1 00:00:01,367 --> 00:00:02,767 [narrator] In Peru, a remote island 2 00:00:02,767 --> 00:00:05,066 besieged by a violent revolution. 3 00:00:05,967 --> 00:00:07,200 With the world watching, 4 00:00:07,367 --> 00:00:09,667 this group chose their moment to strike. 5 00:00:11,567 --> 00:00:13,667 A peaceful refuge in Nevada 6 00:00:13,834 --> 00:00:16,767 that offered hope to its occupants. 7 00:00:16,934 --> 00:00:19,667 [Rose] This place attracted women from across the country 8 00:00:19,834 --> 00:00:21,200 in search of a better life. 9 00:00:24,300 --> 00:00:25,667 And in France, 10 00:00:25,667 --> 00:00:30,266 a worker's paradise seized by an invading force. 11 00:00:30,433 --> 00:00:33,000 [Auerbach] Facing annihilation, they didn't give in, 12 00:00:33,166 --> 00:00:34,867 but instead turned to resistance. 13 00:00:46,100 --> 00:00:50,200 Off the Peruvian coast, a remote island tells the story 14 00:00:50,367 --> 00:00:53,567 of a country held captive by fear. 15 00:00:55,100 --> 00:00:57,500 [mysterious music playing] 16 00:00:59,967 --> 00:01:01,567 [Dr. Nusbacher] We can see buildings here. 17 00:01:01,734 --> 00:01:03,200 They have not been looked after. 18 00:01:03,367 --> 00:01:06,166 They've not been properly used in a very long time. 19 00:01:07,467 --> 00:01:10,266 [Gutierrez-Romine] In one of the roofless structures, we can find 20 00:01:10,433 --> 00:01:13,200 crumbling remains of tables and benches. 21 00:01:14,100 --> 00:01:16,900 Perhaps this had some type of institutional purpose. 22 00:01:18,700 --> 00:01:21,400 Take a closer look, and you start to see evidence 23 00:01:21,567 --> 00:01:26,166 that any people who resided here did not do so by choice. 24 00:01:27,100 --> 00:01:30,567 Bars on the windows and the remote island location 25 00:01:30,734 --> 00:01:32,867 expose this site's true purpose. 26 00:01:34,266 --> 00:01:36,300 This is a bit like Alcatraz. 27 00:01:36,467 --> 00:01:39,100 This is where you're going to put the people 28 00:01:39,100 --> 00:01:41,467 who must never escape. 29 00:01:42,367 --> 00:01:45,700 [Rose] This rocky outpost was designed to house 30 00:01:45,867 --> 00:01:48,066 Peru's most violent offenders. 31 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:52,266 They were members of a militant organization 32 00:01:52,433 --> 00:01:54,500 that terrorized the Peruvian people 33 00:01:54,667 --> 00:01:57,200 in the name of communism. 34 00:01:57,367 --> 00:02:01,767 The Shining Path were well organized all over Peru, 35 00:02:01,767 --> 00:02:04,300 and that included this prison. 36 00:02:04,467 --> 00:02:07,567 It looks as though a full-scale war took place. 37 00:02:08,767 --> 00:02:11,066 -[Tealdo speaking Spanish] -[translator] The terrorists had been preparing 38 00:02:11,233 --> 00:02:12,767 the uprising for months. 39 00:02:12,934 --> 00:02:14,567 They took their weapons, their rifles, 40 00:02:14,734 --> 00:02:17,367 and shouted, "Long live the takeover." 41 00:02:17,367 --> 00:02:20,667 [Dr. Nusbacher] There are hostages being held on this island. 42 00:02:20,667 --> 00:02:23,567 The Peruvian government had to make a decision. 43 00:02:24,467 --> 00:02:27,667 They launched an attack, and what followed 44 00:02:27,667 --> 00:02:28,767 was a massacre. 45 00:02:34,166 --> 00:02:37,367 [Rose] This island was uninhabited for most of its history, 46 00:02:37,533 --> 00:02:40,000 but in the early 20th century, the government found 47 00:02:40,166 --> 00:02:42,166 a perfect use for it -- they built a prison. 48 00:02:43,166 --> 00:02:46,667 [Gutierrez-Romine] Initially, it was just used to house violent criminals, 49 00:02:46,667 --> 00:02:50,567 but in this turbulent world of Peruvian politics, 50 00:02:50,734 --> 00:02:53,166 it was soon the place where political prisoners 51 00:02:53,166 --> 00:02:54,400 were sent to. 52 00:02:56,867 --> 00:03:00,266 Those prisoners were members of a communist organization 53 00:03:00,266 --> 00:03:04,467 called the Shining Path that first formed in the 1970s. 54 00:03:06,100 --> 00:03:08,367 The terrorist group was able to exploit 55 00:03:08,533 --> 00:03:11,467 Peru's poverty-stricken rural population, 56 00:03:11,467 --> 00:03:14,166 who had suffered greatly under a succession 57 00:03:14,166 --> 00:03:18,000 of weak civilian governments and military dictatorships. 58 00:03:19,266 --> 00:03:23,300 [Rose] The Shining Path formed their own communist ideology, 59 00:03:23,467 --> 00:03:25,500 inspired by Chinese Maoism. 60 00:03:25,667 --> 00:03:27,900 They were a highly militant organization 61 00:03:28,066 --> 00:03:29,767 and established a guerrilla army. 62 00:03:33,867 --> 00:03:36,567 Fabrizio Tealdo is a local historian, 63 00:03:36,734 --> 00:03:39,200 familiar with the Shining Path's dramatic rise. 64 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:44,166 -[Tealdo speaking Spanish] -[translator] The group began to take over rural areas, 65 00:03:44,333 --> 00:03:46,667 gradually moving towards cities. 66 00:03:46,667 --> 00:03:49,367 Their goal was to eventually take the capital, 67 00:03:49,367 --> 00:03:53,300 where the centers of state power were located. 68 00:03:55,767 --> 00:03:58,900 By the early 1980s, the Shining Path's ranks 69 00:03:59,066 --> 00:04:01,767 had swelled to around 10,000 members. 70 00:04:02,600 --> 00:04:05,567 Their reign of terror included intimidation, 71 00:04:05,567 --> 00:04:09,100 public executions, and bombings throughout the country. 72 00:04:10,266 --> 00:04:14,166 [Dr. Nusbacher] The ultraviolence of the Shining Path 73 00:04:14,166 --> 00:04:18,500 was designed to frighten the Peruvian people 74 00:04:18,667 --> 00:04:24,667 into shifting their support from Peru as a state 75 00:04:24,834 --> 00:04:26,867 to the Shining Path as a movement. 76 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:30,200 -[Tealdo speaking Spanish] -[translator] They knew how to choose their targets, 77 00:04:30,367 --> 00:04:33,567 and among other tactics, they also selected leaders 78 00:04:33,734 --> 00:04:36,100 for kidnappings and assassinations 79 00:04:36,266 --> 00:04:39,600 to increase their capacity for action. 80 00:04:41,867 --> 00:04:44,667 [Dr. Nusbacher] As the Peruvian government started to succeed 81 00:04:44,834 --> 00:04:46,467 against the Shining Path, 82 00:04:46,467 --> 00:04:50,066 they knew it was very important to separate 83 00:04:50,233 --> 00:04:52,000 the Shining Path members 84 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:55,100 from the general population of Peruvian prisons. 85 00:04:59,867 --> 00:05:04,567 In 1982, the facility here was repurposed to incarcerate 86 00:05:04,734 --> 00:05:07,166 the growing number of Shining Path radicals. 87 00:05:08,567 --> 00:05:11,767 This is El Frontón Prison Island. 88 00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:17,767 [Gutierrez-Romine] By 1986, there were over 160 presumed members 89 00:05:17,934 --> 00:05:21,266 of the Shining Path who were imprisoned at El Frontón. 