Museum the New Llano Colony



Merchandising
General Store, Filling Station, Coffee Shop, Candy Factory


"Vernon Parish Democrat", April 24, 1920

"The Snowflake Bakery at the Colony has bought out the Leesville Bakery and is now doing business on a large scale. There are maney [sic] old patrons who will be glad to see the famous Dixie Pride bread and pastry on the market once more."


"Vernon Parish Democrat", January 20, 1921

"The bakery has been getting big orders for French pastry from the Leesville trade, and Comrade Valek and Schad are kept busy baking enough to supply the demand."

"Lindsey was preparing shipments of syrup and sweet potatoes. ... A crate of spuds and syrup goes to Kate O'Hare and the Appeal office. We are having many calls for our surplus products, especially brooms and syrup.

Comrade G. Thomas butchered a hog for Stevens' market at Leesville and also supplied them with a quarter of beef."


"Vernon Parish Democrat", November 24, 1921

"Make it a Llano Xmas; Send Llano Products to Your Friends -- The Llano Co-operative Colony will dispose of its surplus products, and it asks those who are loyal to the ideals of co-operation, and who are in touch with others who are co-operators, to make these products better known.

The Llano Products now consist of Peanut Butter; Peanut Candies (made from Llano Peanuts and Llano Sugar Cane Syrup); Llano Sugar-Cane Syrup; Llano-Grown Sweet Potatoes; Llano Brooms; Pictures, Books, etc.

As a special inducement, during the Holiday Season, the Llano Colony is offering a Special Christmas Crate, containing some Llano products. This crate will go forward by Express and weighs in total about 50 lbs. This Christmas Crate Will Make A Splendid Gift To Your Co-operator Friends; they will enjoy the Llano Products... Special Holiday Price, The Crate, f.o.b. here $3.00."

Dixie Pride Brooms -- Llano products, selling from 50 cents to $1.50. A splendid broom at 75 cents, good enough for any home and equal to any at $1.25. Can be prepared for mailing parcel post, and weighs about 3 lbs. Or order a dozen by express for your friends. Makes a useful and unique Christmas present to your married friends.

Other Llano Offers

'Progress and Plenty' by James S. Paton. A new book of great value, dealing with currency reform, and offering a solution for present-day problems. Bound in cloth to sell at $1.00. Llano price 50 cents, postage 10 cents.

'Health Through Natural Forces' by Dr. John De Quer. A full treatise on common diseases and how to prevent them and methods of natural cure. A plain, common-sense way of getting well and keeping fit. A product of Llano's printshop. 50 cents, postage 10 cents.

'A Girl That's Different' by George E. Cantrell. A little Llano sketch, presenting in contrast the psychology of Llano's girls as against the usual world product. Price 10 cents.

A Nice Christmas Offer -- A year's subscription to the Llano Publications -- The Colony News (monthly) and the Llano Colonist (weekly) -- both for $2.00 for one year. Send your co-operator friend both papers for one year, and you will have done something toward attaining the goal - the co-operative commonwealth.

Llano's Pictures Make Nice Reminders -- Real photographs of Llano's activities - sixty to choose from - 10 cents each. $1.00 for a dozen.


"Llano Colonist", May 6, 1922

"Joe Valek has combined the bakery and dairy routes and delivers both at once."


"Llano Colonist", July 15, 1922

"Daddy Bell, Harry's dad as well as ours, is waiting store again, along with Mrs. Sanders. The jeweler, Comrade Harris, has his bench at the store and work there whenever needed and when there is no more important work to be done."


"Llano Colonist", July 29, 1922

"Fread and Goldman are making a body for a new bakery wagon as we expect soon to have two wagons on the road."


"Llano Colonist", August 26, 1922

"The bakery business has grown to such a size that we need another good baker and our two drivers are kept busy every day on their respective routes. H. Bell and Walter Conlin are sure busy, dealing out bread and pastry, while the bakery boys are unable to supply the demands."


"Llano Colonist", October 14, 1922

"H. Bell and Walter Fread have stuck up a partnership in selling Llano goods to our neighbors. They use one of our bakery cars, and sell brooms, rice, peanut butter and supplies from the bakery -- pies, cakes, bread, cookies, and other good things to eat."


