Ken Kesey's Farm, as a Space, Throughout the Years

Space - "The spatial perspective, and answering the question of “where,” encompasses more than just static locations on a map. Often, answering the question of “where” relates to movement across space. Diffusion refers to the spreading of something from one place to another, and might relate to the physical movement of people or the spread of disease, or the diffusion of ideas, technology, or other intangible phenomena. Diffusion occurs for different reasons and at different rates. Just as static features of culture and the physical landscape can be mapped, geographers can also map the spread of various characteristics or ideas to study how they interact and change." [4]

Ken Kesey was an author, activist, and 1960s countercultural pioneer. In addition to general artistry, Kesey is best known for his composition of "One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest" and being the charismatic leader of the Merry Pranksters, presented by Tom Wolfe in the famous novel The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test [3]. In 1969 Ken Kesey inherited a large piece of land that would serve as a music venue, dairy creamery, artist retreat, and a symbolic expression of the thriving counterculture in the Pacific Northwest United States and a firm reflection of "Humbead's Map of the World" [5, p. 60].

After serving a prison sentence in 1965 and living in California for a handful of years, Kesey moved to Oregon to live on the Kesey family farm, a piece of land that Kesey would inherit in 1969. [5, p. 59].

• 1969 - After Ken Kesey's prison sentence for cannabis and evading arrest, Kesey moves to the Kesey family farm and inherits the land. Kesey begins to share the land communally with his brother-in-law, sister-in-law and extended Merry Prankster "Family". The Merry Pranksters, aboard the infamous Furthur, embark on a voyage to Kesey's farm and extend the reach of extend their family "forge" [5, p. 59].

• 1970 - Kesey's farm begins operations as "The Springfield Creamery". The Creamery begins joint operations by Ken's brother-in-law and sister-in-law. The Creamery specializes in Nancy's Honey Yogurt, with a label designed by the Merry Pranksters. [5, p. 59]

• 1972 - The Springfield Creamery begins to struggle economically as local school districts, who held the creamery's long standing contracts, pull out of deals. The school districts made this choice due to "hippies" and increased skepticism amid " new fangled electric" yogurt cultures. [5 p. 59]

With the Creamery in danger of going bankrupt, Ken Kesey and the Grateful Dead hold a benefit. The benefit would come to be known as the "Sunshine Daydream" Grateful Dead show.

The show was a point of convergence for Americana and American "hippie" culture. The Oregon Renaissance Faire in Veneta was held in the same area as the benefit, thus, cultural trade between American psychedelia and Pacific Northwest "genuine wood-living freaks" established long-lasting cultural effects on Americana memory. For example, modern association between psychedelia and "farm fresh foods", crystals, and homeopathy is largely due to the convergence between psychedelia and Renaissance culture at the 1972 benefit.

Upwards of 20,000 folks gathered to watch the Grateful Dead perform to save the family Creamery. The music would go down in Grateful Dead history and the dairy farm would be saved. By the end of the benefit, the farm had raised $13,000. [5, p. 62]

"The backstory reads like a psychedelic exploitation musical: small town hippies market new fangled organic yogurt, run afoul of the squares, need to save the family farm, call in the Dead. And that's exactly whats playing out on this insane sweltering day here in the field with all these naked tripping people" [5, p. 59]

Ultimately, the farm has been a home to host folks like Allen Ginsberg, Gary Fisher (the inventor of the Mountain Bike), and the Grateful Dead. [1] In the present day, Kesey Farm is a registered non-profit organization. College students makeup the space at Kesey's farm now.

The primary focuses of Kesey Farm now include

• Writing and Poetry Summer Workshops
• Experimental and Creative Teaching Training [6]

Environment

• The Jessie Jarnow writes,

"It is a different America here, a wide open and complete product of a peace loving, postcolonial, psychedelic culture that for the past decade has staked increasing claims on portions of the tangible continent. And the day's music is the most complete rendition yet of this developing psychedelic ritual, helping to further consecrate this specific patch of land." [5, p. 58]