History of Socialism in the US Author:Morris Hillquit Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: He gathered around him a considerable following of simple-minded people, mostly Germans and "Pennsylvania Dutch," and in 1844 he was joined by a number of the se... more »- ceders from Economy who had been abandoned by the faithless " Count de Leon." It was at that time that Keil and his followers conceived the idea of establishing a communistic settlement, and for that purpose purchased about 2,500 acres of land in Shelby County, Missouri. This was the beginning of Bethel. The settlers seem to have had very little means, but an inexhaustible store of industry and endurance. After a few years, the greater portion of their land was under cultivation; they built a woolen mill, grist-mill, sawmill, several shops, a church, and a general store. They added over 1,500 acres to their possessions, a post-office was established for them by the Government, and within ten years their settlement developed into a town with a population of about 650 persons. But the restless spirit of Keil impelled him to new experiments. In 185 5 we find him at the head of about eighty settlers from Bethel on the way to the Pacific coast in quest of cheap and fertile land. During the next year he organized the community of Aurora in Oregon. The membership of the new settlement, partly recruited from the outside and partly augmented by emigration from Bethel, soon reached about 400. They acquired over 18,000 acres of land in different counties of Oregon, duplicated almost all of the industries carried on in Bethel, and in addition engaged largely in the growing and drying of fruit. The form of government and mode of life of both communities was almost identical. Keil was president of both, and was assisted in the administration of each village by a board of trustees. Up to 1872 all property in Bethel and Aurora ...« less