories from people who came to Mendocino County as young adults in the 60’s, 70’s, and even the 80’s, to bring a…
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Today we'll be hearing from Norman de Vall of the town of Mendocino. Norman was a four-term Mendocino County Supervisor during the building code wars of…
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June 13, 2019 — Don and Anne Marie Samson came to Willits in 1972 with the express intent of taking part in the back to the land movement. While Don built…
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This is Laura Hamburg with Promise of Paradise, Back to the Land Oral Histories of Mendocino County. Today we’ll be listening to Kate Magruder’s interview…