In 1899, the Doukhonours came to the prairies in Western Canada. Many Russian Doukhobors fled their homeland and settled in the Blaine Lake area of Saskatchewan. They adapted to the harshness of their environment by digging into the North Saskatchewan River ravine, where they built a dugout house, in the style of houses in the Caucasus. These Dugout style houses were used until 1904 when log houses were built and a village established. This National Historic Site of Canada tells a dramatic, compelling tale of prairie Doukhobor culture. The Doukhobor Dugout House values and honours heritage along with the authenticity of humanity. The strength of human connection can be told through the stories of the early Doukhobor settlers. One story in particular, describes how the early Doukhobor settlers were without a horse, and 12 women were pulling a plow. Seeing the challenges the settlers were facing, the Indigenous peoples, while under threat of arrest, brought them a horse in the night.
Many Russian Doukhobors fled their homeland and settled in the Blaine Lake area of Saskatchewan. They adapted to the harshness of their environment by digging into the North Saskatchewan River ravine, where they built a dugout house, in the style of houses in the Caucasus. These Dugout style houses were used until 1904 when log houses were built and a village established.
