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Doukhobors in Hilliers, British Columbia
by
Richard de Candole
In 1947, Sons of
Freedom leader Michael "the Archangel" Verigin and 70 of his followers
established a 320 acre colony at Hilliers, British Columbia. While it
lasted, the colonists practiced community of goods, peacefully tended their
gardens and awaited the second coming of Christ. At the same time, the leadership faced accusations of incendiary attacks on Doukhobor
properties in the Kootenays. The following article by Richard de Condole
briefly examines the history of the controversial Hilliers Doukhobor colony to the
present. Reproduced by permission from the Qualicum Time (August/September
2007).
For a
short time in the 1940s and ‘50s the farm at the end of Slaney Road in
Hilliers now owned by my family was the centre of considerable controversy
in British Columbia.
At
the time it was owned by a colony of about 70 Sons of Freedom Doukhobors under the
leadership of Michael “the Archangel” Verigin who had moved there in 1947
from the Kootenays to escape persecution by fellow Doukhobors.
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| A rooftop view of
the homesite as it is today. Photo by Richard de Candole. |
More than 7,000 Doukhobors, or Spirit Wrestlers, had immigrated to Canada in
1905 from Russia. They settled first in Saskatchewan then later the
Kootenays. Because they rejected the practices and authority of the Russian
Orthodox Church, were pacifists and lived communally they had been subjected
persecution for over 100 years.
In
Canada they proved to be equally troublesome for the authorities, refusing
to swear an oath of allegiance, refusing to send their children to school,
and, among the Sons of Freedom, staging nude public protests, among a number of things. The
latter's
anti-materialistic views were so strongly held that they believed they were
called by God to burn the possessions of fellow members who had become too
materialistic.
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| Michael
"the Archangel" Verigin (1883-1951) |
During the first few years of the Hilliers colony there was a series of
suspicious fires in the Kootenays which were eventually linked to Michael
Verigin and co-leader Joe Podovinikoff. (During this same period the
Hilliers school and community hall were burned and they were believed to
have been acts of retaliation.) In
the spring of 1950 they were found guilty of inciting others to commit arson
and sentenced to two years in jail.
By a twist of fate Michael suffered a stroke a month after sentencing and on
July 27, 1951 died of pneumonia at the age of 69. His funeral attracted a
large gathering of Doukhobor and non-Doukhobor dignitaries and he was buried
in a small graveyard on the property, now a registered cemetery, where the
ashes of my father Corry de Candole are also buried.
The
Hilliers colony, however, never recovered from the loss of their leader and
by the mid-1950s most of the residents had either moved back to the
Kootenays or left the Doukhobor community altogether.
In
addition to the burnings and their strong views on public education, the
colony also adhered to an unorthodox sexual code. As an article in Time
magazine on Sept. 26, 1949 described, all property was shared including
husbands and wives.
Initially there was a ban on all sexual relations until the colony was
deemed to be economically self-sufficient. In late 1948 the elders lifted
the ban and nine months later the first child was born. After being
christened Gabriel Archangelovich First the boy was surrendered by the
mother to the joint parenthood of the community.
The
property had been vacant for over five years when my parents Corry and Nancy
de Candole discovered it in 1963, almost by accident. They
had been looking for retirement property in the area and were about to
return to Alberta without finding anything that appealed to them.
E.G. Thwaites, a Qualicum Beach pioneer and father of their realtor,
happened to be in the office and when he heard they had found nothing gave
some advice they felt they couldn’t ignore: ‘Don’t leave the Island without
looking at the old Doukhobor place.’ At the time the property wasn’t even
listed. On their way to the ferry they once more drove out to Hilliers. ”As
soon as we drove in the driveway Corry was immediately taken by what he
saw,” remembered my mother Nancy.
“The place was so peaceful and private. It was at the end of the road and
totally surrounded by forest. He couldn’t wait to get back into town to make
an offer.”
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| A view of the
Doukhobor bath house interior. Photo by Richard de Candole. |
They
barely even noticed that the homesite was a collection of weather-beaten
sheds and buildings, none of which were suitable for a house. Their offer of
$9,500 for the 75 acres was accepted and that winter they hired Don Beaton
and Qualicum Construction to build a 1,400 sq. ft. house my father designed
in the shape of a U.
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| The author's mother,
Nancy de Candole in front of a Doukhobor dwelling. Photo by Richard de
Candole. |
My
father spent the next 20 years tearing down sheds, restoring other
buildings, building a log house, and putting back into production a field
that had been used by the Doukhobors to grow corn, cabbages and potatoes. He
also served on the Coombs Fair board for most of that time.
My
mother immersed herself in teaching piano and supporting church and
environmental projects. Last year, at age 94, she moved to Qualicum Manor
while my wife Wendy and I continue to live on the property.
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