90 00:05:21,266 --> 00:05:24,834 They were all housed in the Blue Pavilion block. 91 00:05:27,300 --> 00:05:32,867 But segregating the prisoners proved to be a fatal mistake. 92 00:05:32,867 --> 00:05:38,700 [Dr. Nusbacher] The Peruvian government were creating the ideal conditions 93 00:05:38,867 --> 00:05:42,700 for a new revolutionary cell on this little island, 94 00:05:42,867 --> 00:05:46,367 only five miles away from Lima, the capital of Peru. 95 00:05:47,300 --> 00:05:50,900 At 6 AM on June 18th, 1986, 96 00:05:51,066 --> 00:05:54,467 prison guards opened up the cells of the ground floor 97 00:05:54,633 --> 00:05:56,367 of the Blue Pavilion block. 98 00:05:57,667 --> 00:05:59,667 But suddenly, they rushed the guards, 99 00:05:59,834 --> 00:06:01,066 taking them by surprise 100 00:06:01,233 --> 00:06:03,100 and attacking them with homemade weapons. 101 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:07,300 -[Tealdo speaking Spanish] -[translator] The terrorists had daggers, crossbows, 102 00:06:07,467 --> 00:06:10,467 and even small bazookas. 103 00:06:11,367 --> 00:06:13,100 [Dr. Nusbacher] They took hostages. 104 00:06:13,100 --> 00:06:15,600 Rapidly, they controlled the prison. 105 00:06:15,767 --> 00:06:18,467 Rapidly, they controlled the island. 106 00:06:20,767 --> 00:06:23,066 The Peruvian government soon discovered 107 00:06:23,233 --> 00:06:27,467 that the El Frontón takeover was part of a much bigger plan. 108 00:06:28,567 --> 00:06:31,166 [Gutierrez-Romine] On the same day, members of the Shining Path 109 00:06:31,166 --> 00:06:33,600 had rioted in various other prisons 110 00:06:33,767 --> 00:06:35,000 throughout the country. 111 00:06:36,100 --> 00:06:38,867 This was a coordinated operation. 112 00:06:40,266 --> 00:06:43,200 [Rose] This all took place when President Alan García 113 00:06:43,367 --> 00:06:46,166 was hosting an international congress in Lima. 114 00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:52,266 [Dr. Nusbacher] This was an act of propaganda to humiliate 115 00:06:52,433 --> 00:06:56,300 the Peruvian government in front of the whole world. 116 00:06:58,767 --> 00:07:02,200 Armed police were immediately sent out to El Frontón, 117 00:07:02,367 --> 00:07:04,767 and a negotiating team tried to communicate 118 00:07:04,934 --> 00:07:07,967 with the rebels using loudspeakers. 119 00:07:08,133 --> 00:07:12,166 Holding three prison guards as hostages for leverage, 120 00:07:12,166 --> 00:07:14,367 they issued a long list of demands 121 00:07:14,533 --> 00:07:16,600 that included better prison conditions. 122 00:07:16,767 --> 00:07:19,000 -[Tealdo speaking Spanish] -[translator] At two in the afternoon, 123 00:07:19,166 --> 00:07:20,667 the peace commission arrives. 124 00:07:20,667 --> 00:07:23,567 However, no agreement is reached. 125 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:28,166 [Dr. Nusbacher] It becomes very clear to the Peruvian government 126 00:07:28,166 --> 00:07:32,000 that they're going to have to use military force 127 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:33,667 against this island. 128 00:07:34,567 --> 00:07:36,400 This was no easy task. 129 00:07:36,567 --> 00:07:39,000 The rioters had smuggled in dynamite, 130 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:40,567 they had gotten guns from the guards, 131 00:07:40,734 --> 00:07:42,567 and they'd even made their own crossbows. 132 00:07:43,700 --> 00:07:46,700 -[Tealdo speaking Spanish] -[translator] We're at the point where the military began 133 00:07:46,867 --> 00:07:51,100 the counterattack, around 5:15 PM. 134 00:07:51,100 --> 00:07:55,000 Here, we can see how important it was to take this high point, 135 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:56,867 which provides a direct line of sight 136 00:07:57,033 --> 00:07:58,900 to attack the Blue Pavilion. 137 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:03,066 Throughout the night, the military pounded 138 00:08:03,233 --> 00:08:05,400 the Blue Pavilion with heavy gunfire. 139 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:10,100 But their initial attacks were repelled by inmates 140 00:08:10,100 --> 00:08:14,000 who fired back at them and threw explosives in retaliation. 141 00:08:15,500 --> 00:08:17,100 [Rose] With the attack failing, 142 00:08:17,100 --> 00:08:19,767 the president took an extreme step. 143 00:08:19,934 --> 00:08:24,166 He issued a supreme decree declaring the prison island 144 00:08:24,166 --> 00:08:26,100 a restricted military zone. 145 00:08:27,467 --> 00:08:30,066 This enabled President García to ban civilian 146 00:08:30,233 --> 00:08:32,767 and judicial authorities from the island. 147 00:08:32,767 --> 00:08:36,266 That meant the world would not see what happened next. 148 00:08:36,433 --> 00:08:39,567 The consequences were swift and brutal. 149 00:08:39,567 --> 00:08:42,567 The Peruvian government would wreak their revenge 150 00:08:42,734 --> 00:08:44,367 on the prisoners at El Frontón. 151 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:52,767 On June 18th, 1986, 152 00:08:52,767 --> 00:08:56,600 El Frontón Prison Island was seized by inmates who belonged 153 00:08:56,767 --> 00:08:58,800 to the Shining Path terrorist group. 154 00:08:59,900 --> 00:09:02,800 The Peruvian military acted decisively 155 00:09:02,967 --> 00:09:04,467 to contain the situation. 156 00:09:07,867 --> 00:09:10,500 Government troops were able to rain down 157 00:09:10,667 --> 00:09:13,100 artillery shells onto the defenses 158 00:09:13,266 --> 00:09:15,200 that the prisoners had established. 159 00:09:16,166 --> 00:09:17,500 [Dr. Nusbacher] In the Blue Pavilion, 160 00:09:17,667 --> 00:09:19,867 the structure is starting to go to pieces. 161 00:09:19,867 --> 00:09:21,867 and the Shining Path 162 00:09:22,033 --> 00:09:23,500 are going to move into the cellar. 163 00:09:25,467 --> 00:09:28,867 2 PM on June 18th, the remaining inmates 164 00:09:28,867 --> 00:09:31,100 shouted out that they wanted to surrender. 165 00:09:32,967 --> 00:09:36,467 By now, only around 30 of the Shining Path prisoners 166 00:09:36,633 --> 00:09:38,367 were still alive. 167 00:09:38,367 --> 00:09:41,300 Over 100 had already perished in the battle. 168 00:09:42,867 --> 00:09:46,200 But there was an even greater retribution to follow, 169 00:09:46,367 --> 00:09:48,900 the shocking truth of which would not be revealed 170 00:09:49,066 --> 00:09:50,867 for many years. 171 00:09:52,266 --> 00:09:55,667 -[Tealdo speaking Spanish] -[translator] They surrender, but the story doesn't end there. 172 00:09:55,667 --> 00:09:58,967 They are brought in groups of five to this beach area 173 00:09:59,133 --> 00:10:01,200 to be executed. 174 00:10:02,867 --> 00:10:05,266 [Gutierrez-Romine] Their bodies were disposed in the trenches 175 00:10:05,266 --> 00:10:09,333 below the pavilion, covered in gasoline and burned. 176 00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:13,867 [Rose] In the aftermath of the massacre, 177 00:10:14,033 --> 00:10:15,700 witnesses came forward. 