At the commune of Lower Farm one Donald Waskey[3][4][5] called himself Ulysses, claiming to be the reincarnation of Ulysses S. Grant.[5] He also claimed to be the reincarnation of Vulcan and Jesus Christ.[6] He made a tongue-in-cheek attempt to run for governor of New Mexico in 1969,[7] and murdered two people[3][4][6] in 1970.[7] He was the commune's self-proclaimed leader.[3]
In the late 1960s or early 1970s, due to problems at Lower Farm, several couples left and founded Tawapa[8] along Las Huertas Creek.[1] Many people, especially youth, settled in Tawapa in the 1970s. The commune grew by word of mouth and through magazine articles.[2] They constructed houses there.[1] The commune appeared on a map of hippie communes, drawing more people.[8] Several other communes were founded in the area, such as Sun Farm[9] and Dome Valley.[2] The people living in Tawapa claimed adverse possession over the land.[1] However, they were ultimately evicted by people holding legal title.[1] Housing developments in the 1990s forced people to leave Tawapa.[10]
Later, environmental damage was caused by the increasing number of houses, as well as groundwater mining.[11][12][13] The spring mostly ran dry, while Sun Farm experienced a water shortage in the late 2010s and early 2020s.[11][12]
