The Hilliers Doukhobor Colony 1946-1952. Presented by the Nanaimo Historical Society

add to outlook add to google calendar remind me

Thursday, October 12th, 2017
7:30 PM to 9:00 PM

In 1946, Michael "The Archangel" Verigin led some 200 Doukhobor colonists away from the then well-established Sons of Freedom communes in the Kootenay region. A spokesman for the disaffected group stated to the local press that they had changed their name to the Elders of the Spiritual Community of Christ.

The newly-formed commune set to clearing, planting, and building on 348 acres next to Hilliers Crossing (old Wooden Nickel Antique store), eventually carving, a sawmill, homes, dining hall. and school from the forest, then pulling up stumps and planting crops and fruit trees on the cleared fields. Rumors of a possible migration of thousands more Doukhobors to the Island caused a mild panic and concerns about dropping land values with the vicinity of Doukhobor settlements. For all that, the predicted Doukhobor invasion never transpired and the Hilliers Colony carried on quietly for several more years. Upon the death of Michael "The Archangel" Verigin in 1951, the Hilliers colony began to disintegrate. A few years later all the members of the sect disappeared as mysteriously as they had arrived. The parents of tonight's guest speaker, Richard de Candole, purchased the abandoned colony farm in 1961.

De Candole will also discuss how his family re-purposed the remnant buildings and fields of the colony and put the farm back into production.

###

The Nanaimo Historical Society is a non-profit organization. Founded in 1953, the Society's mission is to discover, preserve, and promote the history of Nanaimo and central Vancouver Island. Annual membership is $24 for an individual, $30 for a family, and $34 for an organization. Membership includes a subscription to British Columbia History Magazine.

https://www.facebook.com/Nanaimo-Historical-Society-466384560135141/