IRSHDC : School : Desmarais (AB) [18687]

Photographs of School, Students, and Staff (between 1926 and 1951). Source: Deschâtelets-NDC Archives.

Desmarais (AB)

Dates of Operation

September 1, 1902 - June 30, 1973

Description

The Desmarais School opened in what is now Alberta in 1901. The building was replaced in 1930 and again in 1959. Starting in 1962, high school students boarded at the school but attended local day schools. The Northlands School District administered the school (but not the residence) form 1964 on. The federal government took over the operation of the residence in 1969. The residence was closed in 1973, but the Northlands School District continued to rent classrooms in the building and the Bigstone First Nation provided kindergarten classes in the former school. (National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation)

Denomination

Catholic Church

More Information

Alternate Name(s)

St. Martin's
Wabasca Roman Catholic
Wabasca Roman Catholic School
Wabiscaw
Wabiscaw Lake
Wabiscaw Roman Catholic School

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Map Information

Location

"Point is on the site of the main building of the Desmarais Indian Residential School. The building has been demolished. The site is now the location of the Northern Lakes College Wabasca Campus" (Orlandini, 2019).

Location Credit

Rosa Orlandini. The school/hostel location data was collected by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission / National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, Morgan Hite (Atlas of Indian Residential Schools of Canada), Stephanie Pyne (Residential Schools Land Memory Mapping Project) and Rosa Orlandini (Map and GIS Librarian, York University Libraries). The location data and associated attribute data was enhanced, revised and updated by Rosa Orlandini, in consultation with the Archivists at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

Location Source

Orlandini, Rosa, 2019, "Residential Schools Locations Dataset (Shapefile format)", https://doi.org/10.5683/SP2/FJG5TG, Borealis, V3, UNF:6:TTc1mMvx2BlBqBgIN05xVw== [fileUNF]