Ukrainians in Grindrod/title>

Free Land! That was one of the most powerful incentives which drew immigrants from all over Europe to the vast, unknown and largely unsettled expanse known as Canada. The offers of free land were only part, however, of the aggressive immigration policy being pursued by Sir Clifford Sifton, Canada's Minister of the Interior.

Advertising took place on an international scale, exhorting the attractions of this new land. Immigration agents were provided a bonus for every settler dispatched. Hundreds of prospects were given free tours through the West and a liberal land policy was established. Sifton was a shrewd man who wanted a certain type of settler; namely, hardy, stalwart and agriculturally-oriented people who would turn the "empty" West into productive farming land.

"I think a stalwart peasant in a sheep-skin coat, born on the soil, whose forefathers have been farmers for ten generations, with a stout wife and half a dozen children, is good quality."¹

Among several ethnic groups who fitted Clifford Sifton's description were the Ukrainian people of Eastern Europe. In the late 1800's conditions in their homeland were becoming increasingly harsh. The Ukraine was divided between two empires, that of Russia and of Austria-Hungary. Under foreign rule, the people were subject to political, cultural and social oppression and the majority faced a hard life with meagre return. Added to this was the problem of overpopulation in western Ukraine and the increasing scarcity of land. By comparison, the Canadian government was offering sixty-four hectares (158.08 acres) of prairie farm land for only $10.00, while land further west was going free to anyone who wanted to settle there.

Prior to World War I, and in the post-war years which followed, there was an influx of Ukrainian immigrants to Canada. These immigrants, mainly rough farmers who were ever in search of good agricultural land, settled predominantly in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Those who had lived in the wooded areas of the western Ukraine tended to settle in the north, while others from the steppes made their homes on the familiar flat land of the prairies. Because the more fertile lands were, to a large extent, already settled, the newcomers found it difficult to acquire suitable holdings. The prairie climate was also much more harsh than that of their homeland. Like other pioneer settlers, the Ukrainians suffered through cold winter temperatures and scorching hot summers. Swarms of mosquitoes and Black flies, shortages of money and supplies, and a lack of medical care fostered further dissatisfaction. As a result, the Ukrainians became easy prey for the glowing promises made by land speculators who were so prevalent during the expansion of the Canadian West.

In the late 1910's, a group of Ukrainians families in Sarto, Manitoba, finding the land they were farming and the cold winters unsatisfactory, were convinced by a company calling itself the Schwab Co. to sell their homesteads and move to Seymour Arm in British Columbia. Reverend Bazil Chopey, the first priest of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic church in Grindrod, wrote:

"This first move of the Ukrainian people into the North Okanagan area of British Columbia was organised by a speculative land company. It bought out the land of these people in Manitoba at twenty-five dollars an acre and then sold them useless land in the Seymour Arm area of British Columbia for two hundred dollars an acre. In this way the company enriched itself by taking advantage and exploiting our immigrant settlers"²

The first group of settlers arrived in Sicamous in 1919. From there they were taken by boat to Seymour Arm where they were greeted by sand, hilly country, and heavy timber. It did not take long to discover that there was no work and all goods had to be shipped up the lake from Sicamous on barges. The Ukrainians felt cheated and became disillusioned. British Columbia, they had been led to believe, was a dream land of year-round sunshine, bountiful water supplies, and most important of all, rich soil. Their homes in Manitoba were gone, as was most of their money, so there was no choice but to spend the winter of 1919-1920 in the abandoned shacks of a previous settlement.

The Ukrainians sent a delegate, Mr. Kost Scherba, back to Sarto to demand that the land company return their property in Manitoba or find an alternate and more suitable location elsewhere. The company arranged a transaction with Mr. Carlin, a man who owned most of Grindrod area at that time, to have the Ukrainians transferred there. Carlin was given a down payment and the families, including those of Jablonski, Elnisky, Bugera, Savicky, Romaniuk, Harasemchuk, Chabaty, Pidhirney, Smook, Baran, Bohonous and Scherba moved into Grindrod.

Upon their arrival, these settlers, being agriculturally-oriented people, cleared the land and built their homes. It was not until several years later when they were firmly established that Mr. Carlin gathered them together to announce some unpleasant news. He told them that the Schwab Land Company had not paid him for the land. Apparently, because many of the Ukraine could not read English, they had accepted the assurances of the company and had not asked for a land title in return for the one they signed over. The people were given an ultimatum: either pay Mr. Carlin thirty dollars an acre or move on. Those who had the money paid and received their land titles, while others, unable to pay, were forced to leave.

