Iwan Pylypiw or Ivan Pylypow ( uk, Іван Пилипiв, September 28, 1859 – October 10, 1936) and

Vasyl Eleniak The name Basil (''royal, kingly'') comes from the male Greek language, Greek name Vassilios (, female version ), which first appeared during the Hellenistic period. It is derived from "basileus" ( el, βασιλεύς, links=no), of greek origin, ...

were the first

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

immigrants to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

in 1891–93. Pylypow was born in the village of Nebyliv in Kalush county (''

povit The povit, or county (), was a historical territorial-administrative and judicial unit in Ukraine, administered by a starosta. Following annexation of Ukraine (historically known as Cossack Hetmanate) by the Russian Empire in 17th-18th centuries ...

'') in

Austrian Galicia The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria,, ; pl, Królestwo Galicji i Lodomerii, ; uk, Королівство Галичини та Володимирії, Korolivstvo Halychyny ta Volodymyrii; la, Rēgnum Galiciae et Lodomeriae also known as ...

(today

Kalush Raion Kalush Raion ( uk, Ка́луський райо́н, translit=Kalushsky raion) is a raion (district) of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (province). The city of Kalush is the administrative center of the raion. Population: . On 18 July 2020, as part of ...

Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast ( uk, Іва́но-Франкі́вська о́бласть, translit=Ivano-Frankivska oblast), also referred to as Ivano-Frankivshchyna ( uk, Іва́но-Франкі́вщина), is an administrative divisions of Ukrain ...

). He was a peasant logging contractor, and after falling on hard times considered finding a better life abroad, like many other Galicians of the time. Pylypiv had heard about free lands in Canada from German neighbours, and after corresponding with former classmate Johan Krebs, who had initially settled near

Medicine Hat Medicine Hat is a city in Southern Alberta, southeast Alberta, Canada. It is located along the South Saskatchewan River. It is approximately east of Lethbridge and southeast of Calgary. This city and the adjacent Town of Redcliff, Alberta, ...

North-West Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

, he set off for Canada with his friends Eleniak and Tyt Ziniak in the fall of 1891. Ziniak was turned back at the

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

–

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

border, but Pylypiv and Eleniak traveled via

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

, where they met several

ethnic German , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

loggers who had worked for Pylypow. They visited the loggers' homesteads near

Langenburg Langenburg () is a town in the district of Schwäbisch Hall, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on a hill above the river Jagst, 18 km northeast of Schwäbisch Hall. It is also the place where Wibele - small, sweet, biscuit-like ...

, North-West Territories, and went as far west as

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

. Unimpressed with the land near the railway, they went back to Manitoba, where a visit to a

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...

settlement at Gretna convinced Pylypiv that Canada was a viable destination. Eleniak, out of money, stayed to work for the winter, while Pylypow returned to Galicia for their families before settling in Canada permanently. When he arrived back in

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

his account of vast, unsettled lands prompted both excitement and skepticism. When some learned that Pylypiv expected to receive a commission from a

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

steamship company and accused him of swindling, he was arrested for sedition, soliciting

emigration Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

, and fraud. After awaiting trial for three months in jail, on May 12, 1892, he was sentenced to another month. Although Pylypow's efforts at promotion were doused, his arrest and trial had generated publicity, and seven families led by Anton Paish and Mykola Tychkovsky set off for the

Canadian Prairies The Canadian Prairies (usually referred to as simply the Prairies in Canada) is a region in Western Canada. It includes the Canadian portion of the Great Plains and the Prairie Provinces, namely Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. These provin ...

. A few stopped to work briefly with Eleniak in Gretna, and then continued on to meet the rest in the

District of Alberta The District of Alberta was one of four districts of the Northwest Territories created in 1882. It was styled the Alberta Provisional District to distinguish it from the District of Keewatin which had a more autonomous relationship from the N ...

. With the help of Krebs, the families found homesteads east of the Galician German settlement of Josephburg, northeast of

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

. Pylypiv and his family finally caught up with the group in 1893, settling at Edna-Star, then in the District of Alberta, east of

Fort Saskatchewan Fort Saskatchewan is a city along the North Saskatchewan River in Alberta, Canada. It is northeast of Edmonton, the provincial capital. It is part of the Edmonton census metropolitan area and one of 24 municipalities that constitute the Edmont ...

, where he farmed and became very active in the co-operative movement. He died a wealthy man in 1936 at the age of 77 years.Farm and Ranch Review, June 1, 1957 (which gives his name as Pilipiwski) The last farmhouse he lived in, the third one he built in the Edna-Star area, is now a part of the

Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village The Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village ( uk, Село спадщини української культури, Selo spadshchyny ukrains’koi kul’tury) is an open-air museum that uses costumed historical interpreters to recreate pioneer set ...

, located east of Edmonton, Alberta. The "Pylypow Industrial" subdivision of Edmonton, and Pylypow Lake in Saskatchewan are also named after him.

References

* Martynowych, Orest (1991). ''Ukrainians in Canada: The formative period, 1891–1924'', pp. 60–61. Edmonton: Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies. . * * Nay, Marshall A. (1997). ''Trailblazers of Ukrainian emigration to Canada: Wasyl Eleniak and Ivan Pylypow'', Brightest Pebble. . *

External links

Seeds in Their Pockets: Real-time borshch and chichky at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village
by Marilynn McAra

at ''Alberta: Home, Home on the Plains''

at the ''Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village Guided Tour'' *

at Alberta Heritage

at the Encyclopedia of Ukraine
Wasyl Eleniak
at the Alberta Heritage Alphabet {{DEFAULTSORT:Pylypow, Iwan 1859 births 1936 deaths Ukrainian emigrants to Canada Settlers of Canada Austro-Hungarian emigrants to Canada Farmers from Alberta Ukrainian diaspora in Canada Ukrainian Austro-Hungarians People from Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast People from the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria

See also

References

External links