After a couple years of trying to find a buyer the mortgage company sold it to a man named Dennis Washington, a wealthy industrialist from Montana, in the early 1990’s. 

The report of the sale had been posted in the local paper.  Not sure just how it started but four of us, The Dalles Fire Chief, our Personnel Director, our Communications Director and I decided to go down the day he took possession.

We arrived mid-morning and made contact with some employees of Washington.  I asked if they minded if we looked around.  They said, no go ahead.

They weren’t sure why their boss bought the ranch they said that he had purchased another cult’s property in Montana a few years before – “I guess he just likes buying cult property.”

None of us had thought to bring along a camera; but it is still, a good 20-25 years later, pretty clear in my mind.

First, we explored the “Jesus Grove” housing where Sheila and her closest captains resided.  This was modular housing.  Several units had been put together, in a hub, to form the unit.

Most of the rooms were empty, but the round bed that Sheila used was still there.  She used to plan her nefarious schemes sitting there.  I remember thinking that it was probably one item that none of the followers wanted anything to do with, even to destroy it.

She had an escape tunnel into a small ditch.  The tunnel was about 10 -15 feet long as I recall and about 4 feet in diameter.  It was a corrugated drainage pipe.  The bottom had a floor about two feet wide made of wood with a rug covering it.

The two directors’ couldn’t wait to check it out.  I let them get about halfway, when I told them to look closely at the rug, you never know how many bodies were pulled through there.

They stopped and looked back at my smiling face, and continued.  As they got close to the outside covering, I reminded them they should be watching out for rattle snakes – that grew a tad bit more concern, but, like curious cats they HAD to go on, they opened it up to see the ditch it led into on the other side.  No snakes.

We continued our self-guided tour and went into the Bhagwan’s complex.  It was empty.  His housing, again modular units, included a stainless steel emergency room where the doctor could take care of almost any problem.

He had a large swimming pool in a section.  There were several garages that once housed his Rolls Royces.  Other than that there wasn’t much to it.

The complex, ten acres +/- if I recall correctly, was fully enclosed by a deer proof (8 -10 feet high) fence.  The grounds around the garages were graveled.  There was a lot of open space between the complex and most of the fencing.

We went over to the large ‘green house,’ turned meeting arena.  The south doors were open and we went inside.  It was a massive building.  Dominant were the stage where Bhagwan gave his lectures and a full wall of window at the north end. 

The landscape, through that well placed window, was the beautiful natural and rugged stone columns, brown and yellow.  Beyond was a glimpse of the John Day River area.

As we walked around inside, the Fire Chief noted that they sprinkler system was up to code. 

The grounds of the property were returning to the native grass and weeds.  We drove north on the road and saw where the Rajneesh had grown grapes and a medium sized barn.

We then drove through the downtown area.  Everything was closed up and empty.  The book store, where there used to be a few articles of clothing sold and lots of books and paraphernalia with Bhagwan’s picture on everything, was now empty with some overturned furnishings. 

Driving on through the ‘city’ and into the back area, everything was turning back to the native grass.

We then decided to visit the funeral pyre.  We located the road and then followed it to the site; this was the same pyre that was used to cremate the Japanese drowning victim – giving them that fireworks display on July 4^th, 1985 that the Antelope Peach officers thought was so funny.

1 King 6:1 And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord.

When we read about the instructions on how both the tabernacle and temple of God were to be built, we find them very specific.

Basically they are a blueprint in words. 

Everything was done by hand.

The materials used were of the finest available at the time.

For the temple, Solomon called in skilled craftsman who hewed the wood, formed the metal and cut the stone.  It was all done by hand, using hand tools with the finest material available.

The stones were so finely cut that even though they were cut a great distance away from the temple, so the noise would not be heard at the site, they were flawlessly fitted as the stone workers laid them.

Nothing was too good for the temple.  Craftsmen had to be the finest, the best in the business so their work would be as close to perfect as humanly possible.

It took them seven years from start to finish.

1 King 6:38  And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it.

The temple was huge, even by today’s standards; it took time to lay out the blue prints.  It took time to bring all the materials into one place and organize it so everything was done in it proper time.  It took time to then put everything together to form the temple.  Seven years.

My father-in-love was a master carpenter, I have no doubt he would have been qualified to work on the temple.

I helped him, a bit, as he built a home for one of his daughters.  It took time; it took time to get the materials, to lay out the land, to do every little thing – and they had to be done in the right order.  AND his since of pride meant, they everything had to be done right!  Since he did the majority of the work himself he could control the timing and quality of the work.

It took several months to complete the house.

Most construction today, however, is done by a multitude of workers who use power tools to perform their work.  It takes someone to oversee the work, schedule the workers and insure the work is done correctly.

We have buildings now that are much larger than the temple.  We look at stadiums and skyscrapers, where a massive amount of material and manpower is needed to complete the project.

Even with all the power equipment they take years to complete. 

It takes money, so either the money is available or it has to be obtained somehow, that takes time.  It takes time to form the idea, locate a site suitable for what you want to build (which today often includes parking for a specified number of vehicles for the number of people who will use the facility,) design a building that takes into consideration the land and the regulations on building the building.

Then timing of which tradesman are going to do what in what order; what heavy equipment needs to be used, schedule it and make sure the right people and right materials are available at the right time.

It is choreography, when done right, worthy of a composer of ballet or classic music. 

And when done correctly it is a beautiful rendition as all the workers come together to accomplish the feat.

It must have been quite a site to see the skilled craftsman as they built the temple.  I often wonder how often Solomon came down to just watch as his dream came together.

When man builds something it takes a great deal of time.  Even with power tools, building is a lengthy process.  Even then there are flaws in his work, some people take great pride in what they are doing, others will take shortcuts that undermine the perfection of the building.

It took time to build the temple, but only the best craftsmen were used and all took pride in their work.  They used their professional and time honed skills to produce as perfect a building as man can create.

To build a great building takes years and everything is done in order, everything is planned, it doesn’t just happen.

As we look at the complexity of nature, of how finely tuned everything is – how everything comes together to perfect the plant, insect, animal or man – how can it be said that it all just happened?

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

God is God.  We don’t know if He took time to develop a blue print for His creation, like an Architect or if He just created, like a painter when he is painting a scene – AT the scene – sweeping his hand over the world and speaking it into existence.

He is God.  He could have done it either way.

Genesis 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Six days to create a universe and all that is within it.  He started with nothing. 

Yet all the things man creates, starts with the mind of man and his ability to conceive and develop whatever it is he is doing – from God’s resources, starting with the mind of man.

Later, Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again