As a result of their experience with the Schwab Land Company, their finances were strained to the limit. They were unable to buy cleared land and had to settle for bush land, which required a great amount of work to clear. Throughout the 1920's, a common sight in Grindrod was that of a new settler blasting stumps to clear their land. Rubber tires would be laid around the stumps to ensure neighbouring windows were not broken when the stumping powder was ignited. The families also had to make a living, which made it necessary for the men in the community, and even many of the women and children, to find jobs in the logging areas of Grandview Bench, while others left to work on the C.P.R. railroad, a major employer during the 1920's. Still other men took jobs picking apples and berries, working in sawmills or helping more prosperous farmers who had already established themselves in the area.

If the men worked hard, so did the women. A typical day for many of them was similar to that of Mrs. Anchikoski. She arose at 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning to spend at least two hours clearing brush before making breakfast and sending the children off to school. Then it was time to do the chores and go back to working the fields. Bedtime was either 9:00 or 10:00 p.m. in order to start the next day early.

Everything was hand-made or recycled and nothing was wasted. Sheep wool was cleaned, carded, and spun, so that it could be knitted into clothing in the evening. White shirts were made from flour sacks. Even the alcohol was home-made. In some instances, potatoes were peeled and boiled in a pot with an upside down lid filled with ice. Condensation would form and drop into a second pot below resulting in a potent beverage which could quench any man's thirst.

Mrs. Jeanette Elsom recalls the time her parents and their five children arrived from central Saskatchewan in November, 1922, with only $10.00. For a while, they lived in a two storey house that belonged to Mr. Scherba; with four families and fourteen kids, conditions were crowded. Mrs. Elsom's father attained a job with the C.P.R. the following year. He earned 25 cents per hour and had to walk from Grindrod to Salmon Arm to work. The family managed to save a few dollars and bought a piece of property covered in dense brush. They cleared a spot and built a one-room shack with a dirt floor. Mrs. Elsom wrote:

"My mother would spend all day grubbing dirt from huge stumps with axe and grub hoe. When the older boys came from school they would help mother pry the stumps up with a long pole and gradually pry them out. As the years went by and payment for the property was due we discovered most payment went for interest. That fixed us all. Our main food was cottage cheese and mushrooms in season. Shoes only for school. The oldest boy helped a farmer milk cows and we had all the skim milk we could use. It wasn't until several years later that we could buy an old cow for $10.00; then we had cream and butter as well. Most of the boys stayed home to help clear land for crops. We could also afford stumping powder after years of hard work."³

Times were lean and every opportunity was taken to earn an extra dollar. The women at home were excellent gardeners and it was amazing what crops of vegetables were raised from their small plots of land. Each pail of water needed to irrigate their gardens was carried from wells. In addition to gardening, the women and girls sought housekeeping duties. Mrs. John March (nee Shykora) recalls the times she was paid 75 cents a day for housecleaning. Two days work meant a weeks worth of sugar and rice for her family. Later, she walked ten miles to Salmon Arm to stay in shacks for a week at a time to pick berries with other girls. Another woman, Mrs. Mohoruk (nee Jablonsky), one of the original settlers, tells the story of children working instead for attending school in order to help support the family. Her first job was pulling stinkweed for $1.00 a day. The day she began work it was so hot she suffered sunstroke. Later on, at the age of thirteen, she managed to get a job housekeeping in Vernon for a Dr. French. Despite the kindness of the family, who treated her as one of their own, she can still recall the bouts of homesickness that overtook her on many nights when she was alone.

Working on jobs away from home, the Ukrainian settlers in Grindrod could only clear their own land and build their homes on the weekends. On their small acreage's, their first buildings were not large - the houses were, in fact, usually smaller than the barns and outbuildings. Trees were cut down and shaped into logs. Rafters were made of smaller logs and cedar was split for shingles to be put on the roof. Stove pipes, carefully plastered with a mixture consisting of clay, and short hay, ran through the roof. The walls were also thickly coated with a plaster consisting of clay, straw and water, which could later be whitewashed. As time went by and life became somewhat easier, more substantial buildings were constructed.

The Ukrainian people were not only noted for their hard work and industrious natures, but also for their hospitality and love of get-togethers. Mrs. Mary Strilchuk (nee Karpowich) arrived in Grindrod with her family in 1923. They were the only Polish family in the area and thus found themselves associating more and more with the Ukrainians.

