We welcome you to the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre.

The records on our site emerge from the cultural and physical genocide that the Canadian government and churches conducted through the Indian Residential School System, including the ongoing impacts.

Bearing witness to these records may become overwhelming. If you are a Survivor or an Intergenerational Survivor and would like support, you can call the 24-hour National Indian Residential School Crisis Line at:

1-866-925-4419

Please click the button below for other cultural and mental health resources.

Wellness Resources
Photographs of buildings and school grounds (1944). Source: Deschâtelets-NDC Archives.

St. Augustine (AB)

Dates of Operation
July 1, 1900 - October 1, 1907
Description
In 1891 a school was established at the St. Augustine Roman Catholic Mission in the Smoky River area of what is now Alberta. By 1900 the federal government was providing funding for the boarding school. While the school had a maximum enrollment of 50 to 60 students, it never was able to recruit enough children to make it financially viable. As a result, it was closed in 1907. (National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation)
Denomination
Catholic Church

More Information

Alternate Name(s)
St. Augusta Mission
St. Augustine Peace River
Forks Mission
Peace River
Peace River Mission
Smokey Forks
Smokey River
Smoky Forks Mission
Smoky River
Smoky River Boarding School
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Map Information

Location
"Point is on the site of the St. Augustine residential school building. It was located to the eastside of the church. The cemetery and church are present on the site and part of the mission site now the Peace River Correctional Institute" (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]

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