178 00:10:15,867 --> 00:10:19,100 The military's actions came under increasing scrutiny. 179 00:10:20,367 --> 00:10:23,166 [Tealdo speaking Spanish] 180 00:10:23,166 --> 00:10:26,367 [translator] And despite the various trials using testimonies 181 00:10:26,367 --> 00:10:30,166 from survivors -- survivors who among the piled-up bodies 182 00:10:30,166 --> 00:10:33,467 numbered five, if I'm not mistaken, 183 00:10:33,467 --> 00:10:37,000 only two of those have provided testimonies. 184 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:40,967 And despite this, the events have not been fully clarified, 185 00:10:41,133 --> 00:10:44,667 and investigations are still ongoing. 186 00:10:50,066 --> 00:10:53,800 [Gutierrez-Romine] The conflict with Shining Path eventually came to an end 187 00:10:53,967 --> 00:10:56,066 around the year 2000. 188 00:10:56,233 --> 00:10:58,567 It left some 70,000 people dead. 189 00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:03,800 El Frontón's haunting remains now serve as a grim reminder 190 00:11:03,967 --> 00:11:07,100 of one of Peru's most troubled and violent eras. 191 00:11:12,767 --> 00:11:16,667 In southern Nevada, on the edge of Las Vegas, 192 00:11:16,667 --> 00:11:19,000 a scenic park contains the remnants 193 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:21,166 of a revolutionary sanctuary. 194 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:27,500 [Gutierrez-Romine] From the sky, this place stands out 195 00:11:27,667 --> 00:11:29,567 as a lush, green oasis. 196 00:11:30,667 --> 00:11:34,900 Set against the backdrop of this dusty, dry desert. 197 00:11:35,900 --> 00:11:38,667 [Meigs] We can see a cluster of white buildings 198 00:11:38,834 --> 00:11:43,100 with a vaguely Spanish style, like a ranch or a hacienda. 199 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:46,867 Smaller structures dotted around the site 200 00:11:46,867 --> 00:11:51,166 suggest this was a place where people once resided. 201 00:11:51,333 --> 00:11:53,767 [Meigs] When you look in these rooms, they're kind of time capsules 202 00:11:53,767 --> 00:11:55,367 of the mid 20th century. 203 00:11:55,367 --> 00:12:00,166 You see wood paneling, pink tile in the bathrooms, 204 00:12:00,333 --> 00:12:02,367 kitchens that look like something 205 00:12:02,367 --> 00:12:05,266 out of the "I Love Lucy" show. 206 00:12:05,433 --> 00:12:07,867 The question is, who were these buildings for? 207 00:12:09,266 --> 00:12:12,467 So this is a part of Las Vegas history that many people 208 00:12:12,633 --> 00:12:15,200 are not aware of, including locals. 209 00:12:15,367 --> 00:12:17,667 This is a place that offered women a freedom 210 00:12:17,834 --> 00:12:20,567 they did not have access to before. 211 00:12:20,567 --> 00:12:23,867 Las Vegas has always been famous for the quickie wedding, 212 00:12:23,867 --> 00:12:26,800 but this place tells a different side of the story. 213 00:12:26,967 --> 00:12:29,200 And it wasn't long before major celebrities 214 00:12:29,367 --> 00:12:32,500 started coming to Nevada to stay at sites like this. 215 00:12:34,967 --> 00:12:36,700 [intriguing music playing] 216 00:12:38,367 --> 00:12:42,066 Dr. Diane Siebrandt is a Historic Preservation Officer 217 00:12:42,233 --> 00:12:43,767 for the City of Las Vegas. 218 00:12:44,767 --> 00:12:46,767 Her job is to protect 219 00:12:46,934 --> 00:12:49,700 culturally important sites like this. 220 00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:52,967 Many people believe that 221 00:12:53,900 --> 00:12:57,266 Las Vegas history starts and ends with gambling, 222 00:12:57,433 --> 00:13:00,300 but there was another tourist industry 223 00:13:00,467 --> 00:13:02,000 that is less well-known. 224 00:13:03,667 --> 00:13:07,100 This property was a major part of that industry, 225 00:13:07,266 --> 00:13:10,166 and its origins are closely connected to the creation 226 00:13:10,333 --> 00:13:11,633 of Las Vegas itself. 227 00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:17,200 [Meigs] Today, we think of Las Vegas as a huge city of glitz 228 00:13:17,367 --> 00:13:21,066 and shameless wealth, but 100 years ago, 229 00:13:21,233 --> 00:13:25,100 it was a little rough and ready outpost in the desert, 230 00:13:25,266 --> 00:13:26,867 a place for travelers to stop 231 00:13:27,033 --> 00:13:29,767 in the midst of a grueling journey. 232 00:13:29,767 --> 00:13:31,867 This all changed with the construction 233 00:13:31,867 --> 00:13:33,967 of the Hoover Dam in the 1930s. 234 00:13:34,867 --> 00:13:36,867 [Meigs] This was America's biggest engineering project 235 00:13:37,033 --> 00:13:38,867 since the Panama Canal, 236 00:13:38,867 --> 00:13:41,600 and it required thousands of workers. 237 00:13:41,767 --> 00:13:44,767 Almost overnight, Las Vegas turned into a boomtown. 238 00:13:46,767 --> 00:13:49,867 At the same time, the impact of the Great Depression 239 00:13:49,867 --> 00:13:51,667 began to hit harder. 240 00:13:51,834 --> 00:13:54,166 And drastic action was needed to stimulate 241 00:13:54,333 --> 00:13:56,200 the state's struggling economy. 242 00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:01,300 On March 19, 1931, the state's governor 243 00:14:01,467 --> 00:14:04,567 signed Assembly Bill 98, which legalized gambling 244 00:14:04,567 --> 00:14:05,867 in the state of Nevada. 245 00:14:07,467 --> 00:14:09,867 One man, who had come to Las Vegas 246 00:14:09,867 --> 00:14:12,166 from the Midwest in 1928, 247 00:14:12,333 --> 00:14:15,166 was quick to capitalize on the liberal new law. 248 00:14:16,700 --> 00:14:18,767 [Dr. Siebrandt] Prosper Goumond was a businessman, 249 00:14:18,934 --> 00:14:21,300 and he, along with other businessmen, 250 00:14:21,467 --> 00:14:23,967 they purchased the Boulder Club, 251 00:14:24,133 --> 00:14:27,100 one of the first of four establishments 252 00:14:27,266 --> 00:14:30,367 that received legalized gambling licenses in Las Vegas. 253 00:14:32,066 --> 00:14:34,867 Goumond made a fortune from his new venture 254 00:14:35,033 --> 00:14:37,266 and quickly looked for additional opportunities 255 00:14:37,266 --> 00:14:38,400 to make money. 256 00:14:39,266 --> 00:14:44,367 In December 1941, he found the perfect place. 257 00:14:44,533 --> 00:14:48,500 [Meigs] Prosper Goumond was a man who could see an opportunity. 258 00:14:48,667 --> 00:14:53,867 He saw that this region of Nevada might be a place 259 00:14:54,033 --> 00:14:55,800 of economic growth. 260 00:14:56,967 --> 00:14:59,066 He invested in a huge piece of property 261 00:14:59,233 --> 00:15:02,367 around these natural springs and this natural oasis 262 00:15:02,533 --> 00:15:03,500 in the desert. 263 00:15:04,867 --> 00:15:07,166 He developed this site from empty fields 264 00:15:07,333 --> 00:15:10,367 to a successful working ranch known as Tule Springs. 