St. Michael’s

St. Michael’s IRS (Duck Lake)

1894-1996
Operated by Roman Catholic Church

The Duck Lake Boarding School opened in 1894 in the area between present-day Saskatoon and Prince Albert. With tuberculosis epidemic in the school, an Indian Affairs official estimated in 1910 that half of the children who had attended the school had died. In 1924 the Oblates sold the Indian Residential School land in use at the time and school property back to Canada, but retained the original school building, the church, and cemetery. A new school building was built about 1000 yards east of the original school building the next year. In 1949, a new school was constructed which became known as St. Michael’s Indian Residential School. At the school, overcrowding soon became an issue and through the 1950s, close to 260 children attended the school that was supposed to accommodate a maximum of 220 students. The federal government took over the school in 1969, turning it over to the Saskatoon District Tribal Council in 1982. The school closed in 1996.

Two nearby cemeteries may have been used by the school, one near the school grounds, the other, the Blessed Sacrament Cemetery a little north of the former St. Michael’s Indian Residential School.

Click each image below for a larger view.

Cliquez sur chaque image pour l’agrandir.

1 Blessed Sacrament R.C. Church
2 Blessed Sacrament Cemetery

 

Google Streetview looking sw at Blessed Sacrament R.C. Church (a).

 

Google Streetview looking sw at Blessed Sacrament Cemetery (b).

 

View b: west from road towards the concrete foundation of a demolished building. Note the hydro service pole and and the outhouse in the background.

 

View c: looking north up an approach into a large open ‘field’. While the stones of the St. Michael’s ornamental garden are not visible, some earth marks are apparent.

 

View d: Looking south to a circular open air structure. This might be a sundance pavilion.

 

Close up view of the cemetery. Extract from: Google Earth 52°48’4.01″N 106°14’16.19″W

 

Longer view of the cemetery and area around it. Extract from: Google Earth 52°48’4.01″N 106°14’16.19″W

 

Photographic map showing the cemetery lot. Extract from: Part SEC 32,33 TP 43-2-3 Part SEC 4,5 TP 44-2-3 Duck Lake Residence, 1989, 1534 RSS SK. https://clss.nrcan-rncan.gc.ca/clss/plan/detail?id=1534%20RSS%20SK

1 Blessed Sacrament R.C. Church
2 Blessed Sacrament Cemetery
3 St. Michael’s Cemetery
4 Possible location of St. Michael’s IRS

 

St. Michael’s IRS, Duck Lake ca. 1910 Grabriel Dumont Institute S-B7147

 

1 Possible grounds of St. Michael’s IRS
2 Possible sundance pavilion
a View sw of St. Michael’s Cemetery
b View west of concrete foundation of abandoned building.
c View north through a gap in tree shelterbelt across open fields that may have been St. Michael’s IRS grounds.
d View se towards possible sundance pavilion.

 

Google Streetview sw of St. Michael’s Cemetery from loc. a. Note white crosses protruding from tall grass throughout the centre mid-frame of the photograph.

 

 

Survey plan showing location of cemetery. Extract from: Canada.ca, Survey Plan Number 68673 CLSR SK. LOT 2 NW1/4 SEC 33 TP 43-2-3 (eng; CAN) [Willow Creek Indian Reserve (09063)] https://clss.nrcan-rncan.gc.ca/clss/plan/detail?id=68673%20CLSR%20SK

 

Plan showing the cemetery. Extract from: Natural Resources Canada, Lot 2 NW1/4 SEC 33 TP 43-2-3, 1982, 68673 CLSR SK. https://clss.nrcan-rncan.gc.ca/clss/plan/detail?id=68673%20CLSR%20SK

 

Close up of plan showing the cemetery. Extract from: Natural Resources Canada, Lot 2 NW1/4 SEC 33 TP 43-2-3, 1982, 68673 CLSR SK. https://clss.nrcan-rncan.gc.ca/clss/plan/detail?id=68673%20CLSR%20SK

Additional Resources

Ressources supplémentaires