Let me tell you the story of Rock Garden Springs... or rather, let me tell you my story of RGS. Others who lived through it might have different stories to tell, and that is quite alright. I have always had a dream of community, in one form or another since I was a teenager at least, and when I found my first Rainbow Gathering, I felt that I had come home. I spent some years traveling in those circles, occasionally hosting the Reading Rainbow Library at various gatherings, at which I hosted several structured councils to discuss the idea of more permanent Rainbow encampments, real communal land. I spent some years living on various people's properties, usually coming to a frustration with the basic inequality of that arrangement, and again wanting land that could be truly owned in common. A dozen or so friends who shared this vision had a small council in a teepee at (I think it was) the 2006 Colorado National, and I was already at that time living out in California trying to make that dream come true.
Not so long after, some land was found, a few people (myself among them) donated cash for the down payment, owner-financing was arranged, and we finally had land! Some beautiful land it was too. Nearly 100 acres on the mostly south-facing slope, near the base of, a powerful mountain, just a short distance from the river. Very rocky, rather steep, and all-around rugged, yes, but with a fantastic diversity of pines, oaks, maples, dogwoods, and more (not to mention the prolific poison oak), it was vibrant and alive, with abundant timber and stones, and what soil there was seemed rich. We tapped an enormous spring of some of the tastiest water I've still ever tasted just above the land (completely legal), and ran a huge waterline like a backbone down the middle of it, all the way to the main road at the bottom.
Granted, we had little more idea of what the hell we were doing there than a vague "welcome home". Our only governing principle was of our familiar consensus-based rainbow council, consisting of all those who are actually present, there on the ground, which we diligently held every week, sometimes for an entire day. We had hardly any money or other resources, being mostly traveling people, and with some small children. Those early few of us spent some time living rough and trying to build some basic infrastructure, but it was hard to find agreement on what to build. We accumulated school buses, built a custom yurt, some little cabins, and a bunch of unfinished projects of all sorts. We put in some gardens, some roads, some various electrical systems and satellite internet (there was, and still is, no cell service onsite). I had a strong vision for the place, as I'm sure others did, but we rarely had much shared vision between us.
The land went through many eras and phases. At first, we had were completely open, and anyone could just come by and be welcomed, but we become more and more closed over time, with exceptions. We hustled how we could to pay for the land and for our sustenance beyond what the land could provide. We developed political processes, culminating after years of endless debate and discussion in endless councils, in a name (even still, most locals call it "The Rockslide" more than its actual name), a charter, and a few supporting documents. A legal entity was formed to "own" the land, whose entire structure was designed for it to take no action, only acting a conduit for the power of the council to the outside world of laws and governments. Through the hard work of many who came and went, and the favorable economy of northern Californa, we paid off our outstanding debt on the land, and acquired equipment appropriate to it's development including a twenty ton excavator (with a fucking tiltrotator!), back-hoe, wood-chipper, band-saw mill, trucks, various vehicles, tools, and junk.
Well, in around early 2016, I was the last of those initial founders to still be living on the land, and I decided it was time for me to leave. I had a whole mix of mostly personal reasons: I was feeling on a different page than the majority as to our development paradigm, I had a daughter who would soon be a teenager, and the situation for (non-homeschooled) high-school kids in the area is quite terrible, I was restless and wanted to take some classes, etc. So, after nearly a decade of my life, I left the land and moved to a small city just a few hours away.
Not long after I left, things fell apart. There was conflict, and some people I was very fond of ended up leaving, along with almost everyone else. For several years, while I've lived away, it's been rather dormant, in a sort of liminal state. Just recently now, as I am now able, I have come back to stay, and try to build some kind of community here. Granted, I probably don't want the same kind of community I did when we first landed here in my mid-twenties, but I still do want some kind of community around me, even if more neighborhood-like than I used to want.
Additionally, we are even expanding! We have bought a property from our neighbor (and former community member) with a large un-finished house and a hydro-electric system. So we've gone from debt-free to some debt, but I'm determined to see us pay it off quickly, and have several business ventures in mind, and we could sure some new blood. So if you find yourself reading this and wanting to know more; if you find yourself seeking to really ground somewhere and build something beautiful in a special little out-of-the-way place; if you long to live in solidarity with others and engage in some consensus process, if you're willing to be something of a pioneer, if you *bring something to the table*, then by all means email me.