This is the second of two Ennis Creek murals painted by Corey Ench on the building that houses the Feiro Marine Life Center in Port Angeles. This one, set in 1889, portrays a group of early Port Angeles settlers, a utopian group called the Puget Sound Cooperative Colony. Hoping to improve their world, its founders were responsible for many Port Angeles firsts. They built the first Port Angeles opera house, many of the first local Christian churches and the first schoolhouse. The steam shipyard and lumber mill depicted in this mural were also the work of the Cooperative.
Although the Cooperative disbanded after ten years many of its members remained in Port Angeles and contributed to its development.
Both murals are nicely done. Here is a closer look at some of the detail work. The murals were completed in 1997.
Wonderful paintings of a bygone era.
Wow — these murals are on the side of a building?! Nice. That would’ve been a very interesting process to observe. I wonder how the murals are treated to handle the weather conditions — they look good.
There were many of these rather utopian groups in this country in the 19th century, but most, I think, were found in upstate New York. I hadn’t heard about this one, which sounds more solid and more focused on community rather than individual salvation.
The murals are truly beautiful and very descriptive.
The detail in this mural’s incredible.
Very nice murals! The colours and the details are awesome!
Oh, how I love the detail of the woman reading!!
These are terrific. They are quite lifelike. Some of these utopian groups demanded celibacy and wondered why members wandered off the reservation after a little while.