Qu'Appelle Indian Residential School (Lebret)

Qu'Appelle Indian Residential School (Lebret)

The Oblates built their first industrial school in Lebret, Saskatchewan, in the Qu’Appelle Valley. In

1883, the Government of Canada voted to fund the establishment of three residential schools,

including one at Lake Qu’Appelle. Assured of the financial assistance of the Government, and

encouraged by Father Joseph Hugonnard, O.M.I., Archbishop Alexandre Taché, O.M.I. had the

school built, which opened its doors in the spring of 1884.

When it opened, under the management of Father Joseph Hugonnard, O.M.I., the school in

Lebret only received male students. Three Grey Nuns arrived in October, 1884 and took charge

of the younger boys’ education. In this way, in early 1885, Father Hugonnard could concentrate

on recruiting Indigenous students to his school, despite resistance from many of the surrounding

reserves’ chiefs. In 1886, 86 students were attending the school. The next year, a new building

was constructed to house girls from the surrounding region so they could be educated at the

Lebret Residential School. The number of students increased regularly, reaching 280 in 1914.

Father Hugonnard’s curriculum contained three parts: academic subjects, training in various

trades, and religious instruction. Boys thus learned their catechism, as well as how to read,

write, and count like any other children. However, the program was also aimed at integrating

them into settler society which was increasingly encroaching upon the West. They were thus

taught agriculture as well as various manual trades which it was believed would help them find

employment. The girls, for their part, learned gardening, cooking, and sewing, as well as how to

raise farmyard animals.

The school had a promising beginning. In 1895, Father Hugonnard sang the praises of his school

which had won many prizes in a school exhibition in Regina. In 1906, Father Hugonnard and

William Graham, Indian commissioner, established a special reserve near Lebret in Fill Hills,

where he settled former students of the industrial school. It was thought that in settling them in

the new colony they would “escape” the influence of their friends and family who had not

converted to Catholicism and still maintained their traditional way of life.

However, any “success” was short-lived and students coming out of the school had a difficult

time integrating into “white” society. Moreover, the schools’ mortality rates were very high and

many students quit school before completing their studies. The Canadian Government’s interest

in industrial schools declined and subsidies paid to Qu’Appelle Residential School rapidly

diminished. Students were made to work on the farm and in the workshops to bring in money to

the school.

In January 1904, disaster struck and Lebret’s residential school burned down. In spite of financial

difficulties, a new building was constructed in 1905 which would serve the school until it also

burned down in 1932. The students, nuns, and teachers were therefore temporarily housed in

Lebret’s Scholasticate of the Sacred Heart, while the girls were housed in Lebret’s old church.

The Government of Canada was hesitant to finance the construction of a new school, so students

had to spend several years in the Scholasticate before their return to class. The priests at the

Scholasticate continued teaching and attempted to distract students with outings, games, and

religious clubs, or endless catechism classes.

Construction of a third industrial school finally finished in November, 1935 and students were

able to go back to class. The new establishment opened its doors to 270 children. This third, fireproof, building housed the school until it closed. In 1948, Father Paul Piché, O.M.I. organized

higher education classes to pursue better vocational training for students, all while following

Saskatchewan’s curriculum. The Lebret School thus became a pioneer in higher education for

Indigenous students. It cultivated 2,000 acres and raised dairy cows, chickens, and pigs.

In 1965, the Department of Indian Affairs transferred the responsibility for Indigenous education

to provincial governments. To save their school, former students mobilised and created the

Qu’Appelle Indian School Council, which was composed entirely of Indigenous members. In

1973, the Council also took over management of the student residence. While the Grey Nuns left

the school for good in 1973, Father Léonard Charron, O.M.I. stayed on as vice-principal until

1974. The new administration’s goal for the school was to teach students the culture, values,

and traditions of their Indigenous ancestors. 222 students were attending the school at the time.

In 1981, the Qu’Appelle Indian School Council gained total control of the school’s curriculum. It

was divided into five parts: academic, vocational, recreational, physical, and moral.

References

- “Historique de la fondation de l’école industrielle de Qu’Appelle, Sask.,”, L’Ami du foyer, volume

3, issue 12, (July 1908), p. 177-183.

