Margaret Hill papers

Collection

Identifier: Coll 425

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of correspondence with state officials and organizations generating opposition to the Rajneesh, planning and zoning documents of county governments and of Rajneeshpuram, and quantities of correspondence expressing sympathy towards the town of Antelope.

Dates

Creation: circa 1981-1987

Creator

Hill, Margaret, 1921-2016 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights reside with Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish collection materials must be submitted to Special Collections and University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.

Biographical / Historical

Margaret Hill (1921-2016) was mayor of Antelope, Oregon until she was voted out of office and the city government was taken over by the Rajneesh sect. She was one of the first to sound the alarm about the undemocratic methods of the cult and generated a nationwide expression of sympathy for the plight of Antelope.

Between 1981 and 1985, the followers of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh built a substantial utopia on Easter Oregon. At its peak it housed between 2,000 and 3,000 residents along with a number of visitors and students. Their efforts to achieve independence by controlling local government units such as the town of Antelope and Wasco County often by undemocratic and illegal methods caused the community to be viewed negatively by Oregon residents. By 1985 legal action by the State, pressure by environmental groups, negative publicity and deportation of the Bhagwan by the U.S. Government brought an end to the experiment.

Extent

9.75 linear feet (10 containers)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Margaret Hill was mayor of Antelope, Oregon until she was voted out of office and the city government was taken over by the Rajneesh sect. She was one of the first to sound the alarm about the undemocratic methods of the cult and generated a nationwide expression of sympathy for the plight of Antelope.

Arrangement

Material within this collection may have little to no intellectual or physical arrangement. Any arrangement may have derived from the records' creators or custodians. It may be necessary to look in multiple places for the same types of materials.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated by Margaret Hill.

Related Materials

Other collections relating to Margaret Hill at Special Collections and University Archives include: Rajneesh Legal Services Corporation, Coll 260; Bill Bowerman papers, UA 003; The Bulletin [Bend] Newspaper subject files about Rajneeshpuram, Coll 281; Win McCormack collection on Rajneeshpuram, Coll 406; Ronald Clarke collection on Rajneesh, Coll 407.

Processing Information

Collection processed by Richard Yates.

This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.