Llano del Rio Collective

Deserted, clean, meditative overnight spot to see good sunsets, meteors, satellites. Over a century old now, there isn't much but peace and nature. It's a place with no rush.

Figuring out the story of this place is always a hurdle to the simply curious traveler, so after some study I think I can offer some help:
A syndicalist lawyer defended a mad bombtossing anarchist plot right before his mayoral election. After losing, he said "We'll show the world a trick it hasn't seen" and built this place, though it was detached from his end-goal of 'syndicalism'. THIS goal is the philosophy that can actually explain this place. NOT vague anti-competitive hippie-ism as the California landmark plaque stated.

So, to explain the actual whole point of this idea as easily as possible:
A worker doesn't use money to trade a box of screws to his fellow, it's more 'rational'. Imagine a department sending a worker to the factory council, to better coordinate.. uh, screw trade between departments. As is done among bosses or dept. heads already. Now imagine THIS council sending someone up to an industrial-burg level council, to manage on a higher level.. and then another was sent from this level up to the city level.. the county.. until the economy became one big organization that traded or just gave, on each level of organization, it's surplus.. without money. The worker would go to work 'rationally' instead of for cash, hence syndicalist anarchy would be a 'rational economy', where societies would compete for ability to generate decent, rational people motivated by intellect instead of greed, and the best motivations or attitudes that confer success, would spread via 'adaptive radiation'.

Phew.

There it is, whether you think it's smart or dumb. The point of early Marxism aka libertarian socialism aka communist anarchy.
Getting to this state of affairs, where governance is replaced by management, was the EVENTUAL goal of these industrial unionists/ industrial socialists, aka 'syndicalists' like the lawyer who built this place, Mr Harriman. Also, bombtossing madmen like his clients. How he ran Llano is.. it's own long story, and in their episodic cowboy themed propaganda magazine 'Western Comrade' you can see how they became grey-blur socialists more along the lines of 'run things sorta fairly' which is.. aiming for less, compared with the world domination plot I mentioned.

Finally, to clear up their somewhat debated fate:
Changing of freight prices due to railroads (probably the #1 maker of ghost towns), People cashing out+the legal battles this incurred when the colony didn't have the liquidity for this, overdrawing of the water table here and all over socal, CA astonishingly denying their cobblestone dam permit due to.. ostensibly backfees, and finally: creeping the crops up to the undammed riverbed out of thirst until a flood destroyed them. Cherry on top/also cited as a cause of failure: Unhappiness with the democracy being more representative than direct, example: the colony was anglo-only due to the leader's will, despite brotherly sentiment of the colonists.

All in all: a good place under a giant desert sky to consider heady issues of life, humanity, civilization.
Or grill some dogs en route to Vegas. Don't pop your tires & don't litter!

The history is interesting. The Dr on footage was fun to get even on a windy day.

This is the ruins of the old Hotel. It is fenced off in an attempt to stabilize the site and for the public's safety. Please respect that goal.

This place is super awesome to visit, if you don't mind the plentiful rattlesnakes. The foundations of the buildings are still there, and there are a surprising number of them that are in surprisingly good condition. The well is overgrown, but it could probably be made to work with a little effort, it's that well-preserved. It's also cool since no one seems to go there. We were there for over an hour and no one else came by. So you kind of get your own private tour of early 20th century Californian history.

Cool spot with early 1900 history!

This place has an amazing little story that many folks, even locals, do the know.

Most folks are familiar with the twin stonework chimneys just north of highway 138, but there is much more to this place. The community once boasted more than 1,000 residents and stretches on for a mile.

The paths and ruins extend further north, including a stone lined water trough. Directly opposite the hotel, across the highway, are many orderly mounds that served as tent or shack bases.

If you look straight south from the hotel, you can see a large silo which is also part of the ruins. This is accessible by an unpaved road off 165th. There are more buildings near the silo, including a fantastic stonework dairy barn.

Known about this place since I was a young boy. A perfect example of what something looks like after left wing regressives get their filthy mits on it. That is why I gave five stars, but the ideology deserves none. Drop by, have a look.

This site was the most memorable places we visited. This colony later moved to Louisiana. My husband's parents moved there before he was born, but he was totally knowledgeable of almost every aspect of the original colony in California.

Cool place to visit

Great place to wander through and wonder what life was like in that time.

Absolutely beautiful area, perfect for a photographic background!

Remarkable example of socialist utopian colony. This was well.

Enjoyable

Buen lugar para jugar en la nieve en cerca de los Los Ángeles California . Aquí tenemos que buscar la nieve a una o dos horas de la ciudad en las hermosas montañas de San Gabriel, National Forest, San Bernardino y más.
Nos encanta disfrutar en familia de esta actividad, incluiso hay familias que se atreven a ir de picnic llevando cocinas para preparar sopas , café y más en transcurso del día .
Eso quiere decir que llevar a los niños a jugar en la nieve es una gran diversión en esta temporada , cuando en otros estados están fastidiados de nieve…
Puedes estacionarte a la
Orilla de la carretera y a la diversión.

Muy bonito todo

Se mira bien

Exelente