Laviolette, Gontran. “Missions indiennes et école (Photographs)”, L’Ami du foyer, volume 41,

issue 3, (November 1945), p. 34-35.

Laviolette, Gontran. “Le pensionnat indien de Qu’Appelle (Photographs)”, L’Ami du foyer, volume

44, issue 8, (April 1949), p. 7-10.

Laviolette, Gontran. “Qu’Appelle Indian School Marks 100 Years”, The Indian Missionary Record,

volume 47, issue 4, (October 1984), p. 9-10.

Lebret History Book Committee. Mission to Lebret: 1865-1989, Lebret History Book Committee,

1989.

Mitchell, Estelle. Les Sœurs Grises de Montréal à la Rivière-Rouge 1844-1984, Montréal, Éditions

du Méridien, 1987.

Photographs

Sewing Class

A girls’ class at the Qu’Appelle industrial school, circa 1892. Girls learned sewing, knitting,

weaving, cooking, and housekeeping.

Archives of the Société historique de Saint-Boniface, Fonds Oblats de Marie-Immaculée de la

Province du Manitoba/Délégation, SHSB 23105

Carpentry Workshop

A boy’s woodworking course at the Lebret industrial school, circa 1892. Over the course of their

education, the boys learnt carpentry, mechanics, welding, agriculture, and gardening.



Dining Hall, circa 1900

Each day, the students assembled in the dining hall, where a prayer was said before eating. The

meals were prepared by the Grey Nuns and their students. This photograph was taken around

1900.



Father Joseph Carrière, O.M.I. in a Classroom

Photograph of Father Joseph Carrière, O.M.I. sitting in one of the Qu’Appelle Industrial School’s

classrooms, circa 1910. The room is decorated for Christmas.



Former Students of the Lebret Residential School in 1923

Former students of the Lebret Residential School outside the File Hills Colony Mission in

September, 1923. The school also hired several of its former students to handle various jobs,

such as building maintenance, student supervision, cooking, or even teaching, for example.



A Monument Erected in 1927 to the Memory of Father Hugonnard

A group of Oblates standing in front of a monument erected in 1927 to the memory of Father

Hugonnard. This monument stood close to the Lebret Residential School, where Father

Hugonnard was principal for 33 years.



Stay at the Lebret Scholasticate

During their stay at the Scholasticate in Lebret from 1932 to 1935, Qu’Appelle Industrial School

students were taken care of by the Oblates of Lebret’s Scholasticate of the Sacred Heart, who

organized numerous outings, clubs, and activities for the young boarders. Pictured here is Father

Gontran Laviolette, O.M.I. with a group of students on a winter outing.



Sewing Room in Lebret’s Scholasticate of the Sacred Heart

Students in the sewing room in Lebret’s Scholasticate of the Sacred Heart, accompanied by their

teacher Sister Dalgleish, S.G.M. They worked in the Scholasticate until they were able to return

to their school. Since it was the nuns’ responsibility to keep the student’s clothing in good repair,

it was often the girls who made the school’s uniforms as a part of their sewing lessons.



A Group of Lebret Residential School Graduates in 1956

A group of Lebret Residential School Graduates in 1956. These students attended class at the

new St. Paul’s high school established in Lebret by Father Piché, O.M.I. in 1951. Alumni often

went on to head leading institutions and movements fighting for Indigenous rights in Canada.



Photographs – People

A Group of Boys at the Qu'Appelle School in 1907

Boys attending the Qu’Appelle industrial school in 1907. The Grey Nuns taught the younger boys

while the Oblates were generally responsible for the older ones.



Lebret Residential School’s Girls in 1907

Lebret Residential School’s girls in 1907. They were taught by the Grey Nuns. The first three

nuns to come to Lebret were Sisters LaLumière, Bergeron and St-Arnaud.



Father Joseph Hugonnard, O.M.I.

