Sointula, Malcolm Island

Sointula 8/9/2019

Sointula has an interesting history with a very strong Finnish connection.  Sointula is an isolated village on Malcolm Island in British Columbia, Canada. Lying between Vancouver Island and the British Columbia mainland, northeast of Port McNeill and not far from Alert Bay, the island is part of the historic and present territory of the ‘Namgis First Nation".

Sointula has an interesting history with a very strong Finnish connection. Sointula means "Place of Harmony" in the Finnish language. A group of Finnish settlers founded the village in 1901 after rowing north from Nanaimo. They were looking for an escape from the grueling mines and planned to set up a utopian socialist society.  The early settlers faced a physically hard life and suffered from a devastating fire and financial hardships.

The town remained and eventually prospered well into the 1970s as an unusually vibrant resource-based settlement. 

Fishing and logging activities have been the mainstay for the community. The early cooperative ventures led to other businesses that are still operating.  

The harbor is comprised primarily of larger commercial fishing vessels, with space made available for visiting pleasure boats. The walk to the small-town center is about 1.3 miles from the marina.

The community is charming, with pride of ownership evident in the colorful homes and the abundance of flowers in the yards.

The Co-Op grocery store is oldest co-op shop in the province, still handles dry goods, groceries and fuel for the islanders. 

There is one café, Coho Joe’s, which serves sandwiches and salads and one bakery in town.

In my opinion, Sointula has not been nearly as successful or committed as Alert Bay to enticing and promoting their town and culture to visitors.

This sign, displayed on the restroom doors in the public bathrooms intrigued me.