Subject: Agricultural Colonies

Pamphlet published in London by Stephens, Hayter & Co. in 1882. This first edition, authored by Stanwood J. Menken, details the establishment and subsequent failure of the first Russian Jewish agricultural colony in the United States, located in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana. The colony, established in 1881 with the aid of the Hebrew Foreign Mission Society of New Orleans and the Hebrew Emigrant Aid Society, was ultimately destroyed by Mississippi River flooding in the spring of 1882. The pamphlet discusses the colony's founding, financial backing from various organizations including the Alliance Israélite Universelle, the colonists' origins in Kiev and Elizabethgrad, Russia, and the devastating impact of the flood. The pamphlet also mentions the concurrent publication of a German-language edition in Frankfurt a/Main, suggesting an attempt to garner financial support from both English and German Jewish communities. The pamphlet shows signs of prior library ownership and some minor wear.

An authentic antique map of North Dakota published by Rand, McNally & Co. in 1892, from their enlarged Business Atlas. The map is very detailed, showing the "Entire Railroad System" with different railroads color-coded in red and green lines and dots. It includes significant historical context, specifically highlighting the area where Ben Zion (also known as Benzion), a Jewish colony established in 1883, was located in Ramsey County near Devils Lake. This colony, later known as Garske, North Dakota, was a successful Jewish farming settlement with 90 Jewish men and women filing land claims. The map reflects the state of the region before the colony's eventual dispersion by the mid-1920s. The map features a centerfold as issued and is described as a large, beautiful, and detailed piece valuable for railroad enthusiasts and those interested in historical Jewish settlements.