Our Founding

Alpha Farm grew from a realization by our founder, Caroline Estes, at a meeting of Quaker activists in 1971. She believed that the world would be changed not by projects, but by living in accordance with her values in a community of her peers. The world would change first in our hearts, and expand to others through example.

 

Upon returning to her home in Philadelphia, Caroline shared this vision with her friends and family. They began eating dinner together at the same table Alphans do today, and a plan was formed to build their ideal community on a rural homestead.

 

They began taking scouting trips, eventually settling upon Alpha Valley in the town of Deadwood, Oregon, for reasons both social and practical. Having ironed out the details, the group then put out “Alpha - A Prospectus” which outlined their plans and called upon peers to join them, ultimately forming a final group of four families.

 

Pioneer Days

The first Alphan arrived on April 1st, 1972, with everyone else trickling in by the end of the year. Upon driving over the Siuslaw River, this member was met with the Old Swanson Place, a decommissioned dairy farm with a house, a barn, and a lot of work to be done.

 

It was hard going at this time. Folks worked tirelessly, both to make Alpha into a proper home, and to build rapport with hesitant neighbors. The Alpha Bit Cafe opened in Mapleton around Thanksgiving, providing almost no income in its first few years.

 

By July of 1973 the farm was in dire financial straits. Our saving grace would come in the form of a mail contract with the USPS, our primary source of income today. It was also around this time that the first visitors began pouring into Alpha Farm, quickly growing the community and increasing our collective abilities.
 

On the Upswing

It was at this point that enterprising Alphans would form the practices we continue today. Quaker meetings combined with the political zeitgeist of the time to form the consensus process we still use, one which Caroline Estes taught nationwide through the Alpha Institute.

 

Farming was implemented in full force, with Alphans producing 90% of their own food by the mid seventies. Houses were heated, as they are today, primarily by our own firewood. The Alpha Bit laid claim to one of the nations first veggie burger recipes, and the Mapleton Hardware Store had been owned and operated by our members for a number of years. The mail route was going strong too, with a combination of kindness and hard work endearing us to the local community.

 

Troubled Times

Like any group of people attempting a radically different lifestyle, our history has not been without its challenges. Maintenance has been difficult, with our bridge collapsing in 1974 and requiring many repairs since. Financial struggles have also led to problematic debts, though Alpha is largely debt free today.

 

Many of our struggles have been social. True consensus is a high standard to adapt to, and at times, a difficult one to uphold. A number of visitors have sought to take advantage of our ideals, and we have sometimes failed to uphold them ourselves. We are all only human, but the vision of Alpha Farm has always guided us towards a positive future.

 

Rising to The Challenge

In 2022, Caroline Estes, founder of Alpha Farm, passed away at the age of 94. It is hard to overstate the impact of this loss, but we do our best to carry on her dream, as well as to forge a new path forward for our community. The individuals that live in this valley may change over time, but we are always Alphans, and we will always be working towards a brighter, more egalitarian future.