265 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:14,567 But soon, this site would be transformed 266 00:15:14,734 --> 00:15:16,867 into a prime vacation spot. 267 00:15:18,767 --> 00:15:20,600 So it initially was a working ranch, 268 00:15:20,767 --> 00:15:23,767 but it started taking on guests as a dude ranch. 269 00:15:24,967 --> 00:15:27,567 [Meigs] This was a time when America was fascinated 270 00:15:27,734 --> 00:15:29,400 by all things Western. 271 00:15:29,567 --> 00:15:33,567 So the notion of a dude ranch, a place where you could go 272 00:15:33,567 --> 00:15:37,367 and ride horses and spend time side by side 273 00:15:37,367 --> 00:15:39,266 with real working cowboys, 274 00:15:39,433 --> 00:15:41,400 and maybe even come home with a cowboy hat. 275 00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:47,767 Although families seeking an authentic Western experience 276 00:15:47,934 --> 00:15:49,533 were not the only guests. 277 00:15:50,266 --> 00:15:54,200 [Gutierrez-Romine] If you were staying at Tule Springs Ranch in the 1940s, 278 00:15:54,367 --> 00:15:58,967 you wouldn't just see cowboys and horses roaming around. 279 00:15:59,133 --> 00:16:02,367 You'd probably also see a few glamorous young women. 280 00:16:04,467 --> 00:16:05,667 The reason they were here 281 00:16:05,834 --> 00:16:07,667 was because of a piece of legislation 282 00:16:07,667 --> 00:16:11,867 passed on the same day gambling was legalized in 1931. 283 00:16:13,100 --> 00:16:15,100 This new law introduced the concept 284 00:16:15,100 --> 00:16:16,867 of a quickie divorce. 285 00:16:17,033 --> 00:16:18,667 And to qualify, all you had to do 286 00:16:18,834 --> 00:16:23,300 was become a resident of Nevada and live there for six weeks. 287 00:16:23,467 --> 00:16:25,900 [Dr. Siebrandt] But you also had to have witnesses that attested 288 00:16:26,066 --> 00:16:29,300 that you had stayed in the same place for six weeks. 289 00:16:29,467 --> 00:16:33,200 So Prosper Goumond recognized that opportunity, 290 00:16:33,367 --> 00:16:37,500 and he opened up his ranch to a divorce ranch. 291 00:16:38,500 --> 00:16:42,100 And it wasn't long before even major celebrities 292 00:16:42,100 --> 00:16:44,567 were coming to places just like this. 293 00:16:49,767 --> 00:16:54,900 In 1948, Tule Springs was transformed from a dude ranch 294 00:16:55,066 --> 00:16:56,767 into a divorce ranch. 295 00:16:57,667 --> 00:17:01,667 At this time, ending a marriage was still very taboo 296 00:17:01,667 --> 00:17:04,600 and incredibly difficult to achieve. 297 00:17:04,767 --> 00:17:07,667 Divorce ranches were an attractive option 298 00:17:07,834 --> 00:17:09,266 to speed up the process. 299 00:17:11,667 --> 00:17:14,900 [Meigs] Nevada's liberal divorce law was a dramatic contrast 300 00:17:15,066 --> 00:17:16,767 to most of the rest of the country. 301 00:17:16,934 --> 00:17:19,166 In other states, you'd have to prove 302 00:17:19,333 --> 00:17:20,767 all these difficult things -- 303 00:17:20,934 --> 00:17:23,867 that your husband had abandoned you or that some kind of abuse 304 00:17:23,867 --> 00:17:26,800 had taken place, or various indiscretions. 305 00:17:26,967 --> 00:17:29,567 For women especially, this was a difficult, 306 00:17:29,734 --> 00:17:31,567 arduous legal process. 307 00:17:32,467 --> 00:17:34,867 In Nevada, it was more like what today we would call 308 00:17:35,033 --> 00:17:36,433 a no-fault divorce. 309 00:17:37,066 --> 00:17:40,000 [Dr. Siebrandt] You could claim mental anguish or mental cruelty, 310 00:17:40,166 --> 00:17:43,000 irreconcilable differences, and this allowed the women 311 00:17:43,166 --> 00:17:46,567 to get out of a marriage that perhaps was not healthy. 312 00:17:46,734 --> 00:17:48,767 Nevada openly advertised themselves 313 00:17:48,767 --> 00:17:51,166 as the divorce capital of the U.S. 314 00:17:52,567 --> 00:17:56,967 Tule Springs' rural location made it an appealing choice. 315 00:17:57,133 --> 00:17:59,600 It was still very far from downtown Las Vegas, 316 00:17:59,767 --> 00:18:01,100 so you had your privacy. 317 00:18:01,100 --> 00:18:04,400 And I think that was one of the most important aspects of it. 318 00:18:04,567 --> 00:18:06,467 Women can enjoy themselves and relax before 319 00:18:06,633 --> 00:18:07,567 they get their divorce. 320 00:18:08,600 --> 00:18:10,066 There was a pool here. 321 00:18:10,233 --> 00:18:11,567 They could go fishing. 322 00:18:11,734 --> 00:18:13,266 There was also a shooting range. 323 00:18:15,066 --> 00:18:18,600 Yet, divorce ranches were not an option for all women. 324 00:18:19,900 --> 00:18:22,367 [Gutierrez-Romine] A Nevada divorce required money. 325 00:18:22,533 --> 00:18:24,600 So this was really only accessible to women 326 00:18:24,767 --> 00:18:26,233 who were well off. 327 00:18:26,667 --> 00:18:29,300 [Dr. Siebrandt] It could only really accommodate about a dozen people. 328 00:18:29,467 --> 00:18:31,800 So because this did really cater to a small clientele, 329 00:18:31,967 --> 00:18:33,166 it was very exclusive. 330 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:38,867 In 1951, an up-and-coming movie star checked in. 331 00:18:40,166 --> 00:18:41,967 [Dr. Siebrandt] The space we are in right now, 332 00:18:42,133 --> 00:18:45,567 there was a young Hollywood starlet named Terry Moore. 333 00:18:45,734 --> 00:18:48,767 And we can just imagine that she's in this space here 334 00:18:48,767 --> 00:18:50,166 doing her makeup, 335 00:18:50,333 --> 00:18:54,100 maybe doing her hair, and getting ready for her day. 336 00:18:56,467 --> 00:18:59,767 [Meigs] Terry Moore was a relatively minor star, 337 00:18:59,767 --> 00:19:03,967 but her secret boyfriend was anything but obscure. 338 00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:09,367 [Dr. Siebrandt] So Terry Moore was here because she was having 339 00:19:09,367 --> 00:19:11,967 an affair with Howard Hughes. 340 00:19:12,133 --> 00:19:13,300 At the time, she was married 341 00:19:13,467 --> 00:19:16,900 to a football star named Glenn Davis, 342 00:19:17,066 --> 00:19:18,967 and the marriage didn't work out. 343 00:19:19,133 --> 00:19:22,166 Howard Hughes arranged for her to come here 344 00:19:22,166 --> 00:19:26,200 to seek her six-week residency in order to file for that 345 00:19:26,367 --> 00:19:28,367 quick-note Nevada divorce. 346 00:19:28,533 --> 00:19:31,100 Howard would have definitely visited her here 347 00:19:31,100 --> 00:19:33,533 or even stayed with her here. 348 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:39,667 But Moore did not stay for the full six weeks. 349 00:19:39,667 --> 00:19:42,000 It's rumored her husband, Glenn Davis, 350 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:44,600 refused to agree to a quickie divorce 351 00:19:44,767 --> 00:19:47,000 and wanted to use this as leverage 352 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:49,200 to secure a big payout from Hughes. 353 00:19:50,166 --> 00:19:53,667 Their divorce was finally issued in 1952. 354 00:19:54,667 --> 00:19:57,100 [Gutierrez-Romine] But here's where things get complicated. 