[08/07/1996-08/09/1996] — Page 2013

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AI Summary

320B8A II.FIN Page 1 of3 MSMail DATE-TIME 09 August 96.14:38 FROM Marsh, Thomas S. CLASSIFICATION UNCLASSIFIED SUBJECT I wonder what the rents are like .... [UNCLASSIFIED] TO Alijanil, Leyla Bakke, Kyle D. Carter, Michael E. Hasman, Thom~s M. CARBON COPY. NO CC's on THIS MESSAGE TEXT BODY CRESTONE, Colo. CAP) This'Shangri-la for New Age spiritualists, carved out of a failed subdivision, is having trouble with more earthly matters. One of the directors has been suspended for thiowing chairs at hi

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NARA NAID 147873191

OCR Text

320B8A II.FIN Page 1 of3 MSMail DATE-TIME 09 August 96.14:38 FROM Marsh, Thomas S. CLASSIFICATION UNCLASSIFIED SUBJECT I wonder what the rents are like .... [UNCLASSIFIED] TO Alijanil, Leyla Bakke, Kyle D. Carter, Michael E. Hasman, Thom~s M. CARBON COPY. NO CC's on THIS MESSAGE TEXT BODY CRESTONE, Colo. CAP) This'Shangri-la for New Age spiritualists, carved out of a failed subdivision, is having trouble with more earthly matters. One of the directors has been suspended for thiowing chairs at his colleagues on the Baca Grande Property Owner's Association board. The d{spute stems partly from how much governing there should be at all. Some residents ate pushing for more controls on development, while some owners would like even fewer controls. "There will always be trouble in any paradise. I expect all the normal human behaviors even in a community with spiritual aspirations," says Saguache County Commissioner Robert Philleo, who lives in the unincorporated area called the Baca Grande. Religious groups began moving into the Baca Grande beneath 14,294-foot Crestone Peak in the Sangre de Cristo, or Blood of Christ Mountains, in the late 1970s when Canadian industrialist Maurice Strong and his wife, Hanne, began offering them free land for retreats, hermitages or eco-villages. The land became available when plans for a huge subdivision fell through. Even now only about 330 of 5,600 lots are occupied. Monks and nuns created a Carmelite Catholic Monastery. Zen Buddhists developed a Zen Center, monastery and retreat. Indian, Tibetan, Indonesian, Korean and other sects also built centers in the pinon pines high above Crestone. The area soon gained a reputation as a holy spot, or power center, where the spiritual forces of the universe converge. Reports of UFO sightings and cattle mutilations brought more attention. In 1993, a woman claiming to. have talked with aliens by computer proposed building a 396-foot pink pyramid. Supporters of the pyramid, called the "Pink,Pyramid People," flocked to the area. The established religious groups joined with residents of the 320B8All.FIN Page 2 of3 .. town of Crestone, population 50, to oppose the plan, and nothing ever came of it. . But the area has become increasingly popular, both for New Agers and, as in many other Colorado mountain communities, people fleeing urban areas. Saguache County's population grew 8 percent last year, and mU,ch ofit was in Baca Grande or Crestone, elevation 8,000 feet, whose north-south streets are named after trees and east-west routes after minerals. "There is a little animosity against people coming from Boulder, Santa Fe, N.M., and California. They disrupt us a little bit. They're swamping us," said Frank Snider, whose ownership of half a dozen businesses probably qualifies him as Crestone's tycoon. "We never used to see the sheriff. Now there's a cop here every evening and he doesn't come without giving a ticket," said Snider, . whose white beard nearly reaches his waist. ' His wife, Katie, who is on the Crestone. Town Council, said the New Age image' attracts people not pr~pared to cope with bitterly cold winters or the lack ofjobs. She says one man has been working on building an earth ship oftires for seven years but it still looks like junk.' . Philleo said people come looking for a commune. Mrs. Snider said, "They have that Crestone glow. They're going to sell everything they own,and live in Utopia." She added: "This is a very normal place." The Roadkill Cafe, in one ofthe buildings owned by Snider, promises "Same Day Service, No Extra Charge." Ostrich burgers are available until 4 p.m. Though the Sniders argue Crestone is totally distinct from Baca Grande, the Roadkill's community bulletin board offers Moonlight Yoga Dream Group sessions, Sacred Passages, Tai Chi, a Gong Massage Center and Hypnosis Therapy, among others. An astrologer's business card is tacked next to one fqr Hangman Excavations. A note in the unisex bathroom warns: "Ifyou forget to unlock the back door when you leave tonight you will be abducted by strange reptilian extraterrestrials who will use you for bizarre sexual experiments (really)." In general, the townspeople seem to get along well enough with the spiritualists. They also "make a wad of money off them," Philleo said. Requests for welfare and other forms of assistance are lower in the Crestone area than other parts of the county, Philleo said. "The quality of life inthe area is enhanced by the quality of the people in the religious institutions," he said. Richard Baker, roshi or teacher to those who come to the Zen center to meditate, said in theory what lies outside the monastery should make no difference. Yet, he adds, "Practicing here makes a difference. The.beauty makes it satisfYing." Lito Tjada-Flores, author ofseveral books on skiing, moved here 320B8A II.FIN Page 3 of3 • from Telluride partly to escape the constant confrontations so common in Colorado resort towns. "The real beauty is that nothing is ha…

Metadata

Agency
National Archives and Records Administration
Classification
UNCLASSIFIED
Department
National Archives and Records Administration
Confidence60
Credibility70

NARA Source

NAID
147873191
File
42-t-7585721-20060533F-001-001-2013.pdf
Type
application/pdf
Retrieval
DOWNLOADED
OCR status
SUCCEEDED

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[08/07/1996-08/09/1996] — Page 2013 · UFOIntel