Kalyna Country
Established in 1992 on the initiative of the Historic Sites and Archives Service and the CIUS, the Kalyna Country ecomuseum has been working to preserve the multifaceted and multicultural heritage of Canada’s oldest and largest Ukrainian bloc settlement, situated in the countryside north and east of Edmonton. An integral part of the ecomuseum’s conservation strategy involves promoting Kalyna Country as an ecotourism destination, which is now starting to pay dividends after several years of innovative marketing campaigns.
Article published in
This features a short history of Kalyna Country, which appeared recently in the 1 February 2007 issue of the newspaper Novyi shliakh/New Pathway (). The story is based on an edited version of an account written several years ago by Jars Balan of the ecomuseum’s origins and early years. Jars has remained actively involved in Kalyna Country – which in 2007 is marking its fifteenth anniversary – since its inception in 1992.
The Story of Kalyna Country
Situated north and east of Edmonton, is the oldest and largest agricultural community established by Ukrainian immigrants to Canada. The bloc settlement started in 1894 near the former post office of Edna-Star, not far from the town of Lamont. Two decades later, it occupied some 4,000 square kilometres along the shores of the North Saskatchewan River. By 1930, it had almost 50,000 Canadians of Ukrainian descent and extended further, into hinterlands. But, by 1939, the period of rapid rural development was ending due to the mechanization of agriculture and the migration of farm workers into the cities. This depopulation has continued until today, undermining the traditional fabric of rural life and threatening the existence of farming communities throughout Western Canada. Regardless, East Central still boasts a venerable and rich Ukrainian heritage and the highest concentration of inhabitants who claim Ukrainian ancestry in the Canadian Prairies.
The idea to create an ecomuseum in East Central was suggested in the late 1980s by the then-director of the Historic Sites and Archives Service, Dr. Frits Pannekoek. When the date marking the 100th anniversary of the 1891 arrival of the first Ukrainian immigrants to Canada began to draw near, interest in the idea grew.
Support was obtained from Ukrainian community leaders. Next, the Historic Sites Service asked the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS) to work with the provincial government in establishing an ecomuseum to commemorate the Ukrainian Canadian Centennial. Director Bohdan Krawchenko embraced the initiative and committed CIUS funds toward a development strategy. Bill Tracy, of Historic Sites, was appointed to oversee its preparation. I was hired in 1991 to work on the project. I held meetings with volunteer associations, municipal bodies, historical and museum societies, chambers of commerce, service groups and town councils to explain the principles of ecomuseum organization.
In researching, I learned that Poles, Romanians, Germans, and Jews also immigrated to the bloc settlement from villages inside the borders of contemporary Ukraine. Thus, the East European flavour of the pioneer-era colony extended well beyond the ethnic Ukrainians who flooded into the region at the end of the 19th century.
A plan was drafted and the ecomuseum’s borders were drawn, basically defined by the territory of the pre-1920 Ukrainian bloc settlement. Also, a non-profit society to oversee the implementation of the strategy was formed and, in 1992, a volunteer organization that would operate the ecomuseum was formally established.
I proposed that the ecomuseum be called “Kalyna Country” in recognition of the Ukrainian character of East Central and the fact that the highbush cranberry was a commonly found plant in the region. It is a symbol that tied together many of the ecomuseum’s proposed themes.
To be successful, the ecomuseum needed a multifocal approach and multicultural philosophy to reflect the rich history, cultural diversity and natural beauty of the region. For instance, the North Saskatchewan River Valley east of Edmonton had been the home of Native tribes for thousands of years, and in the 18th century it was the first part of visited by Europeans.
In the interpretive strategy, we identified six themes: the characteristic geography of the North Saskatchewan River Basin; the natural environment, regional plants and wildlife; Aboriginal history, culture, and contemporary Native life; the period of European exploration and the fur trade; early agricultural settlement, the arrival of missionaries, and the mass influx of pioneer homesteaders, most notably from Eastern Europe; and the evolution of East Central communities from the World Wars to the present.
In June 1992, the Kalyna Country Ecomuseum Trust Society was founded. Community activists were elected to serve as its Board of Directors. I stayed on as the volunteer executive director and continue in this role as I am convinced of the ecomuseum’s potential to contribute to the preservation of the area's unique heritage.
