Property owner has demolished remnants of hippie commune in West Kelowna woods

Soon, all that will remain of the West Kelowna hippie commune is a collection of old photos and memories. 

Forty years ago, Stocks Meadow was home to a small community of people who wanted to live a simpler life in the remote woods. The commune was abandoned over time, its residents leaving behind belongings and buildings mostly intact.

The current owner of Stocks Meadow, Aj Baladay, has begun demolishing the abandoned buildings and plans build a private residence on the property.

"That teepee house is already gone, I burned it down," Baladay told iNFOnews.ca. "And the rest of them, I was going to start burning… but the fire department showed up."

Baladay was informed that large open fires are currently prohibited.

While he didn't specify when the remaining buildings would be destroyed, he said it would be soon. After owning the property for two years, Baladay has become frustrated with trespassers on his land.

"It’s become a pretty well-known spot, especially because people keep posting stuff about it," he said. "It’d be nice if people would just stay out."

Martin Davis lived at Stocks Meadow from 1980 to 1989, although his own cabin burnt down years ago.

He doesn't have a strong sentimental attachment to the buildings, but he does believe it's a shame to waste the materials.

"We built much of what was up there from recycled materials that we salvaged from buildings that were about to be bulldozed in Kelowna," he said.

"It would be a shame if anything usable is not reused."

In the end, he feels more of an attachment to the community than the buildings or the land.

"I was up there several years ago when it was mostly abandoned and I found it pretty depressing," he said.

"I had always thought it would continue on… But it's a common story around B.C."

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