"I recall as a youngster the hospitality of these people was remarkable. It was nothing to see a group of young and old folk gather at a home on a Sunday afternoon and there was always to be found someone that was musically inclined and an orchestra would be formed and dancing was enjoyed all afternoon and well into the night - that was where I got my first lessons in dancing and I still enjoy it very much. Food was readily available; it was not fancy, but no one went away hungry. Cards were another form of entertainment and groups of young people would gather at a home, and here once again music would be enjoyed by cranking up the old gramophone someone always had to stand by to change the records.
Weddings were gala affairs, usually three days of celebrations. There were no catering services in those days, but a group of women would gather just prior to the wedding and prepare many roasters of cabbage rolls and other traditional dishes. The baking of the breads and cabbage rolls would be done in large outdoor clay Dutch-ovens which almost every home found it necessary to have. It was amazing to see how these ladies would test these large ovens for the right temperatures before putting in their large loaves of bread which came out golden brown and so delicious. All during the days of the wedding celebrations the cooks would be busy preparing and cooking while others would be setting and resetting the tables for a constant flow of guests. There was also a number of volunteers for washing and wiping of dishes. Indoor plumbing and electricity were unheard of, so buckets of water had to be carried in and heated on wood stoves. If it was a summer wedding, a wood stove would be set up outdoors. Refrigeration was also unheard of, but food was kept cool in root cellars, which were a must in every household. Everyone shared in the work and the pleasure of visiting, dancing, and just being together."⁴

Mr. Tony Anchikoski remembers his childhood as being a "different" type of life compared to the accepted lifestyle of today. The people tended to communicate much more through Sunday visiting, parties, and week-long weddings. Though the kids lacked material means, they had little difficulty creating their own form of entertainment. A favourite weekly pastime, for example, was climbing nearby hills and mountains. It was not unusual to spend complete days in the woods. In the winters, crude skis were fashioned from 1 inch by four inches by soaking the wood in hot water and bending it into the proper shape. During the summer months, swimming, fishing and hiking were common leisure time activities.

"I don't remember the depression being bad. We lacked clothes, yes, but there was enough food; we had horses, cattle, ducks and chickens. For Christmas we got new pencils and scribblers, instead of toys, but we were just as happy. There was a lot of fun for both young and old"⁵

Another popular event in Grindrod was the 11:00 a.m. passenger train, which stopped to unload mail during its daily run from Sicamous to Vernon. It became and excuse for all the young people to congregate and socialise. Mrs. Kathy Strilchuk and her sister were at Danforth's corner one morning when they heard the steam whistle: "I still remember her making me run all the way to Grindrod so we wouldn't miss the train and get-together. She was coughing quite badly by the time we reached the train, but it was more important."⁶

In 1923, the Ukrainians faced open discrimination over the issue of schooling for their children. Apparently, the school board was determined not to allow the immigrants' children to attend the Grindrod school, wanting the Ukrainian people to build their own school. The board's reluctance can partially be attributed to the fact that the teachers would be faced with teaching a new language, English, to the children, since the majority spoke only their parents' native tongue. After two outdoor meetings were held, the issue remained unresolved. At the third meeting, however, a lady came from Salmon Arm and, according to Nick Lopaschuk, told the board that it didn't matter whether the children were Ukrainian, Japanese, or Chinese - they had a right to a good education. The matter was settled and the next morning all the Ukrainian children went to school with smiles on their faces.

Despite all the hardships the community had to face and overcome, it seems to have thrived and by 1923 there was a strong move to construct a place of worship. Religion constituted a very important part of the Ukrainians' lives and played a central role in their social activities. The people elected a church building committee comprised of Kost Scherba, Gregory Bohonous and Dymtro Ilnytski. Mr. Carlin had previously sold the Ukrainian community land for a cemetery for $60.00 and had donated six lots for a church in 1922. This meant that the construction of the church by volunteer labour and under the leadership of P.T. Buchko could begin immediately in May, 1923. The church building was later completed in 1924 at the cost of $820.60; this figure included a $300.00 donation from father MacKenzie, a priest from Salmon Arm. Some interesting features of the interior of the church which remain today are brass ornaments and crosses brought over from the Ukraine during the early 1900's.