Photograph of Father Joseph Hugonnard, O.M.I. in the Qu’Appelle Industrial School gardens,

circa 1910. This photograph was taken shortly before his death. Born in Colombe, France in 1848

and ordained in 1874, Father Hugonnard was appointed to the Qu’Appelle Mission in 1874. He

was superintendent from 1878 to 1884 and curate from 1880 and 1884. He was Lebret

Residential School’s first principal, a position he occupied until his death in 1917.



A Young Qu’Appelle Residential School Communicant

A young communicant from the Qu’Appelle Residential School, sometime in the 1920s. Religion

occupied a central role in the school’s curriculum. The inhabitants of surrounding reserves also

regularly participated in the various religious events organized by the school.



Group of Grey Nuns at the Lebret Residential School in 1929

Photograph of a group of Grey Nuns at the Lebret Residential School in 1929. The Grey Nuns

took charge of the boys’ education in 1884, as well as that of the girls starting in 1887. The nuns

also took care of the students’ daily needs as well as general maintenance, handling the

cleaning, cooking, laundry, the infirmary, as well as looking after the students’ well-being.

Archives of the Société historique de Saint-Boniface, Fonds Sœurs Grises du Manitoba, PA 1299/

02/11

Father Paul Piché, O.M.I.

Photograph of Father Paul Piché, O.M.I. (1909-1992) taken in May, 1952. Father Piché was the

school principal from 1943 to 1952. He then became the Provincial of the Oblate Province of

Manitoba and was appointed Vicar Apostolic of Mackenzie in 1959.



A Visit from the Most Reverend Elzéar Mathieu, Archbishop of Regina.

The inhabitants of the reserves surrounding the Lebret Residential School participated regularly

in events organized by the school. Their principal chiefs can be seen here accompanied by

dignitaries and employees from the school on the occasion of a visit from the Most Reverend

Elzéar Mathieu, Archbishop of Regina.

Archives of the Société historique de Saint-Boniface, Fonds Oblats de Marie-Immaculée du

Manitoba, SHSB 23251

Father Léonard Charron, O.M.I.

Father Léonard Charron, O.M.I., circa 1972. Father Charron was born in 1923 in Saint-Antoine

sur Richelieu, Quebec. He was Qu’Appelle Residential School’s principal from 1964 to 1968 and

from 1969 to 1974, making him the principal who oversaw the transfer of school management to

an Indigenous lay council over the course of the 1960s and 1970s.



A Girls’ Class

Photograph of a girls’ class, probably taken in the early 1970s. Lay teachers took on more and

more duties, as can be seen in this photograph. These students benefitted from the work of Philis

Bellegarde and Margarite Starr as well as the contributions of the Grey Nuns, who left the school

in 1973.

Archives of the Société historique de Saint-Boniface, Fonds Sœurs Grises du Manitoba, PA

1299/02/10

Photographs – Buildings

The Qu’Appelle Industrial School in 1887

The Qu’Appelle Industrial School buildings in 1887, as seen from the back. The future girls’

residence can be seen, still under construction.



The Qu’Appelle Industrial School in August, 1895

The Qu’Appelle Industrial School, seen from the garden in August, 1895. The garden was

maintained by the students, who grew food to feed themselves throughout the year.



The Buildings and Grounds of the Qu’Appelle Industrial School in 1901

Photograph of the buildings and grounds of the Qu’Appelle Industrial School in 1901.



The Second Lebret Industrial School in 1907

The second Lebret Industrial School. It was built after the first one burnt down in 1902.



The Lebret School in 1927

The Lebret School as seen from the garden in 1927. Father Joseph Léonard, O.M.I can be seen

walking with Brother de Bretagne, O.M.I. behind the school.



Third Lebret Residential School in 1951

Third Lebret Residential School in 1951. The building also housed St Paul’s high school, where

students could receive secondary education accredited by the Department of Education of

Saskatchewan. In 1952, an 800 seat auditorium was added.



Photographs – Activities

Cricket Team circa 1890

The Qu’Appelle boys’ cricket team, circa 1890



Army Cadets from Lebret Industrial School, circa 1900

Army Cadets from the Lebret Industrial School, circa 1900. In 1960, the infantry of Regina

formed a section at Qu’Appelle Residential School made up of students in the 11th and 12th

grades, under the supervision of Brother Étienne Aubry, O.M.I. These recruits had already

received training during their years in the Cadets. The new section was to intervene in the case

of an emergency in the Qu’Appelle Valley.



