The remains of the first dwellings of Doukhobor settlers near Blaine Lake, Sask., are now a national historic site.
Constructed in 1899, the house was built into the side of the riverbank to house the new immigrants from Russia, and later was replaced with more conventional homes.
Julie Dompierre of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada said the site was chosen because it is the only known surviving example of such early dwellings, which played a key role in the settlement of the Prairies.
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“It is closely and emotionally associated with Doukhobors in Canada and it recalls the hardships faced by these and other early settlers and the practical ways they met and overcame them,” she said.
The site and the team of volunteers that manages it will see little change as a result of the new designation, other than a new plaque recognizing its national historic importance. The designation does not come with new funding or resources.
There are more than 930 such sites, 600 national historic persons and 400 national historic events in Canada’s system of national historic designations.
Parks Canada protects 157 of them, but most are operated by private individuals and nonprofit organizations.