The Kalyna Country Ecomuseum Trust Society’s primary task is to lead the process by which the heritage resources of rural East Central are preserved, presented, and promoted for the enjoyment and the enrichment of the inhabitants and tourists. To this end, the ecomuseum engages in research, conservation, restoration and educational activities that improve the quality of life for Kalyna Country residents and that contribute to the economy of the region.
The Ukrainian Canadian Centennial Commission and the Shevchenko Foundation in Winnipeg provided grants for research on the Ukrainian history of Kalyna Country. The continuing involvement of the CIUS and the Historic Sites and Archives Service provided stability and institutional credibility. Other partners were the Bruderheim office of the federally financed Community Futures program; the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration; and the Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism. Kalyna Country’s two largest attractions, Elk Island National Park and the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village, near Edmonton, also supported the project.
Since the ecomuseum was dependent on volunteers, growth was incremental, but a solid foundation was laid. The association’s core membership represented a coalition of interests: bird watchers and history buffs, economic development specialists, and municipal officials, all recognized that by working together on Kalyna Country they could more effectively pursue both their shared and separate goals.
Efforts were made to educate locals about the interpretive and conservation strategy and to popularize the name, “Kalyna Country.” Articles were published in newspapers, public presentations made, and displays mounted at events. Then, in the early 1990s, the Kalyna Board of Directors developed a Regional Tourism Action Plan and a Tourism Marketing Plan with input from local stakeholders. The plan’s basic thrust and strategy are still used to advertise Kalyna Country.
In the spring of 1994, Kalyna Country mounted its first promotional booth at the Edmonton Home and Garden Show. In 1995, it produced a glossy, four-colour brochure, followed by a second pamphlet, “The Versatile Kalyna,” which describes the central role played by the high-bush cranberry, or Guelder rose, in the history, culture, and ecology of East Central . When the government of restructured tourism-industry funding, the Kalyna Country’s tourism committee transformed into an independent body, the Kalyna Country Destination Marketing Organization (DMO). It became the tourism-marketing arm of the ecomuseum. Its first task was to solicit businesses and tourism operators to participate in advertising campaigns.
In 1997, the DMO oversaw the publication of the first Kalyna Country Visitor’s and Events Guide, a 12-page tabloid. 10,000 copies were printed for local distribution. By 2000, the guide had become a 96-page periodical issued in 30,000 copies that reached an audience ranging well beyond the province of . The annual magazine’s content includes articles on East Central ’s cultural life, history, and natural wonders. Other signs of progress include the establishment of a website, the growing sophistication of its administration, and the mounting pressures for the ecomuseum to expand. Its boundaries have been slightly enlarged, and the ecomuseum now encompasses nearly 20,000 square kilometres.
The scope of the Kalyna Country Trust Society’s work has also expanded in tandem with the Kalyna Country DMO’s development. The Trust continues to initiate and oversee interpretive projects, while commissioning research and providing support to historical and cultural groups. For a number of years it hosted a summer festival at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village, which this year is being revived as a Kalyna Country Idol competition. Recently, it has focused on helping to preserve the more than 100 Eastern Rite churches and religious landmarks found within the ecomuseum. Kalyna Country hopes to make these architectural and historical sites as well known to world travellers as the Spanish Missions in the American Southwest, thereby providing encouragement and practical assistance toward their upkeep.
Kalyna Country’s institutional patrons, members and volunteers can reflect proudly on the strides made. The Trust Society and the DMO have evolved into vibrant organizations that work in a complementary way for the welfare of the entire countryside north and east of Edmonton. The ecomuseum’s prospects are bright in view of the overall potential of the region and the fact that the Kalyna Country idea seems to have taken root and captured the imagination of residents and tourists. Certainly, one of the long-term goals is to make the “Guelder Rose” part of the Wild Rose province as famous as the Rocky Mountains, the Calgary Stampede, West Edmonton Mall, and the Badlands.
For more information about Kalyna Country, visit
ADDENDUM: A large part of the Kalyna Country region is represented in the provincial legislature by the Honourable Ed Stelmach, now the Premier of . The 2007 Kalyna Country Visitors’ and Events Guide is currently at the printers, and is promising to be bigger and better than ever. This year’s edition includes an article on Walter Makowecki of Cheemo Perogies fame.