355 00:19:57,266 --> 00:19:59,667 As it turns out, when Terry Moore arrived 356 00:19:59,834 --> 00:20:03,400 at Tule Springs, she was already married 357 00:20:03,567 --> 00:20:04,900 to Howard Hughes. 358 00:20:05,066 --> 00:20:09,266 The two had had a secret wedding offshore years prior. 359 00:20:10,266 --> 00:20:12,100 [Rose] So her marriage to Glenn Davis was, 360 00:20:12,266 --> 00:20:14,400 in fact, a bigamous marriage. 361 00:20:14,567 --> 00:20:16,800 And, in the ultimate Hollywood plot twist, 362 00:20:16,967 --> 00:20:18,367 none of this became public knowledge 363 00:20:18,533 --> 00:20:21,767 until after Howard Hughes's death in 1976. 364 00:20:26,300 --> 00:20:30,166 In 1954, three years after Hughes and Moore 365 00:20:30,166 --> 00:20:35,266 left Tule Springs, its owner, Prosper Goumond, died. 366 00:20:35,266 --> 00:20:38,367 By 1959, the property was no longer being used 367 00:20:38,367 --> 00:20:40,467 as a divorce ranch. 368 00:20:40,467 --> 00:20:43,166 Divorce tourism to the state was in decline, 369 00:20:43,333 --> 00:20:46,100 and it made no financial sense to continue. 370 00:20:47,300 --> 00:20:51,200 [Meigs] After Prosper Goumond's death, the ranch had several owners. 371 00:20:51,367 --> 00:20:53,000 But fortunately, it eventually wound up 372 00:20:53,166 --> 00:20:56,166 in the hands of the state, which converted the ranch 373 00:20:56,333 --> 00:20:59,400 and the beautiful springs around it into a state park. 374 00:21:00,300 --> 00:21:04,400 [Gutierrez-Romine] In a fitting twist of irony, this site has done a full 180, 375 00:21:04,567 --> 00:21:06,367 as it's now a site to many weddings. 376 00:21:13,667 --> 00:21:17,467 In northeast France, 90 miles from Paris, 377 00:21:17,467 --> 00:21:20,867 stands a monument intended as a force for good 378 00:21:20,867 --> 00:21:22,867 that was hijacked by evil. 379 00:21:25,066 --> 00:21:27,867 [eerie music playing] 380 00:21:27,867 --> 00:21:31,800 [Auerbach] These three vast wings of a building make up 381 00:21:31,967 --> 00:21:35,266 what looks like a palace fit for a king. 382 00:21:36,200 --> 00:21:40,200 [Dr. Nusbacher] The scale of this is grand, but when we look closely, 383 00:21:40,367 --> 00:21:43,266 we see that this is not a place of great riches. 384 00:21:44,100 --> 00:21:47,400 One empty unit after another is lined up 385 00:21:47,567 --> 00:21:48,567 around these courtyards. 386 00:21:48,567 --> 00:21:51,300 There must be hundreds of them in total. 387 00:21:51,467 --> 00:21:54,867 [Selwood] Only a few clues remain as to what these were. 388 00:21:55,033 --> 00:21:57,667 A narrow bathroom, remains of a kitchen, 389 00:21:57,667 --> 00:22:00,500 all of this suggests they were modest apartments. 390 00:22:02,500 --> 00:22:04,867 When constructed, this place was part 391 00:22:04,867 --> 00:22:09,000 of an innovative vision to improve workers' lives. 392 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:13,066 In time, that dream turned into a nightmare. 393 00:22:15,266 --> 00:22:20,000 [Dr. Nusbacher] The German jackboot comes to this corner of France 394 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:22,667 twice in the early 20th century. 395 00:22:22,834 --> 00:22:25,367 [Selwood] They arrived at these doors, and the inhabitants' lives 396 00:22:25,533 --> 00:22:26,767 were plunged into chaos. 397 00:22:28,066 --> 00:22:30,767 During World War II, an individual act 398 00:22:30,934 --> 00:22:34,066 of extreme courage helped the Allies force out 399 00:22:34,233 --> 00:22:35,567 the Nazi occupiers. 400 00:22:36,700 --> 00:22:40,467 He knew he was taking his life into his hands, 401 00:22:40,467 --> 00:22:44,700 but that he had to do it to save the lives of others. 402 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:54,767 In France, are the remains of a revolutionary project 403 00:22:54,934 --> 00:22:58,266 inspired by an idealistic dream. 404 00:22:58,433 --> 00:23:00,867 The grandeur that we see today is all the result 405 00:23:01,033 --> 00:23:02,467 of one man's vision. 406 00:23:02,633 --> 00:23:05,667 He set out to change the way that French people 407 00:23:05,667 --> 00:23:09,567 worked and lived, but it had a modest beginning. 408 00:23:11,300 --> 00:23:15,767 [Selwood] In the early 19th century, Jean-Baptiste André Godin 409 00:23:15,767 --> 00:23:18,467 was a young apprentice traveling around France, 410 00:23:18,467 --> 00:23:20,467 learning the trade of iron production. 411 00:23:21,500 --> 00:23:25,367 [Auerbach] While he perfected his craft, he couldn't help but notice 412 00:23:25,367 --> 00:23:27,467 the terrible conditions in the factories, 413 00:23:27,467 --> 00:23:30,467 and that workers around the country were suffering. 414 00:23:32,900 --> 00:23:36,467 Godin had grown up in relative poverty and was driven 415 00:23:36,467 --> 00:23:39,900 by a desire to help those less fortunate than himself. 416 00:23:41,667 --> 00:23:44,300 Amélie Gombert works at this site today. 417 00:23:45,266 --> 00:23:48,066 Part of her role is to make certain the memory of the man 418 00:23:48,233 --> 00:23:50,433 who built it is never forgotten. 419 00:23:52,867 --> 00:23:55,700 [Godbert] He knows what it is not to eat every day, 420 00:23:55,867 --> 00:23:58,600 not to have nice and clean place to live in, 421 00:23:58,767 --> 00:24:00,567 uh, not to go to school. 422 00:24:00,567 --> 00:24:03,867 His idea is to make the workers' life better. 423 00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:07,900 But before Godin could make his mark, 424 00:24:08,066 --> 00:24:09,900 he needed to make his own fortune. 425 00:24:11,700 --> 00:24:16,467 Godin develops a new way of making stoves. 426 00:24:16,633 --> 00:24:20,567 He builds a stove that can be cast in a single piece 427 00:24:20,567 --> 00:24:22,567 out of molten iron. 428 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:26,300 The design was a hit and production boomed. 429 00:24:27,567 --> 00:24:30,100 And he's got a lot of money 'cause he's got 430 00:24:30,266 --> 00:24:32,467 the monopoly on the stove market. 431 00:24:33,867 --> 00:24:38,800 By 1859, Godin had amassed enough wealth to finally make 432 00:24:38,967 --> 00:24:43,367 his dream of helping the people who worked for him a reality. 433 00:24:43,533 --> 00:24:46,200 He set out building a collective settlement 434 00:24:46,367 --> 00:24:48,867 for his workers across the river from his factory. 435 00:24:49,867 --> 00:24:52,467 [Godbert] It's his own vision, and he tries 436 00:24:52,467 --> 00:24:55,500 to transmit this philosophy. 437 00:24:55,667 --> 00:24:56,900 It's like an experiment. 438 00:24:58,700 --> 00:25:02,367 Godin called his utopian concept the Familistèère. 439 00:25:03,266 --> 00:25:07,166 It was also known as the Social Palace of Guise. 440 00:25:07,166 --> 00:25:10,500 [Dr. Nusbacher] This was going to be a genuine community focused 441 00:25:10,667 --> 00:25:16,266 not only on the production, but on productive living. 442 00:25:17,667 --> 00:25:21,700 The centerpieces were these three great apartment blocks 443 00:25:21,867 --> 00:25:23,867 built around central courtyards. 