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Home > Find > Fort William (ON)

Fort William (ON)

Dates of Operation
1885 -1970
Description
This school started as a Roman Catholic orphanage and school on the Mission Indian Reserve near Fort William. In the 1880s it started to receive funding from the federal government. Destroyed by fire in 1895, it was rebuilt that same year. It was relocated to Fort William in 1907 and became known as the St. Joseph’s Indian Industrial School. The school policy of not turning children away resulted in constant overcrowding problems. From the mid-1960s until its closure the school operated solely as a residence for students who were attending local day schools. (National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation)
Denomination
Catholic Church

More Information

Alternate Name(s)
Fort William Boys School
Fort William Girls School
Fort William Indian Boarding School
Fort William Orphanage
Fort William Orphanage Boarding School
Immaculate Conception Orphan Asylum
St. Joseph Convent Orphanage School
St. Joseph's
St. Joseph's Boarding School
St. Joseph's Home
St. Joseph's Indian Home
St. Joseph's Indian Industrial School
St. Joseph's Residential School
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Map Information

Location
First location, 1870-1909: "Point is on approximate site of the Roman Catholic Mission that was the site of the first location of the St. Joseph's (Fort William) Residential School. It was located on the south shore of the Kaministiquia River east of Darrel Avenue. Land was sold to the CPR in 1906" (Orlandini, 2019).
 
Second location, 1909-1970: "Point is on the site of the St. Joseph's (Fort William) Residential School that was located on the north west corner of Franklin and Albert in Thunder Bay. This was the second location of the Fort William School. The building is no longer present" (Orlandini, 2019).
Location Credit
Morgan Hite and 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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