The Promise of Paradise
The Promise of Paradise
Utopian Communities in British Columbia
Expanded Second Edition
Andrew Scott
Copyright © 2017 Andrew Scott
First edition published in 1997 by Whitecap Books
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without prior permission of the publisher or, in the case of photocopying or other reprographic copying, a licence from Access Copyright, www.accesscopyright.ca, 1-800-893-5777, [email protected].
Harbour Publishing Co. Ltd.
P.O. Box 219, Madeira Park, BC, V0N 2H0
Cover design by Anna Comfort O’Keeffe
Text design by Shed Simas / Onça Design
Front cover photo: Rob Wood. Back cover photos, left to right: Author’s Collection; University of British Columbia, Special Collections; James Skitt Matthews photo, City of Vancouver Archives Out N354.19. Author photo: Katherine Johnston.
Printed and bound in Canada
Harbour Publishing acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, which last year invested $153 million to bring the arts to Canadians throughout the country. We also gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund and from the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Scott, Andrew, 1947-, author
The promise of paradise : utopian communities in British
Columbia / Andrew Scott. -- Expanded second edition.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Issued in print and electronic formats.
ISBN 978-1-55017-771-8 (paperback).--ISBN 978-1-55017-772-5 (html)
1. Utopias--British Columbia--History. 2. Collective settlements--
British Columbia--History. 3. British Columbia--History. I. Title.
HX659.B7S36 2017 335’.0209711 C2016-907079-4
C2016-907080-8
Other books by Andrew Scott
Secret Coastline Journeys and Discoveries along B.C.’s Shores
Secret Coastline II More Journeys and Discoveries along BC’s Shores
Painter, Paddler The Art and Adventures of Stewart Marshall
The People’s Water (with Daniel Bouman) The Fight for the Sunshine Coast’s Drinking Watersheds
The Encyclopedia of Raincoast Place Names A Complete Reference to Coastal British Columbia
for Shiane
Acknowledgements
Many people helped with this book. I’d like to thank the staff at BC Archives in Victoria, Special Collections at the Vancouver Public Library, and Rare Books and Special Collections at the University of British Columbia (UBC) Library in Vancouver. I fondly remember the company of my deceased wife, Shiane Scott, on an early 1990 visit to Sointula. Katherine Johnston, who came with me on several later journeys of research and discovery, offered much encouragement. I’m grateful to the Canada Council, without whose financial help the project could not have been completed.
The following people all provided assistance. The list is alphabetical, and I apologize in advance if I’ve left anyone out. Thank you all so much: Anne Blaney, 100 Mile House; Vivien Bowers, Nelson; James Bowman, Calgary; George Brandak, Rare Books and Special Collections, UBC Library; Kate Brauer, formerly of Sointula; Liz Bryan, Rock Creek; Jan and Tom Bulman, Vancouver and Langley; Maureen Butler, Langley; Alan Carpenter, Langley; Brianna Cerkiewicz, Madeira Park, for her fine edit of this second edition of Promise of Paradise; Dawn Child, Cedar-by-the-Sea; Wilf Christensen, Bella Coola; Sue Collerman, Langley; Tracy Cooper, Victoria, for alerting me to the existence of Duthie; Maureen Cumming, BC Ferries, Victoria; Susan Davidson, Aldergrove; Kathy Day, Bernholz & Graham, Anchorage; Wallace Dergousoff, Grand Forks; Simon Dick, Mitchell Bay; Barb and Hugh Duff, Aldergrove; Larry Ewashen, Castlegar; Leslie Field, Rare Books and Special Collections, UBC Library; Laura Fisher, Bradner; Merroly Frostrup, Bella Coola; David Gluns, Nelson; Tom Gooden, Burnaby Village Museum; Peter Gritchen, Grand Forks; Gwen Hansen, Quatsino, who kindly gave me a tour and put me in touch with many old-timers; Ralph Harris, Sointula; Hugh and Agnes Herbison, Argenta; Fred Horkoff, Grand Forks; Jack Howich, Quatsino; Jack Hudson, Metlakatla, Alaska; Stephen Hume, who shared his interest in Walhachin; Nora Johnson, Quatsino; Gary Kent, Roberts Creek; Don and Marian Knoerr, who helped track down utopian communities in the Smithers area; Len Laurance and Taquan Air, for generously flying me from Prince Rupert to Ketchikan and over to Metlakatla, Alaska, and back; Patti Mackey, Ketchikan Visitors Bureau; Michael Marrapese, Glorious Organics, Aldergrove; Stewart Marshall, Sointula; John Masters, Vancouver; Elizabeth McLean, Shawnigan Lake, who edited the first edition of Promise of Paradise; Mark Mealing, of Castlegar’s Selkirk College, for reading the original chapter on the Doukhobors; Nan Meister, Calgary, for helping me develop patience and trust; Bob Mercer, Vancouver; Linda Mickle, Alaska Marine Highway System, Juneau; Anna and Robert Miles, Aiyansh; Alvin Nelson, Kincolith; Carl and Doreen Nelson, Sointula; Chief Harry Nyce, Gitwinksihlkw; Willie Olney, Sointula; Joan Payne, Sechelt; John Pearson, who showed me around Metlakatla, Alaska (and mayor Jack Booth for letting us use his car); Eli Popoff, Grand Forks; Annette Island School District superintendent Bob Pratt; Heather Pringle, Victoria; Gary and Anita Raaum of Innside Passage Bed & Breakfast, Ketchikan, for hosting above and beyond the call of duty; Fran Reece, band manager at Metlakatla, BC; Cathy Ringham, Langley; Tauno and Ruth Salo, Sointula; Lynn Sherrill, Smithers; Peter and Barbara Solhjell, Hagensborg, their hospitality; John and Helen Stevenson, Nelson; Kaz Takahashi, Vancouver; Betty Tillotson, Argenta; Catherine Traer, Victoria; Richard Van Cleave at Ketchikan’s Tongass Historical Museum; John Verigin, Jr, Grand Forks; Maureen Waller, Aldergrove; Lillian Weedmark at the Bulkley Valley Museum, Smithers; Al Whittaker, for letting me camp at Quatsino Lodge; Gloria Williams, Sointula; Doris Wold, Quatsino; Daniel Wood, Vancouver, for suggesting the original idea; and Rob Wood, Vancouver.
Preface to the Second Edition
The first edition of this book was published in 1997, twenty years ago. Much has happened since then. To my knowledge, no other survey or overview of British Columbia’s utopian communities has appeared since 1997, despite the fact that many people remain intensely interested in this subject. Bringing the original book up-to-date seemed a worthwhile project. I have revised and amplified the text, correcting some minor errors and adding several new sections. One concerns the Emissaries of Divine Light, who, considering their importance to intentional community development in BC, did not, I feel, receive adequate coverage in the first edition. A second section describes 1970s countercultural activity on the Sunshine Coast, which Weekend Magazine claimed was “at the vanguard of the Canadian commune movement.”
The most obvious change