Item R00003097 - Livestock and Supplies

Morley Indian Residential School (IRS) was located within the Treaty 7 area near Morley, approximately 40 miles west of Calgary. Morley is situated south of the Bow River on the Stony Indian Reserve, between Calgary and Banff, and 20 miles west of Cochrane. It operated from 1922 – 1969 (47 years), closing sometime between July and October 1969.

Other names identifying the residential school from 1922 - 1926 include Morley Indian Day School, Morley Indian School, Morley (Stony) Indian Day School, Stony Indian School, and Stony Agency School; and from 1926 - 1969, as Morley Indian Residential School, Morley Residential School, Stony Indian Residential School, Morley Residential and David Bearspaw Day School (1951 - 1954), Bearspaw Indian Residential School, Morley Church Day School (1953 - 1955), Morley Indian Day School/Morley Day School, Morley Indian Residential School and Day School, Morley School, and Morley Student Residence (1968).

The Government of Canada was responsible for funding, which was managed and operated by the Methodist Church from 1922 - 1926. From 1926 - 1969, the residential school was managed and operated by the Board of Home Missions for the United Church, formerly the Methodist Church. It was managed and operated by the federal government from April 1, 1969, but the residence closed sometime between July and October 1969.

In 1962, an agreement between Her Majesty the Queen and the United Church of Canada.

There is minimal information regarding what grades were taught; however, in 1929, grades 1 - 4 were held with two teachers for both residential pupils and day pupils. In 1958 kindergarten pupils appear for the first time in the May Principal’s Monthly Reports (PMR). Finally, in 1964-65 the residence was used chiefly for high school students, who were bussed to local high schools.

Students from the following communities attended the school: Wesley, Chiniquay, Bearspaw, Crooked Lake Agency, Qu’Appelle, Sunshield, and Sarcee.

Student enrolment statistics are available every year from 1923 - 1968, with a low enrolment of 13 students in 1923 and a high of 95 in 1940. There are no enrolment statistics available for 1969.

Morley IRS also had day school students attending. From 1923 - 1938, the numbers were quite low; however, the day school student enrollment from 1953 – 1968 was relatively high, eventually outnumbering the residential school student enrollment from 1957 on.