Tawapa
Tawapa | |
|---|---|
Hippie commune | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Mexico |
| County | Sandoval County |
| Established | 1970 |
| Dissolved | 1990s |
| Government | |
| • Type | Commune |
Tawapa was a hippie commune that operated north of Placitas, New Mexico.[1] It was founded in 1970 and dissolved in the 1990s. It was located along Las Huertas Creek near the Sandia Mountains.[1][2] A spring flowed through Tawapa. Watercress grew by the spring.[3]
History
[edit]Lower Farm
[edit]At the commune of Lower Farm one Donald Waskey[3][4][5] called himself Ulysses, claiming to be the reincarnation of Ulysses S. Grant.[5] He also claimed to be the reincarnation of Vulcan and Jesus Christ.[6] He murdered two people,[3][4][6] and once ran for governor of New Mexico. He was the commune's self-proclaimed leader.[3]
Tawapa
[edit]In 1970, due to problems at Lower Farm, several couples left and founded Tawapa[7] along Las Huertas Creek.[1] Many people, especially youth, settled in Tawapa in the 1970s. The commune grew by word of mouth and through magazine articles.[2] They constructed houses there.[1] The commune appeared on a map of hippie communes, drawing more people.[7] Several other communes were founded in the area, such as Sun Farm[8] and Dome Valley.[2] The people living in Tawapa claimed adverse possession over the land.[1] However, they were ultimately evicted by people holding legal title.[1] Housing developments in the 1990s forced people to leave Tawapa.[9]
Post-disestablishment
[edit]Later, environmental damage was caused by the increasing number of houses, as well as groundwater mining.[10][11][12] The spring mostly ran dry, while Sun Farm experienced a water shortage in 2024.[10][11]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Julyan, Robert (1998). The place names of New Mexico (2nd ed, rev ed.). Albuquerque: Univ. of New Mexico Press. ISBN 978-0-8263-1689-9.
- ^ a b c Smith, Mike (2006). Towns of the Sandia Mountains. Images of America. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub. ISBN 978-0-7385-4852-4. OCLC 76884067.
- ^ a b c d Anderson, Kay Kind Bradley (February 6, 2024). As Best I Can Remember: What's a nice Jewish girl from Philadelphia doing in a place like this? (1st ed.). Outskirts Press. ISBN 9781977264749.
- ^ a b Matthews, Kay (2015). Culture clash: environmental politics in New Mexico forest communities: a memoir, 1970-2000. Santa Fe: Sunstone Press. ISBN 978-1-63293-005-7.
- ^ a b Fairfield, Richard (1972). Communes USA; a personal tour. Baltimore, Md: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-003489-9.
- ^ a b Price, Roberta; Miles, George, eds. (2010). Across the great divide: a photo chronicle of the counterculture. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. ISBN 978-0-8263-4957-6.
- ^ a b "Flashbacks". www.newmexicomagazine.org. 2013-03-08. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
- ^ Miller, Timothy (2012). "New Mexico's Communal Settlers". New Mexico Historical Review.
- ^ Hovey, Kathryn (2005). Anarchy and community in the new American West: Madrid, New Mexico, 1970–2000. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. ISBN 978-0-8263-3446-6.
- ^ a b "Will the little places of New Mexico survive economic growth?". NM Political Report. 2018-12-04. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
- ^ a b "Healing Clan". NM Healthy Soil Working Group. 2022-04-18. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
- ^ Scurlock, Dan (1998). From the Rio to the Sierra: An environmental history of the Middle Rio Grande Basin (Report). Ft. Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. doi:10.2737/rmrs-gtr-5.