Item R00007271 - Deaths of Pupils

The Pine Creek IRS was located in Camperville, on the shore of Lake Winnipegosis at the mouth of Pine Creek, fifty miles east of Swan River. The IRS operated from 1890 to 1969 (77 years) except for the years between 1892 and 1894.

Other names identifying the IRS include Pine Creek Boarding School (1890), Pine Creek Indian Residential School (1894), Camperville Indian Residential School (1957), and Pine Creek Student Residence (1968).

The Government of Canada was responsible for funding the school, which was managed and operated by the Oblate Fathers of Mary Immaculate, then later on the Oblate Indian and Eskimo Commission (INDIANESCOM). INDIANESCOM was the Oblate Father's corporate entity. Residence and teaching staff included the Franciscan Nuns from 1890 - 1898, the Sisters of Charity from 1898 - 1929, and the Oblate Sisters after 1929.

In September 1900, students from the Roman Catholic Waterhen Boarding School were transferred to the IRS. In 1911, the federal government signed an agreement with the Archbishop of St. Boniface for the IRS's operation. In 1962, the federal government signed an agreement with the Oblate Indian and Eskimo Commission for the IRS's operation. The IRS closed on August 31, 1969, and students were transferred to either Sandy Bay or the Guy Hill IRS.

The documents indicate that primary (1, 2, 3) grades were taught from 1890 - 1896. Elementary (4, 5, 6) grades were included starting in the 1896/97 school year until 1934 with grade 7 taught during the 1929/30 school year. From 1934 to its closing in 1969, grades taught at the IRS included primary (1, 2, 3), elementary (4, 5, 6), and junior high (7, 8. 9).