Veregin, Saskatchewan
Encyclopedia
Veregin is a village
in the Canadian
province
of Saskatchewan
. It is located 50 kilometres northeast of Yorkton, and some 10 km to the west of the nearest town, Kamsack.
The Veregin railway station
is served by Via Rail
.
s, in the middle of whose 1899 block settlement
, known as the South Doukobor Colony its future site happened to be, and the Canadian Northern Railway
, whose new line (between Kamsack and Canora
) crossed the reserve in 1904. The site of the future village of Veregin - which also happened to be the closest point where the new rail line came to the village of Otradnoye (some 10 km north of Veregin) where the residence and headquarters of the Doukhobor leader, Peter Verigin
was at the time - was chosen as the place for the railway station to serve the Doukhobor reserve.
The new station, originally known as Veregin Siding, and since 1908 as Veregin station, was named after Peter Verigin.
(Veregin appears a common spelling variant of the surname Verigin, fairly common among the Doukhobors. In fact, the village name is spelt as Verigin on the letterhead of Peter Verigin-led Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood
in the 1920s, and, on occasions, in the report of BC Royal Commission of 1912.)
A new village started to be growing near the Veregin train station. Peter Verigin moved his residence and the headquarters to Veregin from Otradnoye in 1904,. The BC Royal Commission report of 1912 mentions the village (spelt as Verigin) as the site of what it terms "the head office of the Doukhobor Community".
Veregin soon became an important the Doukhobor
settlement in the region. Brickworks, grain elevator
s, a floor mill were built there.
While the early annual general meetings of the Doukhobor Community continued to take place in the village of Nadezhda, some 10 km to the north of Veregin,
Veregin became the site of the annual meetings no later than January 1910.
When Peter Verigin-led Doukhobor Community was legally incorporated as the Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood
(CCUB) in 1917, the headquarters of the organization was based in the village of Veregin as well, even though the majority of the CCUB members had already moved to British Columbia by that time. CCUB headquarters remained in Veregin until its relocation to British Columbia in 1931.
With the bankruptcy of CCUB in 1937-38, the facilities owned by the community were sold or destroyed.
In 1980, the 1917-built Verigin's mansion was restored. In 2006, it and a few other Doukhobor buildings have been designated a National Historic Site of Canada under the name "Doukhobors at Veregin
".
Two major fires in the community on January 22 and 29, 2004, threatened the viability of the village.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
province
Provinces and territories of Canada
The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...
of Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
. It is located 50 kilometres northeast of Yorkton, and some 10 km to the west of the nearest town, Kamsack.
The Veregin railway station
Veregin railway station
The Veregin Railway Station is a flag stop located in a wooded area in Veregin, Saskatchewan, Canada. The station is served by Via Rail's Winnipeg – Churchill train.- External links :*...
is served by Via Rail
VIA Rail
Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....
.
History
The village of Veregin owns its existence to the DoukhoborDoukhobor
The Doukhobors or Dukhobors , earlierDukhobortsy are a group of Russian origin.The Doukhobors were one of the sects - later defined as a religious philosophy, ethnic group, social movement, or simply a "way of life" - known generically as Spiritual Christianity. The origin of the Doukhobors is...
s, in the middle of whose 1899 block settlement
Block Settlement
A block settlement is particular type of land distribution which allows settlers with the same ethnicity to form small colonies.This settlement type was used throughout western Canada between the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
, known as the South Doukobor Colony its future site happened to be, and the Canadian Northern Railway
Canadian Northern Railway
The Canadian Northern Railway is a historic Canadian transcontinental railway. At its demise in 1923, when it was merged into the Canadian National Railway , the CNoR owned a main line between Quebec City and Vancouver via Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonton.-Manitoba beginnings:CNoR had its start in...
, whose new line (between Kamsack and Canora
Canora, Saskatchewan
Canora is a town located at the junction of highways No. 5 and 9 in east-central Saskatchewan, north of the city of Yorkton. Centrally located on the corners of four adjacent rural municipalities, the community is home to approximately 2,400 residents and draws upon a substantial trading area...
) crossed the reserve in 1904. The site of the future village of Veregin - which also happened to be the closest point where the new rail line came to the village of Otradnoye (some 10 km north of Veregin) where the residence and headquarters of the Doukhobor leader, Peter Verigin
Peter Vasilevich Verigin
Peter Vasilevich Verigin often known as Peter "Lordly" Verigin was a Russian philosopher, activist and preacher of the Doukhobors.- In Transcaucasia:...
was at the time - was chosen as the place for the railway station to serve the Doukhobor reserve.
The new station, originally known as Veregin Siding, and since 1908 as Veregin station, was named after Peter Verigin.
(Veregin appears a common spelling variant of the surname Verigin, fairly common among the Doukhobors. In fact, the village name is spelt as Verigin on the letterhead of Peter Verigin-led Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood
Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood
Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood was the main spiritual and economic organization of Canadian Doukhobors from the early 20th century until its bankruptcy in 1938...
in the 1920s, and, on occasions, in the report of BC Royal Commission of 1912.)
Veregin soon became an important the Doukhobor
Doukhobor
The Doukhobors or Dukhobors , earlierDukhobortsy are a group of Russian origin.The Doukhobors were one of the sects - later defined as a religious philosophy, ethnic group, social movement, or simply a "way of life" - known generically as Spiritual Christianity. The origin of the Doukhobors is...
settlement in the region. Brickworks, grain elevator
Grain elevator
A grain elevator is a tower containing a bucket elevator, which scoops up, elevates, and then uses gravity to deposit grain in a silo or other storage facility...
s, a floor mill were built there.
While the early annual general meetings of the Doukhobor Community continued to take place in the village of Nadezhda, some 10 km to the north of Veregin,
Veregin became the site of the annual meetings no later than January 1910.
When Peter Verigin-led Doukhobor Community was legally incorporated as the Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood
Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood
Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood was the main spiritual and economic organization of Canadian Doukhobors from the early 20th century until its bankruptcy in 1938...
(CCUB) in 1917, the headquarters of the organization was based in the village of Veregin as well, even though the majority of the CCUB members had already moved to British Columbia by that time. CCUB headquarters remained in Veregin until its relocation to British Columbia in 1931.
With the bankruptcy of CCUB in 1937-38, the facilities owned by the community were sold or destroyed.
In 1980, the 1917-built Verigin's mansion was restored. In 2006, it and a few other Doukhobor buildings have been designated a National Historic Site of Canada under the name "Doukhobors at Veregin
Doukhobors at Veregin
"Doukhobors at Veregin" is a National Historic Site of Canada located in the village of Veregin, Saskatchewan, and designated so in 2006. The site is also known as National Doukhobor Heritage Village....
".
Two major fires in the community on January 22 and 29, 2004, threatened the viability of the village.