IRSHDC : School : Portage la Prairie (MB) [1762]

[Portage la Prairie Residential School building: owned by the Department of Citizenship and Immigration (Indian Affairs Branch) under the auspices of the United Church of Canada: J.O. Harris, Administrative Principal] (circa 1964). Source: United Church of Canada Archives 1993.049P/1757.

Portage la Prairie (MB)

Dates of Operation

1891 -1975

Description

The efforts of the women of the Knox Presbyterian Church in Portage la Prairie were largely responsible for the opening of the Portage la Prairie School, first as a day school in 1886. They were concerned about the destitute circumstances of the nearby Sioux band. They began operating the boarding school the following year. A new school was opened in 1925. From the mid-1950s onwards, the school primarily served as a residence for students who were attending local schools. The school closed in 1975 and the school lands were turned over to the Long Plains First Nation. (National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation)

Denomination

Presbyterian Church, United Church of Canada

More Information

Alternate Name(s)

Portage Indian Student Residence
Portage la Prairie Boarding School
Portage la Prairie Sioux Boarding School

Permalink

Map Information

Location

First location, 1891-1915: "Point is on the approximate site of the first location of the Portage La Prairie Residential School. The school buildings were in use from 1891 until 1915. The property was east of the original post office near the edge of the town limits" (Orlandini, 2019).

Second location, 1915-1975: "Point is on the main residential school building of the Portage La Prairie Residential School. The building was built in 1915 and used by the school until 1975. Building is now called the Rufus Prince Building which is home of the Dakota Ojibway Police Services, Long Plain First Nation Trust, LPFN Gaming Commission, and the Brandon University Teacher Education Program" (Orlandini, 2019).

Location Credit

National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation 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]