Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-04-08
FORMING COLONY
Rev. John E. Hummon of Omaha Will
Lead Flock to California.
MINISTER'S ENDORSE THE PROJECT
Letters from Hundreds of ClerEymen
Voice sympathy with Back to
the Land" Movement
Started Here,


Led by Rev. John e. Hummon, who re-
Gently Resigned the pastorate of the
Kountze Memorial church in Omaha to go
back to the soil, colony OF Lutherans will
establish themselves at Red Bluffs, Tehama
county, California
1--WE expect to have not less than $50
families on our land by the end Of May"
said Mr. Hummon, discussing his project
at the offices of the Trowbridge- Bolster
company in the City National bank build
ing This company Is connected with the
Lutheran colony project.
THE outlook is most promising. We are
so located that there are ample transporta-
ton facilities, which means much in the
marketing of crops We are close to
boat landing on the Sacramento river and
will thus get the advantage of water rates.
Riches in Berries.
The land which we will farm will grow
most anything. For instance 1t will make
from $3.50 to $500 an acre in strawberries
and will yield from six TO seven crops Of
alfalfa under irrigation and three without
Il have received letters from $50 Luth-
eran pastors in all parts of the country
bearing their good will and endorsement
/ of the project
I'VE have secured 5000 desirable acres
in the beautiful Sacramento valley of Cali
| fornia, five and one-han miles from the
| city Of Red Bluff and two and one-half
miles from Los Angeles. The land lays
along an electric railway and electric
power cables and telephone wires pass
right through IT. The land is level and
finely situated in the rain belt, and be-
sides that, II can be easily irrigated from
! Antelope creek, a never-failing mountain
stream, should it ever become desirable to
use water for that purpose.
The land is ready for occupancy at
once, The land is being arranged in thirty
forty and eighty-acre tracts and is slightly
in appearance and a crop failure, farmers
Of the neighborhoOd told me, is unknown
Not an Experiment.
This is not a new movement. 1t has
been tried again and again. and wher
properly conducted has proven great sue
cess The Roman Catholic and DunkarG
people have proceeded in their missionary
endeavor, through the colonization scheme
with the result OF the success of the in
dividual and wonderful progress in build
ing up large communities of their faith
strongholds for their respective deRomina
lions, The disappointments are very few
This movement contemplates a company
spired by the same purpose, to pursue
similar line of work, Any one entering tn,
colony is assured Of the willing and ready
aid OF every other member; he stands no
alone to fight his battles unasssted.
, The cry, Back to the Farm" has beel
heard recently from many sources. TIL
newspapers and magazines have given on
the call 1t has been sent out in clarion
tones from the pulpit and from the plat
form. But 1t must be more than a mer
cry. II involves the solution of a grea
] sociological problem, and the happlnes
and prosperity of multitudes of people Tn
2 cry has been forced by a condition o
e poverty and restitution; the multitudes o
unemployed In our large cities, and tn
! employed receiving scarcely sufficient re
q Enumeration to provide the necessities o
4 life the high cost Of living These hav
b given rise to the popular cry, Back I
: the Farm" and II is now inspiring men I
e seek after means through which a re
] Spouse to the cry may be made practical.
q Conserve Lutheran Forces.
2 This proposition has engaged my atten
: ton therefore out of the twofold consid
\ eration-the cry, Back to the Farm, an
{ also the conservation of our Luthera
a strength, and it's development, 1t is a we
. known fact that our Lutheran people ar
O to be found In many places in small mum
bers, unable to maintain church and pas
ior they enter into the fellowship of othe
denominations or remain outside the churc
= altogether
!. Tired out, weary city people who lon
y to 20 to the country will find the colon
g attractive, they will not only have III
fellowship Of numerous neighbors, the &C
, operation and sympathy of many friendl
c farmers, but also the benefit of the ski
Of trained agriculturist. The only rel
e essential to success additional is the Abilit
r and willingness to work"