444 00:25:23,867 --> 00:25:27,467 They could house 2,000 people in 500 apartments. 445 00:25:29,166 --> 00:25:32,300 [Auerbach] There was a theater, a swimming pool, 446 00:25:32,467 --> 00:25:36,800 restaurants, stores, and a nursery. 447 00:25:36,967 --> 00:25:38,500 There was even a school that provided 448 00:25:38,667 --> 00:25:41,800 free, mandatory education for the workers' children. 449 00:25:42,867 --> 00:25:44,567 [Godbert] It was more than a high standard living, 450 00:25:44,734 --> 00:25:48,667 because even the richer people in the town wouldn't have that. 451 00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:56,100 Godin continued to perfect his workers' utopia 452 00:25:56,266 --> 00:25:58,000 for the next 25 years. 453 00:25:59,166 --> 00:26:04,200 In 1888, at the age of 71, he passed away. 454 00:26:05,667 --> 00:26:08,800 Fortunately, he died knowing his legacy was safe 455 00:26:08,967 --> 00:26:10,834 in the hands of his employees. 456 00:26:13,300 --> 00:26:16,867 But soon, Godin's creation would face a threat he could 457 00:26:16,867 --> 00:26:19,166 never have imagined, one that would bring 458 00:26:19,166 --> 00:26:22,867 the social experiment to a shuddering halt. 459 00:26:22,867 --> 00:26:27,100 In 1914, when Germany attacks France, 460 00:26:27,266 --> 00:26:32,000 their plan is a rapid advance, and they're gonna take Paris. 461 00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:34,867 And that means the German army comes to Guise 462 00:26:34,867 --> 00:26:37,266 early in the First World War. 463 00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:41,967 [Auerbach] About 200 factory workers were mobilized in defense. 464 00:26:42,133 --> 00:26:44,266 It's said that some of them were firing 465 00:26:44,266 --> 00:26:46,200 at the approaching army from the left wing 466 00:26:46,367 --> 00:26:47,567 of the residential complex. 467 00:26:48,700 --> 00:26:52,266 The battle would not last long, and after two days, 468 00:26:52,266 --> 00:26:54,700 the Germans overran the Familistèère 469 00:26:54,867 --> 00:26:56,667 and began a long occupation. 470 00:26:58,967 --> 00:27:02,000 Under German control, the theater was converted 471 00:27:02,166 --> 00:27:05,867 for use as a military prison, and the courtyard served 472 00:27:06,033 --> 00:27:08,667 as a hospital for wounded soldiers. 473 00:27:08,667 --> 00:27:12,700 A place that was built for peaceful communal 474 00:27:12,867 --> 00:27:18,667 family life turns into a place of misery. 475 00:27:18,667 --> 00:27:23,667 And then, when Germany exits the war with the armistice, 476 00:27:23,834 --> 00:27:28,467 becomes possible to try to re-establish 477 00:27:28,467 --> 00:27:30,867 the dream here in Guise. 478 00:27:32,600 --> 00:27:35,467 The Familistèère's residents reclaimed their homes, 479 00:27:35,633 --> 00:27:38,700 and eventually the factory began to operate once again. 480 00:27:39,900 --> 00:27:43,000 But the fragile peace did not last for long. 481 00:27:43,900 --> 00:27:45,266 Across the border, 482 00:27:45,266 --> 00:27:47,867 a malevolent power was mobilizing. 483 00:27:49,700 --> 00:27:53,867 On September 1st, 1939, Germany invaded Poland, 484 00:27:54,033 --> 00:27:56,300 and soon turned the full force of its army 485 00:27:56,467 --> 00:27:58,600 against France once more. 486 00:27:58,767 --> 00:28:00,800 During the Second World War, 487 00:28:00,967 --> 00:28:06,166 Germany ruthlessly exploited France for the Nazi war economy. 488 00:28:07,266 --> 00:28:10,467 This factory is repurposed to support 489 00:28:10,633 --> 00:28:12,266 the German war effort. 490 00:28:13,467 --> 00:28:15,667 [Selwood] For many of the workers and families, 491 00:28:15,667 --> 00:28:18,600 the memories of occupation were all too fresh. 492 00:28:20,100 --> 00:28:21,900 The residents of the Familistèère 493 00:28:22,066 --> 00:28:23,367 that worked in the factory 494 00:28:23,367 --> 00:28:27,066 were urged to collaborate or face brutal reprisals. 495 00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:29,767 They were instructed to continue making 496 00:28:29,767 --> 00:28:32,900 cast iron stoves, but this time, 497 00:28:33,066 --> 00:28:34,767 chiefly for the German market. 498 00:28:36,900 --> 00:28:41,300 [Dr. Nusbacher] It rapidly became clear to a lot of French people 499 00:28:41,467 --> 00:28:46,166 they could not accept the horror of Nazi occupation. 500 00:28:46,166 --> 00:28:49,266 So all over France, including here in Guise, 501 00:28:49,433 --> 00:28:52,166 those who were fit enough would become part 502 00:28:52,166 --> 00:28:54,567 of the French Resistance. 503 00:28:54,734 --> 00:28:58,300 One man took the fate of the town into his own hands 504 00:28:58,467 --> 00:29:00,800 to keep a pathway open for its liberators. 505 00:29:06,300 --> 00:29:09,867 During World War II, in the French town of Guise, 506 00:29:09,867 --> 00:29:12,467 the factory workers that lived in the Familistèère were 507 00:29:12,467 --> 00:29:16,200 ordered to make cast iron stoves for the German market. 508 00:29:16,367 --> 00:29:17,900 They were compelled by their managers 509 00:29:18,066 --> 00:29:22,767 to collaborate -- some chose to fight back. 510 00:29:22,767 --> 00:29:26,266 -[Potier speaking French] -[translator] One of the most well-known figures 511 00:29:26,433 --> 00:29:28,166 was Georges Jamart. 512 00:29:28,333 --> 00:29:32,700 He was a Familistèère resident, born here in 1897, 513 00:29:32,867 --> 00:29:36,600 the son of a worker at the Godin factories. 514 00:29:38,066 --> 00:29:41,800 Maxime Potier is a historian at the Familistèère 515 00:29:41,967 --> 00:29:42,967 and an expert 516 00:29:43,133 --> 00:29:45,867 on Jamart's heroics during World War II. 517 00:29:47,467 --> 00:29:50,667 -[Potier speaking French] -[translator] He distinguished himself here by saving 518 00:29:50,834 --> 00:29:53,900 the bridge you see behind me, the Familistére Bridge, 519 00:29:54,066 --> 00:29:57,567 which the Germans intended to destroy. 520 00:29:58,500 --> 00:30:02,567 On June 6th, 1944, the Allied forces 521 00:30:02,567 --> 00:30:03,767 landed in Normandy. 522 00:30:04,600 --> 00:30:07,500 Over the coming months, Hitler's troops were forced 523 00:30:07,667 --> 00:30:10,100 back towards the German border. 524 00:30:10,266 --> 00:30:13,867 By the end of August 1944, the U.S. Army 525 00:30:14,033 --> 00:30:16,433 was edging closer to Guise. 526 00:30:18,900 --> 00:30:23,100 The Allies had liberated Paris, and all across France, 527 00:30:23,100 --> 00:30:26,867 the German Army was retreating, sabotaging what it could 528 00:30:26,867 --> 00:30:28,567 as it went. 529 00:30:28,734 --> 00:30:32,667 Here in Guise, as the Germans were getting ready to leave, 530 00:30:32,667 --> 00:30:35,100 they packed the bridge with explosives, 531 00:30:35,266 --> 00:30:36,500 preparing to blow it up behind them. 532 00:30:37,367 --> 00:30:39,900 If they succeeded, it could slow down 533 00:30:40,066 --> 00:30:42,066 the Allied advance in this region. 