Hardy Mountain Doukhobor Village facts for kids

Hardy Mountain Doukhobor Village is a special historical place in the Boundary region of south-central British Columbia. It used to be a community where Doukhobor people lived. This village is located about 4.3 kilometers (2.7 miles) northwest of Grand Forks, right on Hardy Mountain Road.

Life on Hardy Mountain: A Look Back

The area around Hardy Mountain got its name from Thomas Hardy, who owned a hotel nearby in 1894. By 1897, people were calling the mining areas there "Hardy Mountain." A road was built up the mountain in 1910, making it easier to reach.

In 1912, the main Doukhobor communal house was built. This was a large, two-story building made of wood and brick, with porches at the front and back. The kitchen and dining areas were on the first floor, and many small bedrooms were on the second floor. This community was known as the Makortoff Doukhobor village. The people here lived off the land, growing their own food and making most of what they needed. They were very self-sufficient. However, by the 1960s, things changed, and these communal properties had to be closed and sold.

The Hardy family's name is still seen today in places like Hardy Mountain Road, Hardy View Lodge, and Hardy Creek.

Mountain View Doukhobor Museum

In 1971, a man named Peter Gritchen bought the 16.9-acre (6.8-hectare) property where the village stood. The very next year, in 1972, he opened the Mountain View Doukhobor Museum. This museum displayed many items from Doukhobor life, such as old tools, household goods, and farm equipment. These items were kept in the different farm buildings.

After Peter Gritchen passed away in 2000, a group called The Land Conservancy of BC (TLC) bought the site in 2004. The Boundary Museum Society (BM) bought many of the museum's collections, which mostly stayed on display. Over the years, many of the original buildings had been changed a lot or were not taken care of, so some had to be taken down. Today, only five of the original buildings are still standing.

Saving a Historic Site

After TLC bought the property, they found it hard to do all the work needed to fix up the buildings. By 2012, TLC was having money problems, and the museum had to close. To keep them safe, the Boundary Museum Society moved two large, 40-foot (12-meter) long storage containers filled with artifacts that they owned.

In 2015, the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) bought the property. They wanted to work with other groups to restore this important historical site and make it a place for visitors again. The site has been recognized as a historic place by the National Trust for Canada and the RDKB. It overlooks the beautiful Kettle River and Granby River valleys. This is the only Doukhobor "great house" in British Columbia that is still on its original spot.

Other Doukhobor Sites Near Grand Forks

In 1909, the Doukhobor Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood (CCUB) bought a large area of land, about 4,000 acres (1,619 hectares), near Grand Forks.

• Fructova Heritage Site: About 2.9 kilometers (1.8 miles) south of the former village, on Reservoir Road, is the Fructova Heritage Site. This site includes a former Doukhobor school that was open from 1929 to 1949. The bricks used to build the school came from a community brick factory located just below the school grounds. In the early 1990s, the Doukhobor Historical Society of BC finished renovations and changed the name from Fruitova to Fructova, which is the correct Russian word. Since 2009, this site has also been home to the Boundary Museum & Interpretive Centre.
• Brick Factory: The brick factory operated from 1909 to 1932. It made bricks for the community and also sold them to others. While some simple brickmaking had been done there before, the CCUB installed steam-powered machines to make bricks on a much larger scale. The factory closed during the Great Depression, and when the CCUB ended in 1938, the factory closed for good.
• Pride of the Valley Flour Mill: This mill was built in 1915 and used steam power until 1945, when it closed. It reopened in 1962, using an electric hammer mill, but stopped making flour in the late 2010s.