"Llano Colonist", November 25, 1922

"Five Hundred Crates Pay For Four Tons of Hay -- Exchange Helps Many Vernon Farmers to Buy Colony Products -- Five hundred sweet potato crates were delivered to a farmer near the Colony one day this week, and the truck that took the crates to him brot [sic] back part of the four tons of velvet beans baled hay which is his payment for the crates. Not a cent in cash changed hands. Each party to the transaction received value in full, and no middleman took toll either way. It is an example of the workings of the Farmers' Exchange.

Llano men make brick, crates and many other things. Vernon Parish farmers grow corn, sweet potatoes, and hay. They make cane syrup. The Exchange brings the producers together and they trade without loss, exploitation, or unnecessary expense. Although the Exchange is a new institution, it is meeting with general favor...

The exchange of labor is also a part of the service rendered. Farmers bring their plows to be sharpened, wagons to be repaired, and mules to be shod. Frequently they bring syrup, corn, or sweet potatoes as payment.

One farmer brought in 17 gallons of syrup, and will bring in additional amounts. These are in payment for brick. A Colony brick-layer will go out and build a fire place and chimney.

The development of the exchange means that the Colony will be able to exchange services and labor products in an increasing quantity. while the farmers of the parish will have the opportunity to exchange their products for things they need, and be assured of a fair and square deal."


"Llano Colonist", December 9, 1922

"Llano can offer you a few of its own entirely PURE food products which have not been devitalized and if you value your health... you will use Llano products, especially when they cost no more than the inferior article...

With an assortment of Llano Pure Food Products and the addition of green vegetables and fruits, you can live a sane, healthy life.

Llano Colony is blazing the trail of a new saner, healthier method of living. Adulterated food is the result of the profit-making system. Llano is abolishing this system in the colony, and so pure foods for their nutritive and health-giving qualities are a result.

These PURE FOODS are offered to YOU at almost the same prices that you may get the inferior articles at the big mail-order houses. Why, then, should you continue to put poisin and trash into your stomach? We know that transportation is high, but your saving in sickness, your improved vitality and the pleasure of knowing that you are eating pure food, made and shipped to you by YOUR COMRADES is ample compensation...

Last year Llano offered a sample crate of Llano goods produced by the co-operators, and we are offering a similar crate again.

Here is a substantial sample of Llano's PURE FOOD products, put up in one shipment at prices below the mail order houses: 56 lbs. Llano Sweet Potatoes - $1.25; 20 lbs. Llano Un-polished Rice - $1.00; 4 lbs. Llano Peanut Butter - $1.00; 2 gallons Sugar Cane Syrup - $2.00; 2 lbs. Llano Peanut Candy - $.40; Total $5.65; Weight about 100 pounds when crated. Order a crate by express or by freight."


"Llano Colonist", April 8, 1933 (Story of Llano)

"[In April 1925] the new Industrial Building was about completed and most of the departments for which it was planned were operating in it... The office was in the new building with all the most important records. The store was there, with a stock of upwards of $4,000 of merchandise. The garage, machine shop and tin shop were housed there; and it was the center of the creative activity of the industrial section.

Then, on the evening of April 14th, at about 8 o'clock, the word was suddenly given that the Industrial Building was on fire... But little could be saved out of the furnace heat; and in the excitement that always accompanies a fire, those who might have saved the records of the colony's years of experience suddenly discovered that they had been carrying out relatively unimportant things.

When Cuno came forward with $1,000 as the first contribution to the rebuilding of the structure and its equipment, it found an instant response in the optimism of the management and the membership; and within a week, the cleaned brick from the burned building was being used to complete the ice plant...

On May 15 the work was definitely started on reconstructing the building which had been destroyed. But the urgency was so great for the industrial plants, that it was decided to make it of a one-story building for the time being."