Services in the church were first conducted by Reverend W.B. McKenzie, V.F., of Kelowna, B.c., who founded the parish at Grindrod and who ministered to the spiritual needs of the Ukrainian people from their arrival until the autumn of 1926. He was followed by Rev. Basil Chopey, Rev. Lubomyr Sywenky (1950-1951), Rev. Mathew Pawliuk (1951-1952), Rev. Bohdan M. Hanushevsky (1953-1955), Rev. Basil Woloshyn (1956-1958), Rev. Michael Stewchuk (1959), Rev. Marko Stek (1959-1964), Rev. Raphael Boychuk, OSBM, (1965-1966) and Rev. Marko Stek (1967-1971).*

The Ukrainians had many religious customs which they brought with them. Mrs. Mary Strilchuk, for example, recalls the "Blessing of the Water" church parade, which took place during the wintertime, two weeks after Christmas. In colourful costumes and banners, the people would be led chanting and singing by the priest. The procession would walk to the river and cut a cross out of the ice for the priest to bless. Afterwards he would visit the homes of the congregation members and bless them with water. Some winters, the river would not be frozen and a tub of water would be brought to the church. In later years, this became the customary method of "Blessing the water." Another popular religious observance was Easter.

"Before the Catholic church (in Grindrod) was built, Mass was said in the Anglican church by the kind permission of Rev. Blay, who was a minister in Grindrod at that time. For someone who attended church in Grindrod as a young girl, the beautiful Easter sunrise service made a lasting impression. The congregation would stand outside the church and as the first glimpse of the rising sun was seen the bell would ring and the priest would lead the procession into the church with everyone singing "Christ has risen." Inside the church it seemed there were a hundred candles lit, signifying enlightenment to mankind and that Christ was God indeed and had triumphed over death. After the song and Mass, the mothers and grandmothers would have baskets of decorated Easter eggs which they handed out to the children, who would receive the with great delight. It was a happy ending after sitting through a long service."⁶

Church fund-raising was often woven into an enjoyable social activity. The young girls, for instance, would prepare fancy lunch boxes filled with a variety of goodies which would be sold to the highest bidder. The money raised would go to toward church building and maintenance costs. Another church function, though not a fund-raising activity, was the annual outdoor service and picnic held on July 12, in honour of St. Peter's and Paul's Day. People from Kelowna, Kamloops, Stepney and Armstrong usually attended this popular event.

Mrs. Stefanyk arrived in Grindrod at a time when many of the older settlers had moved to other parts of the country and the church congregation had been considerably depleted.

"We came to Grindrod in April, 1943. My mother and father came with us. They could not speak English well, so we all attended the Ukrainian Catholic church. It still had 2x4's in the inside. Then Father Shadan came and he helped the congregation to have entertainment on the weekends, box socials or pie sales, and money was raised to finish the church nicely from the inside. Most of the early settlers mentioned were not in Grindrod anymore, but a lot of newcomers joined the Church. I was secretary for quite a few years, and at that time, there was 25 or more church members. A few families came from Armstrong and Stepney. That was in the '40's and '50's. Then quite a few old-timers passed away and a few families moved away. Our young members married into English-speaking families, so there were not enough members left to support the priest and keep up the Church. So the last service we had was on January 4, 1970, with Father Zubeck."⁷

St. Peter's and Paul's Ukrainian church in Grindrod is the oldest of its kind according to Tony Anchikoski, son of one of the original settlers. Tony is a member of the new church committee formed after rumours began to circulate in the spring of 1977 that the land on which the church now stands was to be sold and the building torn down. The rumours, later found to be untrue, nevertheless rekindled community interest and plans were drawn up to restore the landmark.

In February, 1978, the church committee obtained a grant of $500.00 from the Enderby Historical Society to begin a program of summer work cleaning up the surrounding grounds and cemetery, as well as painting the exterior of the church. The interior of the church is still being restored by volunteers.

Father Sheffield, a Roman Catholic priest in Salmon Arm, wrote to Bishop Jerome Chimny, head of the Ukrainian church in New Westminster, asking to hold services four times a year in the Grindrod Ukrainian church. Permission was granted, and after eight years of being shut down due to a lock of congregation, the first service was held in the spring of1978, with Reverend John Sheffield officiating. Church services are now held four times each year.

After the church was completed in 1924, the Ukrainian community continued to grow as more settlers were attracted to Grindrod. During the mid-30's, the community was at its height with a total of 45% for the people living in the area being of Ukrainian origin. Gradually over the years, however, the children grew up and intermarried with other ethnic groups. Many moved to Vernon of other parts of Canada to seek their places in the world in all types of professions. Many of the older people passed away or moved to larger centers to retire, further decreasing the Ukrainian population. Today there are only a few Ukrainian families remaining in Grindrod.

The Ukrainians in Grindrod were part of a larger national scene. Immigrants, whether Ukrainian, Scottish, French or British were utilising their skills, knowledge and hard work to till the land, lumber the forests, mine the rich natural resources, fish the bountiful waters, and create newer and more diversified industries all across Canada. Canada was no longer merely a huge expanse of wilderness sparsely populated by natives, but a working, driving nation intent on bringing itself to the cultural and economic levels of the older and more advanced European nations.