534 00:30:43,066 --> 00:30:45,467 -[Potier speaking French] -[translator] Georges Jamart went under the bridge 535 00:30:45,467 --> 00:30:49,100 and removed the explosives that the Germans had placed there. 536 00:30:49,266 --> 00:30:51,567 He unfastened them, causing the explosives 537 00:30:51,567 --> 00:30:53,567 to fall into the Oise river. 538 00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:57,500 [Auerbach] When the American forces arrived, they were able 539 00:30:57,667 --> 00:30:59,567 to cross the bridge over the Oise 540 00:30:59,567 --> 00:31:03,567 and liberate the town, thanks to the bravery of one young man. 541 00:31:04,900 --> 00:31:08,800 At the end of the war, Godin's factory reopened, 542 00:31:08,967 --> 00:31:12,166 but its days as a worker's paradise were numbered. 543 00:31:13,266 --> 00:31:17,166 In 1970, it was purchased by a cookware company 544 00:31:17,333 --> 00:31:20,500 who had no need for the Familistèère. 545 00:31:20,667 --> 00:31:22,967 The apartments were sold to private owners, 546 00:31:23,133 --> 00:31:27,367 and by the early 2000s, many of them were abandoned. 547 00:31:31,900 --> 00:31:36,467 [Auerbach] Today, after much careful restoration, visitors can walk 548 00:31:36,633 --> 00:31:38,967 the rooms and hallways of the Familistèère 549 00:31:39,133 --> 00:31:42,500 and see Godin's vision in all its glory. 550 00:31:42,667 --> 00:31:45,767 [Selwood] The school and theater are still in use, and there are 551 00:31:45,934 --> 00:31:48,900 even plans to convert one wing into a hotel. 552 00:31:56,100 --> 00:31:59,467 In Sicily, an isolated settlement 553 00:31:59,633 --> 00:32:01,266 charts the tragic tale 554 00:32:01,266 --> 00:32:04,767 of a rural paradise forever lost. 555 00:32:09,200 --> 00:32:12,767 [Bell] Agricultural fields stretch for miles around, 556 00:32:12,767 --> 00:32:15,266 and with mountains off in the distance. 557 00:32:15,433 --> 00:32:18,400 It's beautiful, but eerily quiet. 558 00:32:20,266 --> 00:32:23,100 [Prof. Mitchell] In the center of all this rises a strange collection 559 00:32:23,266 --> 00:32:24,567 of crumbling buildings. 560 00:32:24,734 --> 00:32:27,667 The lines are symmetrical, simple, and clean cut. 561 00:32:27,667 --> 00:32:30,166 The architecture is unusual for rural Sicily. 562 00:32:31,567 --> 00:32:34,467 On each of the buildings are signs that indicate 563 00:32:34,467 --> 00:32:36,166 their original purpose. 564 00:32:36,333 --> 00:32:37,700 School, 565 00:32:37,867 --> 00:32:39,100 laboratory, 566 00:32:39,100 --> 00:32:40,667 salon. 567 00:32:40,667 --> 00:32:43,567 Evidence this was once a residential village. 568 00:32:44,867 --> 00:32:47,700 [Bell] But it's peculiar to label each building 569 00:32:47,867 --> 00:32:49,567 in such a functional way, 570 00:32:49,734 --> 00:32:51,800 which suggests whoever built this was trying 571 00:32:51,967 --> 00:32:53,967 to impose some kind of order. 572 00:32:54,867 --> 00:32:58,200 [Auerbach] Created to revitalize Sicily's countryside, 573 00:32:58,367 --> 00:33:00,166 this settlement was part of the vision 574 00:33:00,333 --> 00:33:03,467 of Italy's famous fascist dictator. 575 00:33:03,633 --> 00:33:06,100 But none of this explains why it's abandoned. 576 00:33:07,200 --> 00:33:10,066 For many years, this was a peaceful home, 577 00:33:10,233 --> 00:33:14,166 until a disastrous event began its slow demise. 578 00:33:14,333 --> 00:33:16,467 The final nail in this village's coffin 579 00:33:16,633 --> 00:33:19,667 would be a tragic descent into violent crime. 580 00:33:26,900 --> 00:33:30,400 -[Solazzo speaking Italian] -[translator] Living nearby, I happened to drive 581 00:33:30,567 --> 00:33:33,266 this way and always have a look. 582 00:33:33,266 --> 00:33:36,400 It brings back my childhood, because to us, 583 00:33:36,567 --> 00:33:39,066 this was the center of the world. 584 00:33:40,266 --> 00:33:43,467 Luigi Solazzo lived in this rural village 585 00:33:43,633 --> 00:33:45,967 for almost 40 years. 586 00:33:46,133 --> 00:33:50,367 -[Solazzo speaking Italian] -[translator] When I say this place was paradise, 587 00:33:50,367 --> 00:33:52,400 the definition is perfect. 588 00:33:53,867 --> 00:33:55,500 We had everything. 589 00:33:55,667 --> 00:33:57,467 There was nothing missing. 590 00:33:57,467 --> 00:34:03,967 The feelings I have are both happiness and sadness. 591 00:34:04,133 --> 00:34:08,734 We were the last family to leave this village. 592 00:34:11,166 --> 00:34:13,800 [Auerbach] To understand why this place exists, you'd have to go back 593 00:34:13,967 --> 00:34:16,000 quite some time into southern Italy's history. 594 00:34:17,000 --> 00:34:18,567 [Prof. Mitchell] Prior to the 20th century, 595 00:34:18,734 --> 00:34:21,900 most of Sicily's agricultural land had been divided up 596 00:34:22,066 --> 00:34:25,000 into vast private estates owned by local nobility. 597 00:34:25,867 --> 00:34:29,667 This system of feudal landed estates 598 00:34:29,834 --> 00:34:32,667 persisted well into the 1800s. 599 00:34:32,667 --> 00:34:36,100 And at the bottom of this socioeconomic pyramid were 600 00:34:36,100 --> 00:34:40,100 the penniless peasants that did the backbreaking labor 601 00:34:40,100 --> 00:34:41,867 on the land itself. 602 00:34:41,867 --> 00:34:45,200 When an economic crisis hit Sicily in the 1880s 603 00:34:45,367 --> 00:34:48,533 and made things even harder, people started leaving. 604 00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:52,467 Over the next 30 years, 605 00:34:52,633 --> 00:34:55,500 around 1 million Sicilians emigrated, 606 00:34:55,667 --> 00:34:57,567 many to the United States. 607 00:34:58,667 --> 00:35:00,066 The mass exodus left Italy 608 00:35:00,233 --> 00:35:02,467 without the means to produce enough food 609 00:35:02,467 --> 00:35:04,100 for the remaining population. 610 00:35:05,500 --> 00:35:10,066 Something drastic needed to be done before it was too late. 611 00:35:11,567 --> 00:35:14,500 Political upheaval and World War I delayed things. 612 00:35:14,667 --> 00:35:18,367 Then, in 1922, Benito Mussolini and his fascist party 613 00:35:18,533 --> 00:35:19,900 forced their way into power. 614 00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:23,767 [Bell] Mussolini's ideology was ultra nationalist 615 00:35:23,934 --> 00:35:25,800 and all about self-sufficiency. 616 00:35:25,967 --> 00:35:27,600 He didn't want Italy to have to rely 617 00:35:27,767 --> 00:35:30,367 on any other country for food. 618 00:35:30,367 --> 00:35:33,100 At the beginning of 1940, they started building 619 00:35:33,100 --> 00:35:35,767 eight new villages spread across the island. 620 00:35:37,567 --> 00:35:40,900 -[Solazzo speaking Italian] -[translator] Mussolini established this village, 621 00:35:41,066 --> 00:35:45,800 like many others, to stimulate people to cultivate the land, 622 00:35:45,967 --> 00:35:49,867 to make people work the land, as he was aware there was a need 623 00:35:49,867 --> 00:35:55,667 for places where the farmers could live. 624 00:35:59,567 --> 00:36:02,900 This one was called Borgo Schirò. 