Prince Albert Indian Residential School facts for kids
The Prince Albert Indian Residential School was a special type of school in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada. It was run by the Anglican Church of Canada and was for First Nations children. This school was part of a system in Canada that aimed to teach Indigenous children the ways of European culture. It was located on a hill in Prince Albert, in buildings that used to be army barracks.
Today, the Victoria Union Hospital is next to where the school used to be. The Prince Albert Indian Residential School was created in 1951. It was formed by combining two older schools: the St. Albans Indian Residential School and the All Saints Indian Residential School. The Missionary Society of the Church of England in Canada (MSCC) managed the school until 1996.
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History of the School
The story of the Prince Albert Indian Residential School begins with two earlier schools.
St. Albans School
The St. Albans Indian Residential School operated from 1944 until 1951. When it closed, its students and staff joined with another school to form the Prince Albert Indian Residential School. St. Albans itself took the place of the St. Barnabas Indian Residential School. The St. Barnabas school was located at Onion Lake Cree Nation and had been open since 1893. Its building was destroyed by fire in 1943, leading to the creation of St. Albans.
All Saints School
The All Saints Indian Residential School was open from 1948 until 1951. Like St. Albans, it also combined with another school to create the Prince Albert Indian Residential School. Before 1948, All Saints was located in La Ronge, Saskatchewan, from 1906 to 1947. Its staff and students moved to Prince Albert after their school building was destroyed by fire in 1947.
Life at Prince Albert School
After St. Albans and All Saints joined together in 1951, the number of students at the Prince Albert Indian Residential School grew a lot. It went from about 165 students to 485. These students came from different parts of Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Unlike many other residential schools, the Prince Albert school was not just one big building. It was set up in an old army camp. This camp had twelve H-shaped army huts, a drill hall, a home for the Principal, and a laundry building. There was also a kitchen with two dining rooms, one for boys and one for girls.
The land where the school once stood is now part of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation urban reserve.
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