The Champion Creek Settlement, known to the Doukhobors as
Blagodatnoye, was begun in about 1910. It was created around fruit orchards and vegetable gardens on a fairly flat area of 80 acres or so along the east bank of the Columbia River, across the river and south of the City of Castlegar. The orchard produced various fruit crops, much of which was processed in the Doukhobor operated jam factory in Brilliant, several miles north. The Brilliant community is across the river to the north of Castlegar.
With the dissolution of the Doukhobor settlements in 1937 to 1939, this settlement was abandoned sometime shortly after 1945. It is possible that the orchard was operated for a few more years after that time.
At present, the land is vacant and lies at the end of a gravel road (Columbia Road) which, paved for the first few km., runs south for 8 km. off Highway 3 directly south of the Castlegar Airport. The
Columbia Trail, a hiking & biking trail begins 2 km. north of the site and runs through it on its way south to Trail, another 16 km. further south.
Aerial views of the site reveal the old orchard by the few apple trees still living, but no longer producing, that were obviously planted in a grid. From the ground near the trail any indications of past habitation, though nearby, are noticeable only as piles of rocks. I suspect that many users of the trail pass through unaware of the fact that the site was once a small village. Further up, to the east, though, are old irrigation standpipes and the abandoned remains of wheel driven irrigation lines. A solitary small 3 point hitch disc has also been left behind.