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Accidental Eden: Hippie Days on Lasqueti Island
Lasqueti Island has a rowdy and divided reputation. Through the 1970s and early ’80s, the island attracted a flood of counterculture seekers—communards, hippies, utopians, revolutionaries and other exotic characters looking for an alternative lifestyle. Today many perceive it as a romantic fantasy: an existence of bucolic peace, surrounded by isolation and wild nature, a great place to bring up children and a grand place to grow old. Yet many others would disagree, believing these islanders to be “inbred hermits,” unfettered by social niceties or the rule of the law. Many consider them troglodytes who hide out from authorities, grow or brew drugs and vandalize what they can for pure amusement. Regardless of its reputation, Lasqueti Island is one of the least populated and least known of Canada’s Gulf Islands.
Accidental Eden explores both its eccentric days and its political accomplishments. The Islanders’ efforts to convince BC Hydro to re-route the Cheekeye-Dunsmuir power line around, rather than over, the island was an outstanding accomplishment, changing the way BC Hydro managed its power delivery into rural areas. These stories are a unique collection of unusual tales, hippie communes, curious characters and, whether perceived as good or bad, an irreplaceable era in British Columbia’s history.
Enter the Best BC Hippie Photo Contest!
Share your pics from the wild and free days of 1970s BC — all that community-building, music-making, world-changing optimism — and WIN a copy of Accidental Eden!
Enter by sharing your photo on the Accidental Eden Facebook page, or tweet it to @caitlinpress before NOVEMBER 5th.
Accidental Eden explores both its eccentric days and its political accomplishments. The Islanders’ efforts to convince BC Hydro to re-route the Cheekeye-Dunsmuir power line around, rather than over, the island was an outstanding accomplishment, changing the way BC Hydro managed its power delivery into rural areas. These stories are a unique collection of unusual tales, hippie communes, curious characters and, whether perceived as good or bad, an irreplaceable era in British Columbia’s history.
Enter the Best BC Hippie Photo Contest!
Share your pics from the wild and free days of 1970s BC — all that community-building, music-making, world-changing optimism — and WIN a copy of Accidental Eden!
Enter by sharing your photo on the Accidental Eden Facebook page, or tweet it to @caitlinpress before NOVEMBER 5th.
256 pages, Paperback
First published October 30, 2014
60 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 26, 2015
A wonderful reminiscence about a free-spirited time on Lasqueti Island. A great addition to the folklore of British Columbia, complete with photos and anecdotes from the people that were (and some still are) there.
January 29, 2016
If ever a book reminded me of the complex road to trying to reach the morning of the day of the time you may end your life: this is it. I'm still alife though. Love the Hippy life and please Keep on rocking in the free world.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews