Growing up in Antigonish, Nova Scotia during the 1960s and 70s, brothers Peter and Chris Murphy became involved with the North American “back to the land” invasion of young urban hippie homesteaders and draft dodgers. Fueled by youthful energy, idealism, and the desire to live an independent rural lifestyle, the newcomers were attracted by Nova Scotia’s undeveloped countryside, abandoned farms, and affordable land. They came to every part of Nova Scotia, but many left after colliding with the realities of their choice and a few harsh winters. However, some adapted and still reside here, living successful and impactful lives, contributing in various ways to their local economies and communities.

But despite this, their fascinating generational story of rural migration remains untold.
Photographer and filmmaker Peter Murphy and his brother Chris, a retired Dalhousie sociology professor, decided it was time to document this missing chapter in Nova Scotia’s recent history. Starting in their local community, they began filming interviews with remaining back-to-the-landers scattered throughout the province. After fifty interviews, they felt they had enough material to tell the story of this 60s-inspired phenomenon in both text and film.

So finally, the long-promised book and videos will

soon be ready for public release. They are the

products of a five-year self-funded research project

that required us to drive hundreds of kilometers

of Nova Scotian backroads, arrange and document

many lengthy interviews, deal with Covid

complications, transcribe and edit hours of film

and text, negotiate unsuccessfully with publishers,

and finally decide to produce the book and videos

ourselves. It was a long journey, but we persevered

because we believe these interesting people and

their important story deserve to be heard.