Aurora by Jane Kirkpatrick is the story of a cluster of German Americans who founded the Old Aurora Colony, a Christian communal society, in Oregon’s Willamette Valley which was evidently one of the only successful communities of its type in the mid-nineteenth century West.

“The Aurora Colony spirit manifested best in the commitment to work and craft. The language to describe this process will rarely be found in their writings but is illustrated in their surviving artifacts – the quilt, the basket, the chair. The colonists, all descendants of old-world craftsmen, appreciated the relationship of color and form, and they made beautiful objects that were meant to be used. The finished products are remarkable for their simplicity.”
The book’s five chapters each detailing a specific area of the colonists’ life with many beautiful color photographs showing their work and craft as described above. The chapters include:
Craft: I love the opening quote in this chapter. “Craft…is our identity and our legacy.” – former president, Jimmy Carter. I love all the photographs in this book which document how the past and present are intertwined. “The story of the Aurora Colony might be considered a story of craftsmanship as much as anything else. It is the crafted items that survive with the greatest testimony to the skill and the commitment of the workers who made up Dr. Keil’s communal society.”

Landscapes: This chapter documents where the colonists came from and where they headed beginning with the story of Dr. Keil’s deceased son being transported all the way from Missouri to Oregon. The chapter tells what Dr. Keil’s scouts were looking for when they were sent on a mission to search for a new site for their colony as well as many other interesting historical facts.

Relationships: In this chapter, you’ll find detailed accounts of each family and member of the colony. If you read the entire book, you’ll see how this colony peacefully divided up the land and belongings upon the death of their leader, Dr. Keil, without a single lawsuit!

Work: According to this book, the Aurora colonists seemed to have found a way to honor both their artistry and craft without the tension between individual needs and group needs typically found in a communal society. It is noted that while the colonists had all of their wants supplied and basically lived without care, the skilled artisans would have been better off financially had they remained as individuals yet they were all content to remain as a group until the death of their leader.

Faith: Throughout the book, you’ll get glimpses into the life and faith of this particular group of colonists known as Bethelites. Their entire communal utopian society was built around the book of Acts “about gathering their gifts and talents into a common fund from which all needs would be met.” Dr. Keil began his ministerial career as an Evangelical Methodist and his views changed over time as he traveled from Prussia to New York onto Bethel, Missouri and finally to Aurora, Oregon. The 100 members who formed his vanguard sought communal living as a way to “live closer to God’s Word and prepare for the 2nd coming as well as to have a place of refuge in times of threatening wars and social unrest.”
I found two pages titled “You, too, Can Leave a Legacy” toward the end of the book very interesting. I LOVE how the author added an element of what we can do to leave a legacy for our families similar to what the Aurora colonists have left for theirs. There are ideas for telling your story, making notes in family recipe books, making hand crafted items, photography and scrapbooking, writing New Year’s letters, and other things as simple as keeping a calendar. There’s no mention of blogging, but I’m guessing one day years from now people will look back on family blogs as a wonderful tribute to their family’s everyday life!
Aurora is a lovely hard-back cofee table type book with wonderful color photographs on almost every page. It would make a great gift for anyone interested in quilts, early American craftsmanship, or the history of the Wilamette Valley.
AUTHOR BIO:
Jane Kirkpatrick is a best-selling, award-winning author whose previous
historical novels include All Together in One Place and Christy Award
finalist A Tendering in the Storm. An international keynote speaker, she
has earned regional and national recognition for her stories based on
the lives of actual people, including the prestigious Wrangler Award
from the Western Heritage Hall of Fame. Jane is a Wisconsin native who
since 1974 has lived in Eastern Oregon, where she and her husband,
Jerry, ranch 160 rugged acres.