Sharing the Rich History of Doukhobors in BC

Of the many peoples forming British Columbia's cultural mosaic, few have received more media and political attention historically than the Doukhobors. Yet despite this attention, they continue to be misunderstood. Between 1908 and 1913, over 6,000 Doukhobors from Saskatchewan arrived in the Boundary and Kootenay regions of the Interior, attracted by its favorable climate, freshwater supply from the mountains, and the possibilities of engaging in large-scale communal orchard growing on a communal basis. Initially, the Doukhobors were lauded by their Anglo-Canadian neighbours for their industry and thrift in transforming thousands of acres of raw wilderness into a veritable garden within a few short years. At the same time, their neighbours criticized what they perceived as their clannishness, insularity, and refusal to assimilate, traits born from generations of religious persecution in…