BLOGS

The experience most frequently missing in our daily lives is that of real community. The military experience often provides the first real community experience for many of our young citizens, with the return to civilian life being devastating. Outside of the military, the experience of community was most frequently experienced in an authentic company town.

A company town can be defined as a community established out of necessity to provide a stable workforce for a mining or logging operation. A recent issue of Newsweek featured an article about the end of Scotia, once know as “lumberjack heaven.” Scotia, North of San Francisco, was built by the Pacific Lumber Company in1863. Company towns were a necessity when operations developed in remote areas, making it impossible for workers to commute from existing towns. Scotia even bragged that they had electric lights in their homes years before the White House enjoyed this convenience.

In our geographical area, Holden was a company town providing complete living accommodations for the workers of the Howe Sound Company, Holden mine. The company town of Holden was located forty miles by passenger ferry up Lake Chelan plus an additional ten mile road trip up 2000 feet in the Railroad Creek valley. The Howe Sound mine operated from 1937 to 1957. There was no way workers could commute from any existing community. Holden provided housing, a hospital, a K-8 school, movie theatre, bowling alleys, basketball court, pool hall, barber shop and post office. Peter Rabbit grocery stores maintained an outlet in the community. Howe Sound controlled the sale and distribution of liquor but liquor was available.

At one point, 1000 people lived in the upper Railroad Creek Valley. Holden was definitely a company town and the Howe Sound Mining Company made the rules. Religious leaders and professional gamblers were not allowed in the community unless they worked in the mine. Any public display of drunkenness resulted in immediate dismissal, not only from the job but also from the community.

In 1961, the Howe Sound mine property was given to a non-profit organization know as Holden Village. A national religious and cultural retreat center was developed utilizing the Holden facilities. I had the opportunity to experience some aspects of a company town while serving as general manger of Holden Village for twenty years beginning in 1963.

In our present day, modern company towns are being developed by Microsoft, Google and other high tech corporations. These are a new form of company towns providing a living community within a city but not restricted geographically. These new company towns provide the proximity to work but fail to provide the in-depth community experience so unique to the old company towns now gone. Our lack of an honest community experience denies us of healthy mental and physical development.

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