Every summer around this time America’s power elite disappears into California’s redwoods.
Nestled along the Russian River, 60 miles north of San Francisco, Bohemian Grove is a 2700-acre, ultra-exclusive encampment that hosts an annual summit of the ultra-wealthy and ultra-influential.
What began in 1872 as a rustic retreat for Bohemians—artists, musicians, actors, and writers, including Mark Twain and Jack London—has long since been hijacked by industrialists, bankers, lobbyists, and their political pets. Just as artsy neighborhoods get gentrified, so too did this San Fran-based club-for-creatives morph into a playground for the power elite.
My investigative trail into the corridors of power brought me to the Grove decades ago, where rituals, secrecy, and absurd wealth, blend into a surreal midsummer romp.