LAC LA BICHE - Over the summer months, visitors to the Lac La Biche Mission can learn about the history of the site, including the role it played over a five-year period as a residential school in the late 19th century.
From 1893 to 1898, there was a residential school on the Mission grounds that was called Notre Dame Des Victoires. After this program was discontinued in 1898, Indigenous children and youth attended the Blue Quills Sacred Heart Indian Residential School in Saddle Lake, which remained in operation until 1931. The residential school was then moved to the current site of University nuhelot’įne thaiyots’į nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills, which is now a First Nations owned and operated university, located west of St. Paul.
Christelle Shepherd, site administrator for the Lac La Biche Mission, says tours offered at the historical site include information about its past as a residential school.
“We offer an information display in the Convent that provides insights into this part of our history,” Shepherd tells Lakeland This Week. “We always hope to honour the students and our past, while educating visitors about the rich and complex history of the Mission and the surrounding area.”
The Lac La Biche Mission was first established in 1853 by Oblate missionaries in what is now Lac La Biche.
As part of the legacy of the former residential school on the Lac La Biche Mission, there is a cemetery across from the site on Township Road 647A.
The site, Shepherd says, has experienced many historically significant events during its nearly two centuries in existence, including a medical epidemic that led to a mass grave in the cemetery.
Shepherd says the aim of the Lac La Biche Mission is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the site’s history, and while visitors do ask questions, they generally do not specifically inquire about ground-penetrating radar searches.
There have been recent ground-penetrating radar searches at other residential school locations in Canada for mass graves, including at the University nuhelot’įne thaiyots’į nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills grounds.
Shepherd says the Lac La Biche Mission is exploring the possibility of using ground-penetrating radar, adding that officials are in the process of looking into the federal program for potential funding to support this initiative.
“At this time, we cannot speculate on what we might find, but our priority is to approach any exploration with the utmost care and responsibility,” she says. “We are continuously working towards a deeper understanding of our site's history.”
The summer at the Lac La Biche Mission has been good, Shepherd says, adding, the historical site - which is open from Wednesday to Sunday - has seen a steady influx of visitors.
The Mission site features the foundations of a former Catholic rectory, a convent, a laundry building, farm outbuildings, a modern information centre, a historic church that celebrated its centennial in 2023, as well as an old schoolhouse.
Visitors can also explore the area of the Grey Nuns convent, where only the foundation ruins remain, and pay their respects at a memorial bench.
