Peter Hegg, brother of the Klondike Gold Rush photographer Eric Hegg, was a proficient photographer in his own right. The Heggs emigrated from Sweden with their parents when they were very young. Peter Hegg came to Washington in 1888. Eric Hegg started a photography studio in New Whatcom (Bellingham, Washington) in 1889, but sold it when he went to the Klondike to record the Gold Rush. Peter took over the Hegg studio when Eric left. Peter worked closely with the Equality Colony in producing a number of propaganda photographs of the colony for their newspaper
The Equality Colony, located near Edison in upstate Washington, was founded in 1897. It was part of the National Union of the Brotherhood of the Cooperative Commonwealth, whose goal was to make Washington a socialist state by gradually starting colonies in the area and expanding into the rest of the state. For $160 a family was admitted to the colony. Every member was expected to work, including the children when they were not in school. Families lived in apartment houses, or in individual family cabins and ate in a communal dining hall. The colonists were not well received by the surrounding communities because they held radical beliefs such as free love, divorce, rights for women and socialism. By 1906 the colony dissolved.
The newspaper
Twenty one photographic prints documenting scenes of daily life at the Equality Colony, including tenants, apartment houses, the sawmill and printing presses. These photographs were taken at three different periods and were numbered by the photographer.
The collection is open to the public.
Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.
Processed by Leah Pepin in 2006 and Marion Brown in 2007
The photographs were transferred from the Social Issues file in the repository in 2006.
The first group of photos shows scenes of daily life taken around March 1898. The first issue of
This is the later site of the sawmill. The buildings in the background were probably part of an abandoned logging camp.
Sitting on the porch are Charles Marquart, age 9 and Clint Halladay. At the back row of the stairs are Bertha Fisher, Frankie Clevenger, Dora Erickson and the future Mrs. Herts. In the front left is Emma Marquart.
Fort Bellamy was the name of the kitchen and dining hall where residents ate meals together. The hall was named after socialist Edward Bellamy, author of
Clint Halladay, Charles Marquart, Emma Marguart, Frankie Clevenger, Grace Brady.
From left to right is the Brady cabin, the Herz-Kincaid cabin and the Giles-Brady Cabin. These cabins were built in 1897
In the May 29, 1898 issue of
The colonists made and sold furniture to the public to raise funds.
The printery also served as the BCC National Headquarters. It was 1.5 miles east of Edison, but 4 miles by road and trail. The building was later called Edison Hall and made into an IOOF building.
Mrs. R. Ault stands in the doorway, Lulu and Gladys Ault sit on the log and Florence Pelton sits at the base of the stump marked with an "x".
In the foreground are James Brallin Ault and J. W. Morrick
Caption reads: "General view of village looking southeast from garden. Hot-house, bakery and ironing-room obscured by other buildings. Shingle-house and saw-mill to left."
One duplicate
Caption reads: "Donkey Mill Crew and Shingle Bolts"
The remaining two photos have no date or numbers. Possibly they were taken later than the May 1898 series because they do not match the description of any of the advertised photos.