HOLY CITY, Calif. ~ Riker commune, Santa Claus messengers ~ 1930s RPPC postcard for Sale

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HOLY CITY, Calif. ~ Riker commune, Santa Claus messengers ~ 1930s RPPC postcard For Sale

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HOLY CITY, Calif. ~ Riker commune, Santa Claus messengers ~ 1930s RPPC postcard:
$110.00

DESCRIPTION: This scarce real-photo postcard shows a row of nine Santa Claus figures along the roadway near Holy City, California. The large figures -- 6 feet tall or 8 feet tall, depending on which source you read -- are housed in a pavilion under a sign reading \"The Gentile White Man Is The King Of The Entire World.\" A smaller sign beneath that is lettered \"Read What The Wise Men Say,\" encouraging passersby to contemplate the messages written on the paunches of the Santas. Unfortunately,Holy City was anything but.
William E. Riker was a white-supremacist religious leader who headed a communal cult known as the Perfect Christian Divine Way. In 1919, he founded the town of Holy City, intending it to serve as a rather bizarre kind of utopian community. Not exactly a model of Christian thought and practice, one of the group\'s main talking points was racial segregation. But, Riker also expounded on topics ranging from women and celibacy to ethnic groups and government, urging people to come to his \"perfect kingdom.\" A large billboard on the property even promoted the site as \"Headquarters for the World\'s Perfect Government.\"
Always one for self promotion, one billboard along the highway read \"William E. Riker: The Only Man Who Can Save California From Going Plum [sic] To Hell. I Hold The Solution.\" To that end, Riker ran for governor of California four times, reportedly garnering less than 1 percent of the vote each attempt.
Over the years, Riker was able to persuade about 300 followers to join him in Holy City,working for him in exchange for room and board -- after firstturning over their savings, of course. Riker, wanting to expand his venture and capitalize on free labor, did his best to attract attention (and possibly new converts).The small enclave grew to include a service station, bakery, restaurant, post office, print shop, radio station, observatory, and even a zoo. Interestingly, a church was never constructed at Holy City. But, thewelcoming Santas, carnival-style building murals, and garish billboards were successful, attracting the merely curious as well aspassing motorists who stopped for gas and souvenirs. The 140-acre communedeveloped into a lucrative roadside attraction, with some sources reporting they took in $100,000 per year in the tourist trade.
A new highway through the Santa Cruz Mountains routed traffic away from the area in 1940, spelling the demise of what can only be described as perhaps the most racist tourist trap of all time. Most of the popular roadside stop was destroyed in a series of suspicious fires in the 1950s, butRiker retained control of Holy City until its decline and eventual sale in the 1960s. Looking out for his best interests to the very end, the huckster converted to Catholicism at the age of 93. Riker died in 1969, aged 96.
Our research turned up only one other real-photo postcard (a different view than this) of the Santa-like figures having been offered for sale, and no other photographic images. This is an exceptionally scarce view.Note: The text \"indjohnson / Americana Archives\" does not appear on the original you are buying.
BACK: Divided.
POSTMARK: None.CONDITION: Light wear to the edges and corners. Bumped tip of lower-right corner. The front of card has a few small, light stains in the white border around the image and a light stain or toning to the pavement. There are scattered light stains across the back of the card.SHIPPING: Free shipping.
PREMIUM PACKAGING:I take the utmost care to ensure your prized purchase is not damaged in the mail. This item will be shipped in a new, archival-quality, \"toploader\" hard-plastic sleeve (great for displaying your item), which is then packaged in bubble wrap and placed in a cardboard box padded with packing peanuts. These multiple layers of protection guarantee your purchase will not get bent or damaged. Check my response. My shipping is fast and safe.
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Keywords: propaganda, utopian communities, utopia,commune,white supremacist culture, racism, racist