Canada grew through the influx of immigrants and the effect of these peoples on her economic, social and political life has been tremendous. Today Canada is amongst the leading industrial nations of the world and competes actively in the world market. Her rich soil, especially in the prairie regions, has made her a top food producer. Canada also enjoys a standard of living which is almost the highest in the world. This great prosperity is, of course, primarily due to Canada's rich natural resources. Yet, without people willing to devote long hours to develop these resources, this wealth could never have been realised.

Peopled by a wide range of ethnic groups, Canada's character was not molded into a definite form, but rather was a medley of many distinct cultures and heritages. Like the Ukrainian people in Grindrod, many of Canada's settlers originally tended to locate in large groups with similar cultural backgrounds. It was not unusual for the older people in these groups to retain their language and never adopt either French or English. They continued to practice their centuries old customs, bake traditional dishes handed down through generations, and maintain their handcraft skills. Their children and the younger members of the community were, however, exposed to different ideas and a changing lifestyle which they gradually came to accept. Eventually they intermarried and drifted away from the original settlement. This trend occurred in Grindrod and resulted in a substantial decrease in subsisting predominantly on farming and larger centres like Vernon offered greater opportunity and a more promising economic future. Those who stayed, however, became a definite asset to the community of Grindrod as they continued to follow the creeds of hard work and basic honesty set down by their ancestors.

The life pioneer Canada offered was often harsh and unyielding, designed to test the mettle, determination and vigour of the new settlers. Those who survived the onslaughts of weather, the difficulties of learning a new language, loneliness, racial prejudice and natural disasters reaped the many-sided benefits of this rich country. Strong memorable characters, direct descendants of a hard life of trials and tribulations, were formed. The people became proud of their new Canadian identity which they helped to form and confident that seemingly insurmountable problems could be overcome. As one Ukrainian settler said, "The Ukrainian settlers in Grindrod suffered through hardships like everyone else, but there was always singing and laughing. It was not a bad time - we were happy just being together."

*Author's Note: The priests' names and the dates were taken from a pamphlet entitled "The 25th Anniversary of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Grindrod." From various interviews I gathered that the names and dates may not be in correct order and some priests may have been omitted entirely. No other source could be found, however, and the majority for the interviewees were satisfied with the given information.

Original Sources - Interviews concerning "The History of the Ukrainian People in Grindrod." Names are in alphabetical order.

1.	Anchikoski, Tony	May 18, 1979	Grindrod, B.C.
2.	Elsom, Jeanette	May 18, 1979	Enderby, B.C.
3.	Halksworth, Kathy	May 18, 1979	Grindrod, B.C.
4.	Handcock, Gerald S	May 18, 1979	Enderby, B.C
5.	Hawrys, Tony	May 24, 1979	Enderby, B.C.
6.	Lidstone, Ruby	May 18, 1979	Enderby, B.C.
7.	Lipiski, Joe	May 19, 1979	Enderby, B.C.
8.	Lopaschuk, Nick	March, 1979	Enderby, B.C.
9.	March, John	March, 1979	Vernon, B.C.
10.	Mohoruk, Mrs. V	March, 1979	Vernon, B.C.
11.	Smaha, John	May 18, 1979	Grindrod, B.C.
12.	Smaha, Paul	May 24, 1979	Enderby, B.C.
13.	Stefanyk, John	May 19, 1979	Enderby, B.C.
14.	Strickland, Ann	May 21, 1979	Enderby, B.C.
15.	Strilchuk, Mary	May 19, 1979	Grindrod, B.C.

1.Chopey, Bazil Re., "The 25th anniversary of the Ukrainian Church in Grindrod (1924-1949)," Edmonton, Alberta Printing Co., 1978, p. 10-29. Kindly supplied by the Most Reverend Jerome Chimy O.S.B., D.D., J.C.D., of New Westminster, B.C. Translated by Peter Maksylevich of Enderby, B.C.

2. Gregorvich, Andrew, "The Ukrainians," edited by Norman Sheffe, Many Cultures, Many Heritages, Canada. McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd., 1976. 544 pages (P.497-536)

3. Martinello, I.L., "Call Us Canadians," Toronto, McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd., 1976. 376 pages, (P. 227-229)

Special thanks to Mr. Ed Goldstrom and Mrs. Ruby Lidstone for their guidance and help throughout this essay.