IRSHDC : School : St. Eugene's (BC) [867]

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

Home Communities of Students

Athelmer, Cardston, Cranbrook, Creston, K’ómoks First Nation, Lake Similk, Lower Similkameen Indian Band, Neskonlith Indian Band, Okanagan Indian Band, Osoyoos Indian Band, Penticton Indian Band, Seabird Island Band, Shuswap Indian Band, Simpcw First Nation, Skwlax (Little Shuswap Lake Indian Band), Splatsín, Termission, Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc, Tsartlip First Nation, Upper Nicola Band, Upper Similkameen Indian Band, Vernon, Westbank First Nation, Yaqan Nukiy (Lower Kootenay Band), Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi ‘it (Tobacco Plains), ʔakisq̓nuk (Akisqnuk First Nation), ʔaq'am.

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. Eugene's (BC)

Dates of Operation

October 1, 1890 - June 30, 1970

Following the establishment of a Roman Catholic-run St. Eugene Mission in 1874, Father Leon Fouquet of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate operated a small mission school (Carr 2011, 129). In October 1890, a newly constructed Industrial School was opened near to the original mission school. This institution was run by the Sisters of Charity of the House of Providence with financial support from the federal government. The government subsequently financed the construction of a new three-storey industrial school building, which opened in 1912. The industrial school operated until 1938, when it became a student residence.

In 1969, a St. Mary’s Band Council Resolution determined that the residence would be closed and the site would become part of the reserve. The residence closed on the 30th of June, 1970. From 1973 to 1975, the provincial government leased the building with the intention of converting the building into a psychiatric facility. Ultimately, this plan was not realised and the former institution remained unused until the 1990s. In 1996 the Ktunaxa Kinbasket Tribal Council put forward an application to the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada to designate the site’s historical and architectural significance. While the application was unsuccessful, a community referendum led to the restoration of the site and the development of a golf course and casino resort during the early 2000s.

Description

St. Eugene’s or Cranbrook Residential School opened in 1890 just north of Cranbrook, BC. The first school was replaced with an industrial school in 1912. An Indian Agent reported in 1935 that, as a result of poor food, overwork, and sickness, he had to force parents to send their children to the school. Despite a change in the principal, school attendance and runaways were ongoing problems. There were also recurring outbreaks of influenza, mumps, measles, chickenpox, and tuberculosis. In 1969, the federal government took over the operation of the residence, closing it the following year. (National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation)

Additional Resources

For more information on the school, see the timeline.

Denomination

Catholic Church

More Information

Alternate Name(s)

Cranbrook
Cranbrook Indian Residential School
Cranbrook Residential School
Kootenay
Kootenay Hostel
Kootenay Indian Residential School
Kootenay Indian School
Kootenay Industrial School
St. Eugene
St. Eugene Indian Residential School
St. Eugene Mission
St. Eugene Mission Industrial School
St. Eugene Student Residence

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Map Information

Location

"Point is on the Cranbrooke (St. Eugene's) Residential School building that was built in 1912. The residential school was built at St. Eugene Mission on the St. Mary's Indian Reserve. The original school building and lands are now used as the St. Eugene Golf Resort and Casino. The mission cemetery is located 100 metres southwest of the school building and the church is located 200 east of the school building" (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]