625 00:36:03,066 --> 00:36:04,567 Borgo, meaning "village," 626 00:36:04,567 --> 00:36:07,500 and Schirò, the surname of a fascist martyr 627 00:36:07,667 --> 00:36:10,767 killed by left wing agitators in the 1920s. 628 00:36:12,767 --> 00:36:17,367 On December 18th, 1940, it was officially unveiled 629 00:36:17,367 --> 00:36:19,300 during a grand opening ceremony. 630 00:36:20,967 --> 00:36:22,600 [Auerbach] The village was designed to have everything 631 00:36:22,767 --> 00:36:24,467 that a growing community needed, 632 00:36:24,467 --> 00:36:27,200 and the goal was to encourage peasant families 633 00:36:27,367 --> 00:36:30,400 to move into the farmhouses that dotted the fields. 634 00:36:32,166 --> 00:36:35,867 [Solazzo speaking Italian] 635 00:36:35,867 --> 00:36:38,967 [translator] My grandfather, who used to work in the fields, 636 00:36:39,133 --> 00:36:42,000 lived a quiet life. 637 00:36:42,166 --> 00:36:45,300 I know they were happy here with all the other families 638 00:36:45,467 --> 00:36:50,100 working the fields. 639 00:36:52,100 --> 00:36:55,300 [Bell] But soon the government was thrown into chaos, 640 00:36:55,467 --> 00:36:57,266 as Mussolini's alliance with Hitler 641 00:36:57,266 --> 00:37:01,200 brought World War II to Sicily in 1943. 642 00:37:03,667 --> 00:37:05,700 [Auerbach] When peace was restored to the island, 643 00:37:05,867 --> 00:37:09,100 the new government continued the land reform policy, 644 00:37:09,100 --> 00:37:11,266 and Borgo Schirò could finally 645 00:37:11,433 --> 00:37:13,166 meet its potential for prosperity. 646 00:37:14,400 --> 00:37:17,100 [Solazzo speaking Italian] 647 00:37:17,100 --> 00:37:20,100 [translator] One of my uncles had the barber shop. 648 00:37:20,100 --> 00:37:22,767 Another one was a sacristan. 649 00:37:22,767 --> 00:37:27,000 And my mother and my father had the general store. 650 00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:29,066 I would help run the shop. 651 00:37:29,233 --> 00:37:31,667 Gosh, I would steal some candies from my dad. 652 00:37:32,667 --> 00:37:34,900 Every now and then, us kids would put 653 00:37:35,066 --> 00:37:39,000 some in our pockets and out we went. 654 00:37:41,367 --> 00:37:44,467 At Borgo Schirò's peak in the 1950s, 655 00:37:44,633 --> 00:37:47,467 around 100 people lived in the village 656 00:37:47,633 --> 00:37:49,367 and its surrounding farmhouses. 657 00:37:50,900 --> 00:37:53,800 [Bell] Life was simple and it was hard work, 658 00:37:53,967 --> 00:37:56,767 but for many, it was idyllic. 659 00:37:56,767 --> 00:37:58,300 [Prof. Mitchell] But just as life seemed perfect, 660 00:37:58,467 --> 00:38:00,266 a catastrophe would hit Borgo Schirò 661 00:38:00,266 --> 00:38:01,967 and usher in its downfall. 662 00:38:06,166 --> 00:38:08,166 By the late 1950s, 663 00:38:08,166 --> 00:38:10,600 the Italian village of Borgo Schirò 664 00:38:10,767 --> 00:38:13,100 had developed into a rural paradise 665 00:38:13,100 --> 00:38:14,700 for its residents. 666 00:38:14,867 --> 00:38:16,467 Little did they know, 667 00:38:16,633 --> 00:38:19,266 disaster was just around the corner. 668 00:38:20,467 --> 00:38:25,000 [Auerbach] In 1968, a violent earthquake struck the Valley of Belice, 669 00:38:25,166 --> 00:38:28,200 and the epicenter was a mere 17 miles 670 00:38:28,367 --> 00:38:29,667 from the village of Borgo Schirò. 671 00:38:31,266 --> 00:38:32,767 [Solazzo speaking Italian] 672 00:38:32,934 --> 00:38:36,600 [translator] The first earthquake was around lunchtime. 673 00:38:36,767 --> 00:38:41,367 Us kids had already eaten and we were playing outside. 674 00:38:41,533 --> 00:38:44,400 All of a sudden, the ground started shaking. 675 00:38:46,867 --> 00:38:51,066 I remember, to shelter, we came to the church. 676 00:38:51,233 --> 00:38:55,000 I remember the windows shaking, but they didn't crack. 677 00:38:55,166 --> 00:38:56,166 Not even one. 678 00:39:00,266 --> 00:39:02,867 The powerful tremor, measuring 6.1 679 00:39:02,867 --> 00:39:04,467 on the Richter scale, 680 00:39:04,633 --> 00:39:08,166 devastated the Belice Valley area of southwest Sicily. 681 00:39:09,300 --> 00:39:12,100 [Bell] Four towns were completely destroyed, 682 00:39:12,100 --> 00:39:14,867 leaving 100,000 homeless 683 00:39:14,867 --> 00:39:18,900 and killing or injuring over 1,200 people. 684 00:39:19,066 --> 00:39:21,000 The region was struggling, and many families 685 00:39:21,166 --> 00:39:22,967 left in the aftermath of the earthquake. 686 00:39:25,000 --> 00:39:28,166 This included the residents of Borgo Schirò. 687 00:39:29,667 --> 00:39:32,500 [Solazzo speaking Italian] 688 00:39:32,667 --> 00:39:36,667 [translator] Some houses here collapsed, and a lot of people were forced 689 00:39:36,834 --> 00:39:40,266 to leave and emigrate north. 690 00:39:40,433 --> 00:39:44,467 I remember every single one of the families that were here 691 00:39:44,633 --> 00:39:48,767 and left, because we were a big family. 692 00:39:48,934 --> 00:39:52,467 We were in harmony. 693 00:39:54,200 --> 00:39:57,867 But Luigi and his parents refused to leave. 694 00:39:57,867 --> 00:40:00,700 This was their home, where three generations 695 00:40:00,867 --> 00:40:02,700 of Solazzos had built their lives. 696 00:40:04,166 --> 00:40:07,166 And by the late 1980s, in a village where 697 00:40:07,166 --> 00:40:12,367 around 100 people used to live, they were the last family left. 698 00:40:14,266 --> 00:40:17,467 But living in a virtually abandoned town has its risks, 699 00:40:17,633 --> 00:40:20,567 and Borgo Schirò became a target for criminals. 700 00:40:20,567 --> 00:40:24,500 -[Solazzo speaking Italian] -[translator] One day, two kids robbed our place 701 00:40:24,667 --> 00:40:26,367 when my mother was alone. 702 00:40:27,567 --> 00:40:31,467 They threatened her at gunpoint and kicked her. 703 00:40:31,633 --> 00:40:35,100 She was left traumatized and decided to leave. 704 00:40:36,600 --> 00:40:41,400 We might still be here if that hadn't happened. 705 00:40:43,567 --> 00:40:47,166 After the Solazzos departed in 1995, 706 00:40:47,333 --> 00:40:50,867 Borgo Schirò's abandonment was complete. 707 00:40:51,033 --> 00:40:53,667 Ever since, it's continued to crumble. 708 00:40:58,200 --> 00:41:01,266 [Bell] There are currently no plans to demolish Borgo Schirò, 709 00:41:01,433 --> 00:41:05,367 so you can happily walk around its ghostly streets 710 00:41:05,533 --> 00:41:08,266 and bear witness to an extraordinary remnant 711 00:41:08,266 --> 00:41:10,467 of Italy's fascist past. 712 00:41:10,633 --> 00:41:11,700 [Solazzo speaking Italian] 713 00:41:11,700 --> 00:41:14,000 [translator] It surely represents a style of life 714 00:41:14,166 --> 00:41:16,000 that doesn't exist anymore. 715 00:41:17,066 --> 00:41:21,166 Nowadays, our society is a steamroller. 716 00:41:21,166 --> 00:41:27,000 We used to live calmly, so peacefully here.