IRSHDC : School : St. Joseph's (BC) [864]

No title (unknown date). Source: Deschâtelets-NDC Archives.

Home Communities of Students

Ashcroft Indian Band, Bonaparte First Nation, Coldwater Indian Band, Cowichan, ?Esdilagh First Nation, Esk’etemculucw, Euchinico, High Bar First Nation, Kuklinko, Lake Babine Nation, Lhoosk'uz Dené Nation, Lhtako Dené Nation, Lillooet, Líl̓wat Nation, N’Quatqua, Natzoo, Nazko First Nation, Saik’uz First Nation, Simpcw First Nation, Skwah First Nation, Skwlax (Little Shuswap Lake Indian Band), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), Stswecem'c Xgat'tem First Nation, T’exelc - The Williams Lake First Nation, Taodistan, The Tsq’escenemc (Canim Lake Band), Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc, Tl'etinqox Government, Tl’esqox of the Tsilhqot’in, Ts'kw'aylaxw First Nation, Tsal’alh, Tŝideldel First Nation, Ulkatcho First Nation, Whispering Pines / Clinton Indian Band (WP/CIB), Witset First Nation, Xatśūll First Nation, Xaxli’p, Xeni Gwet’in, Xwísten (Bridge River Indian Band), Yunesit’in.

Note on Home Communities

The “home communities" mentioned above come from the school narratives created by government researchers in the Indian Residential School litigation process. Here the communities are described as “bands” and “reserves.” We have tried to update the names to communities' current, preferred names (these names are hyperlinked in the list above). In instances where we have not been sure which community is being referenced, we have left the name as it appears in the school narrative and unlinked. The names of cultural groups have been updated and the original name placed in square brackets.

These lists on the school records are not comprehensive. In a few cases the community names have been supplemented with information from a school’s quarterly returns, but this has not been done consistently. This project is an iterative, ongoing one. If you are aware of other community names that we should include in this list, or would like to comment on those we have updated, please email us at irshdc.reference@ubc.ca.

St. Joseph's (BC)

Dates of Operation

July 19, 1891 - June 30, 1981

Description

St. Joseph's (also known as William's Lake or Cariboo Residential School) was opened by Roman Catholic missionaries in 1891. In 1902 nine boys ran away from the school, one of them dying of exposure. In 1920, nine boys ate poisonous water hemlock in what parents believed to be a response to discipline at the school. One of these boys died. The school closed in 1981. In the 1980s and 1990s two former staff members pled guilty to charges of sexually abusing students in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1998, a former principal apologized to a former student and school employee who had charged him with a series of sex offences. (National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation)

Additional Resources

For more information on the school, see the timeline and resource list.

Denomination

Catholic Church

More Information

Alternate Name(s)

Indian School at 150 Mile House
William's Lake Industrial School
Cariboo Indian Industrial School
Cariboo Indian Student Residence
Cariboo Industrial School
Cariboo Residential School
Cariboo Student Residence
Caribou Residential School
St. Joseph
St. Joseph's Indian Residential School
St. Joseph's Industrial School
St. Joseph's Mission School
St. Joseph's Residential School
William's Lake

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Map Information

Location

"Point is on the site of the Cariboo Residential School building that opened in 1955 and closed in 1988. The school was on the grounds of the St. Joseph's Mission. There were several school builidings on the property throughout the history of the school. Most of the buildings that were used by the school have been torn down, with the exception of the barn and couple of houses. The cemetery is located 52.061647 -121.952022. The church was located on the north side of the cemetery" (Orlandini, 2019).

Location Credit

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]