IRSHDC : School : Birtle (MB) [18706]

No title (unknown date). Source: Presbyterian Church in Canada Archives.

Birtle (MB)

Dates of Operation

December 3, 1888 - June 30, 1970

Description

The Birtle School started as a day school in 1883. Following its conversion to a boarding school in 1888, it was expanded on number of occasions. Like many of the prairie schools it was plagued with health problems. In 1911, school principal Walter McLaren wrote “This school has an unenviable record for deaths from pneumonia and tuberculosis” A new school was built in 1931. In the 1930s, a school inspector noted that: “The farm should be operated for the school not the school for the farm.” The school closed in 1970. (National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation)

Denomination

Presbyterian Church

More Information

Alternate Name(s)

Birtle Boarding and Industrial School
Birtle Boarding School
Birtle Indian Boarding School
Birtle Industrial School
Birtle Residential School

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Map Information

Location

First location, 1888-1893: "Point is on the approximate site of the first location of the Birtle Indian Residential School. The site may be adjacent or underneath the highway" (Orlandini, 2019).

Second location, 1893-1931: "Point is on the second site of the Birtle Residential School, specifically the site of the main school building that was opened in 1893 and closed in 1931" (Orlandini, 2019).

Third location, 1931-1970: "Point is on the main school building of the third location of the Birtle Indian Residential School. The ruins of the building remain on the site as of 2018" (Orlandini, 2019).

Location Credit

Rosa Orlandini and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. 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]