Lebret Residential School Brass Band

Photograph of the Lebret Residential School brass band, taken sometime during the 1920s. The

school brass band was very successful. In 1895, it had already won first prize in a school

exhibition organized in honour of the Governor General in Regina. However, some priests

complained that students had to learn everything again from scratch at the start of each school

year.



A Production of the Play Patricia in 1936

A scene depicting the condemnation of Patricia, from the play Patricia, put on by Qu’Appelle

Industrial School students in 1936. At the school, students were taught academics and trades,

but also theatre, drawing, and music.



Skating Rink

Pictured here are students playing on the skating rink built in the schoolyard between 1930 and

1940.



Boxing

Photograph of two young students practicing boxing. Young boarders were encouraged to

participate in sports, in order to promote their physical development along with their intellectual

and spiritual development. During the 1950s, the boys regularly played hockey, ball games, and

dodgeball, while girls skated or played softball. School athletes participated regularly in regional

tournaments and were often victorious.

Archives of the Société historique de Saint-Boniface, Fonds Sœurs Grises du Manitoba, PA

1299/02/11

The Lebret Indians Hockey Team in 1962

The Lebret Indians hockey team, coached by Brother Étienne Aubry, O.M.I. in 1962. Brother

Aubry was the boys’ supervisor and the school’s sports director at the time. Older students were

often asked to coach the younger students’ team. The boys all took their turn as referee or coach

during their Wednesday and Saturday games.



Digitized Documents

Vocational Training at the Lebret Residential School

This article by Thomas Desmoines and Arthur Obey, which was published in the Indian

Missionary Record in 1949, describes the vocational training offered at the school.

Thomas Desnomies and Arthur Obey, “Vocational Training at the Lebret Indian School”, The

Indian Missionary Record, (August-September 1949), p. 4.

Various School Activities in 1953

This article, published in the Indian Missionary Record in 1953, describes the various activities of

Qu’Appelle’s school year. The article also remarks on the degree to which former students

remain involved in the institution’s activities

“Qu’Appelle Residential School Shows Constant Progress”, The Indian Missionary Record,

(October-November 1953), p. 4.

A Change in Management

This article, published in the Indian Missionary Record in 1973, explains the various steps leading

to the change in management of the school and student residence.

Annette Westley, “Indians to Manage Qu’Appelle School”, The Indian Missionary Record,

(January-February 1973), p. 10

PDF Documents

A Speech by Chief Piapot

Un discours du chef Piapot

This speech by Chief Piapot, given on the occasion of a visit from Father Soullier, of the

Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, denounces the work of missionaries in the Qu’Appelle

Valley. He gives testimony of Indigenous resistance to the disappearance of their beliefs, their

traditions, and their way of life.

“Voyage du très Révérend Père Général”, Missions de la Congrégation des Oblats de Marie

Immaculée, issue 127, September 1894, p. 360-363.

History of Oblate Missions in the Qu’Appelle Valley between 1865 and 1945

Missions oblates et fondation de l'école

This article, published in L’Ami du foyer in 1945, tells the tale of the Qu’Appelle industrial

school’s foundation as well as the history of Oblate missions in the Qu’Appelle Valley between

1865 and 1945.

Gontran Laviolette, O.M.I., “Missions indiennes et École”, L’Ami du foyer, volume 41, issue 3,

(November 1945), p. 34-35.

Lebret School’s 100th Anniversary in 1984

Le centenaire de l’école de Lebret en 1984

Lebret Residential School celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1984. This article by Father Gontran

Laviolette, O.M.I. resumes the school’s history from its foundation until its transfer to a lay

administration.

Gontran Laviolette, O.M.I., “Qu’Appelle Indian School Marks 100 Years”, The Indian Missionary

Record, volume 47, issue 4, (October 1984), p. 9-10

Qu’Appelle (Lebret) – School

Photographs

Photographs – People

Photographs – Buildings

Photographs – Activities

PDF Documents