"Llano Colonist", April 28, 1928

"One of the most important things being done here at this time is the re-building of our industrial building. This building is 50 x 120 feet, located on the state highway and about a city block from the K.C.S. depot. We are only running it up one story high so that we can get moved into it soon where we can again establish our store, machine shop and garage in separate parts of this brick structure. No doubt, later on we will put at least one more story on it when we have more time and more men to do the work... Comrade Turner is building approaches to the gas and oil station in front of the building so that cars can be served from either side of the pump."

"May be you don't know that we need this building very much, but we do. In the front of it the store will be located as it was before. The back of it will be used for our mechanical work."


"Llano Colonist", June 22, 1929

"Uncle Paul McCombs, wife and Ruth Kingsbury have been quite busy the past few days renovating the two north rooms at the bakery in readiness for the establishment of Llano's new industry - a candy factory - evidently Uncle Paul intends sweetening this bunch up a bit. All day suckers' first, Uncle Paul."


"Llano Colonist", October 12, 1929

"In the candy factory Mrs. Busick and Mr. Miller are concocting a tempting variety of sweets. Chocolate, Strawberry and Vanilla Jap bars are being wrapped and boxed in readiness for the salesman to deliver.


"Llano Colonist", December 16, 1933

"The construction of the new filling station north of the tourist camp, has been completed, and the equipment will soon be installed, so that the operation of this place will be only a matter of a short time."


"Llano Colonist", March 31, 1934

"The finishing touches have been put on the filling station. It has been painted, some evergreens planted in appropriate spots about it and everything is apparently ready to start active operations in serving the public. Here again we hope ere long to have our own oil well and refine our own oil, which will enable us to fuel our machines and the power plant at a fraction of the cost to which we have been put for years past. This will be another case of producing for use rather than for profit, which is the only way to end vast accumulations of wealth by the few, and a bare existence for the many."

"Now they are putting the priming coat on the new filling and service station. It's to be a study in black and white, those being the colors affected by the company that deals in that kind of oil. The tall oil pump in front now in protective drapery like the Statue of Liberty, is black and white, and so must all else be about the place." "With eleven articles now on the market, prepared in our chemical laboratory, our manufacturing chemist, Peter Glavincheff and his able assistant, Comrade Richards, are getting well under way with their enterprise. Today they are in Leesville making arrangements with the merchants there to handle more of our products. At the present time three stores are already stocking our antiseptic mouthwash, flavoring extracts, glycerine and bed-bug destroyer. The next step will be to get them into the stores of all the towns and cities north and south of us, and then spread our territory as extensively and rapidly as facilities will permit."

The store was first housed in this building, one of our few surviving structures, along with the US Post Office and more.
The store was first housed in this building, one of our few surviving structures, along with the US Post Office and more.
The new Industrial building with the store in the front and garage in the back; offices and sewing rooms were upstairs. This building burned within months of completion; colonists lost the building and stock, tools and supplies, and most of their records. They were only able to rebuild the lower floor which housed the store and coffee shop in the front and garage / machine shop in the rear.
The new Industrial building with the store in the front and garage in the back; offices and sewing rooms were upstairs. This building burned within months of completion; colonists lost the building and stock, tools and supplies, and most of their records. They were only able to rebuild the lower floor which housed the store and coffee shop in the front and garage / machine shop in the rear."
The new industrial building razed by fire (1925).
The new industrial building razed by fire (1925).
(R to L) Store/Industrial building (rebuilt with only one floor), Barber Shop, Blacksmith Shop and Shoe Repair Shop.
(R to L) Store/Industrial building (rebuilt with only one floor), Barber Shop, Blacksmith Shop and Shoe Repair Shop.
Advertisement for Colony Made Products. Clipping from the Vernon Parish Democrat dated June 5, 1920.
Advertisement for Colony Made Products. Clipping from the "Vernon Parish Democrat" dated June 5, 1920.
Advertisement for Llano-Made Candies for Mother's Day. Clipping from the Llano Colonist dated May 9, 1931.
Advertisement for Llano-Made Candies for Mother's Day. Clipping from the "Llano Colonist" dated May 9, 1931.
Advertisement for Appetizing Lunches. Clipping from the Vernon Parish Democrat dated October 17, 1929.
Advertisement for Appetizing Lunches. Clipping from the "Vernon Parish Democrat" dated October 17, 1929.


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