“All aboard!” seems the appropriate call for “Voyage - Come Sail with Us,” the 2018 theme for the provincial and national historic Doukhobor Dugout House site located in the rural southeast area of Blaine Lake.
As the Doukhobor Dugout House prepares for its season, site owner Brenda Cheveldayoff focuses on a particular historical event relevant to Doukhobor culture that, to this day, has not been elaborated on.
“We know and continue to talk about the life and times and journey of Doukhobors across Canada once they set foot on Canadian soil,” commented Cheveldayoff during a telephone interview. “This year, we are telling the story of the voyage, from the Russian departure across to the Halifax arrival.”
As with any historical event, learning the background is pertinent to understanding the scenario. Cheveldayoff enlisted the assistance of other Doukhobor descendents to identify and verify the facts of the journey. According to a historical website, “the first Doukhobor immigrants left Russia aboard the Lake Huronon Dec. 21, 1898. This group, more than 2,100 individuals, arrived in Halifax on Jan. 23, 1899.”
Written into a script for the Dugout House tour, the dialogue is enough to get the site visitor’s imagination rolling. The aid of visual artifacts and period costume will draw the guests into the theme as they follow the guide through the outdoor setting.
Visitors will experience the voyage re-enactment beginning with the moment they arrive. Greeted by volunteers in period costume, each $10 adult admission will provide the visitor with a copy of an authentic Lake Huron ship ticket complete with passenger’s name and statistics.
“Visitors will hear details about the 18-day journey and have a culinary experience of what the immigrants might have eaten enroute,” explains Cheveldayoff. “They will also meet an actor portraying Captain Evans of the Lake Huron.”
Visitors will then be guided through significant areas of the site: from the flowing spring to demonstrate hand washing clothes with lye soap to the archeological site. Guests will have an opportunity to participate in the plough-pulling event and visit the cultural artifact display in one of the buildings.
As an added feature, a baker will be on site and will use an heirloom bread recipe to mix dough and bake bread in a wood-fired clay oven. Visitors can then purchase and enjoy a thick slice of fresh-baked bread smothered in home-style jam made from local berries.
Cheveldayoff has endured much controversy over the years as she continues to unveil the lives and hardships of her ancestors. She sources out reputable individuals to research and assist her in compiling validated information for her annual themes.
“It is important to share these ancestral events with other cultures,” explains Cheveldayoff. “It adds clarity by providing an opportunity for questions to be answered and the livelihood of our culture to be explained.”
Don’t miss the boat, be a passenger when the ship sails at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on the provincial and national historic site’s official opening on July 7. Site tours will continue at those three times every Saturday in July. More information can be obtained by visitingdoukhobordugouthouse.com.
