Port McNeill to Campbell River - Vancouver Island

Next day we took the 'white whippet' (Jaimie's car) on the ferry to Malcolm Island and the town of Sointula which is a Finnish word meaning harmony. It began as a Utopian colony in the early 1900s with fishermen, farmers and loggers, following their dream to lead independent, self-sufficient lives in harmony with nature. In January 1903 a tragic fire at the community hall claimed the lives of eleven people, and  financial problems eventually forced the colony into liquidation in 1904. Utopia may have floundered, despite the dedication and hard work, but the Finns remain and the Finnish language is still spoken today. A second wave of independence-seekers arrived in the 1960s, hoping to preserve Sointula's peaceful atmosphere.

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