The Amana Colonies

On day five of RAGBRAI, we rode through the Amana Colonies. Although the colonies were scenic, we didn't linger there for long during the ride because of their disappointing lack of food. However, we returned to stay in the Amana Colonies after finishing the ride, and I learned a lot about the history of this community.

The Amana Colonies remind me a bit of the Shaker settlements in New England. In the mid 1800's a group of Germans left Germany to find more religious freedom. They initially settled outside of Buffalo, New York, but when that area became too crowded, they purchased 25,000 acres in the Iowa River valley and moved out west. In Iowa they established six villages, and one of the first communal religious societies in America.

The Amana colonies were self-sufficient. They grew all their own food and made all of their own products. Each person in the colony had a specific job to contribute to the well-being of the community. A person might be assigned the job of farmer, carpenter, baker, or even a doctor (the doctors were sent outside of Amana to receive more education). No one received any money for his/her labor, but everyone received food, shelter, medical services, and education from the community. Religion was very important in the community, and residents were required to attend eleven church services each week. The residents of the villages took a lot of pride in their work, and produced high quality textiles, foods, and machinery.

The Amana Colonies underwent the "Great Change" during the Great Depression. The residents of the society decided that the communal life was no longer working for them. They divided up their land and resources so that everything was owned by individuals instead of by the community as a whole. They continued to manufacture products like textiles, food, and appliances, and the quality of their products was recognized nationwide.

Today the Amana Colonies are preserved as a part of history. The buildings in the villages all look similar to how they would have looked 80 years ago. Some of the residents are descendants of the original settlers, but others have moved here more recently. In addition to museums and shops with traditional foods and products, the Amana Villages seem to be home to a fairly large artist community. I spent a morning walking through the village of Homestead and looking at the farms. Later, I browsed through the village of Amana. One of the highlights of the visit was talking with a woman who worked at the museum. She was raised in Amana, but had moved away as soon as she was old enough. She told us that at the time she left there just weren't enough educational opportunities in the village. But, she eventually grew to appreciate the sense of community in the small villages, and she came back there to retire.

Here are some more pictures of the Amana Colonies.