The Forgotten Book Series
January 10th, 2025
The Farron Explosion
In the early morning hours of October 30, 1924, an explosion shattered a first-class passenger car on the Columbia and Western section of the C.P.R. near Farron, B.C.
Farron was the remote summit station for crew changes between Castlegar and Christina Lake.
Nine people died in the explosion, and a dozen were injured. Peter “the lordly” Verigin, his companion Maria Strelaef, and newly elected M.L.A. for Grand Forks-Greenwood John McKie were among those killed.
An early theory that the car’s gas lighting system was to blame was ruled out when the C.P.R. determined the tanks were intact. Another theory was that a miner carried explosives in his luggage, and it accidentally detonated.
Police at the scene found an Italian clock and a dry cell that suggested it was a bomb.
Who blew up the train? And why? The mystery continues to fascinate, and after 90 years, it remains unsolved.
Most conclude that Pete, “the Lordly” Verigin was the target. The high profile leader of the Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood (CCUB) sect of Doukhobors, oversaw an empire that stretched across three provinces. He had recently purchased land in Oregon and had no shortage of enemies.
The list of suspects is reminiscent of an Agatha Christie novel. Was it an agent for the son he abandoned in Russia? Was it a government conspiracy to break the Doukhobor community? Could it be the “wife” who was jealous of his young companion or a Bolshevik agent from the USSR? Even the Oregon K.K.K. had a motive for wanting Verigin gone.
