It is said that every town, every culture and possibly every family has a dark secret. An event that occurred but is either a shaming or mystery so it remains buried in the past.
As the Doukhobor Dugout House prepares for its annual theme “Murder and Secrets,” site owner Brenda Cheveldayoff focuses on a particular historical event relevant to Doukhobor culture that, to this day, remains an unsolved mystery.
Murder and Secrets focuses on the events leading up to the train explosion of Oct. 29, 1924 that killed 65-year-old Peter Vasilievich Veriginx, a Russian immigrant who inspired Doukhobor followers to build communal settlement across western Canada after their arrival in Canada in 1898. The explosion also killed eight other passengers including Verigin’s 17-year-old personal assistant.
As with any historical event, learning the background is pertinent to understanding the scenario. Cheveldayoff enlisted the assistance of researcher, writer and filmmaker, Larry Ewashen, to provide the details of the events leading up to the death of Verigin.
Ewashen has been exploring and researching the data for decades and in 1977 while he was making the film In Search of Utopia: The Doukhobors he deduced 12 theories about the cause of the explosion that killed the prominent individual. A few of these include: an explosion of gas used to light the railcar, dynamite carelessly transported by prospectors, a suicide plot or assassination.
The train was traveling the Kettle Valley Line in southeastern British Columbia and was between Castlegar and Grand Forks when the explosion occurred. The explosion shattered the Canadian Pacific Railroad Car 1586 where Verigin, his assistant and other distinguished passengers were seated.
Written into a script for the Dugout House tour, the dialogue is enough to get the site visitors’ 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. A volunteer portraying Peter Verigin will appear sporadically throughout the tour, offering dialogue of events leading up to and including his final journey. Re-enactment will reveal the suspicion that Verigin had regarding his impending demise. Ewashen’s data from research and interviews will provide substantial clues to the overall context
“An intriguing characteristic that Larry’s research revealed was that Peter presented raisins and peanuts to the children in the crowds,” said Cheveldayoff explaining that the gesture had become Verigin’s trademark. Cheveldayoff reveals that throughout the tour the volunteer portraying Verigin will hand out raisins and peanuts to the guests.
One by one, details are revealed drawing the crowd into this unsolved mystery.
According the Great Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History, the case remains ope’ and there has never been substantiated evidence to indicate foul play or accident. Ewashen’s years of research and exploration has not revealed any conclusive evidence that would indicate the cause. In his You Tube video, he too admits the police have been evasive in providing any information and claim the case is still open. This event appears to be more secretive than both World Wars.
The provincial and national historic site’s official opening will take place July 2. Site tours will continue at 11 a.m., 1 .p.m and 3 p.m. every Saturday in July.
Guests will be greeted by volunteers in period costume and 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.
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.”
“I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for them (forefathers). I believe I/we owe it to them to bring the truth to light,” commented Cheveldayoff in a telephone interview.
For more information on the Doukhobor Dugout House and its tour schedules, visit www.doukhobordugouthouse.com.
What do you think? Murder or accident? Why not join the tour for this year’s theme and try to solve the mystery.
