Description
Sacred Heart Indian Residential School (IRS) was located on the Peigan Indian Reserve, southwest of Lethbridge. It operated from 1887 - 1961 (74 years). Other names identifying the residential school 1893 - 1926 included Roman Catholic Day School, RC Peigan School, Roman Catholic School on the Peigan Reserve, Roman Catholic Boarding School on the Peigan Reserve, Boarding School at the Roman Catholic Mission on the Peigan Reserve, Peigan R.C. Boarding School, Peigan Reserve Catholic Boarding School, and Sacred Heart Boarding School. In 1926, the department approved the school’s official name, a Sacred Heart Indian Residential School. From 1927 - 1961, it was known by the following names - Peigan Indian Residential School, RC Peigan School, R.C. School on Peigan Reserve, Sacred Heart School at Brocket, Sacred Heart Indian Boarding School on the Peigan Reserve, Roman Catholic Indian Residential School on the Peigan Reservation, Brocket School, and School #759. Other names from 1961 - 1966 included Peigan R.C. IDS, School #737 (the Peigan Indian Day School replaced Sacred Heart Indian Residential School, Sacred Heart Day School, and Brocket IDS.
The Government of Canada was responsible for funding, which was managed and operated by the Roman Catholic Church from 1887 - 1929 with assistance from the Reverend Sisters of Charity. The residential school was managed and operated jointly by the federal government and the Church from June 1929.
In 1911, an agreement was signed between the Federal Government and the Bishop of the St. Albert Diocese in March. No copy of the actual agreement has been found.
No information is available to indicate what grades were taught.
In 1929, the Department admitted six orphan girls from the northern part of the province.
Student enrolment statistics are somewhat inconsistent from 1887 – 1950; however, numbers are available for 1952 - 1961 with a low enrolment of 8 students in 1896 to a high of 91 in 1955. Student enrolment statistics for 1956 - 1961 indicate day school students. (National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation)
Map Information
Location
"Point is on the site of the main school building of the Sacred Heart (Peigan) Indian Residential School. The building was demolished 1963. The school property was located at SW Section 7, Township 7, Range 27, West 4th Meridian" (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]
