Lac La Biche Mission Grist / Sawmill

Lac La Biche, Near

Street Address:
Community:	Lac La Biche, Near
Boundaries:	Lot 1, Block 1, Plan 0225866
Contributing Resources:

ATS Legal Description:

Mer	Rge	Twp	Sec	LSD
4	14	67	20	7 (ptn.)

PBL Legal Description (Cadastral Reference):

Plan	Block	Lot	Parcel
0225866	1	1

Latitude/Longitude:

Latitude	Longitude	CDT	Datum Type
54.810309	-112.098767

UTM Reference:

Northing	Easting	Zone	CDT	Datum Type

Recognition

Recognition Authority:	Province of Alberta
Designation Status:	Provincial Historic Resource
Date of Designation:	2003/05/21

Historical Information

Built:	1871 to 1871
Period of Significance:	N/A
Theme(s):
Historic Function(s):	Industry : Food and Beverage Manufacturing Facility Industry : Wood and/or Paper Manufacturing Facility
Current Function(s):
Architect:
Builder:
Context:	The Notre Dame des Victoires mission was established in 1853 by Father Remas who built a log cabin adjacent to the Hudson's Bay Post. In the winter of 1853-1854, the mission site was moved six miles east of its original location by Father Tissot who had replaced Father Remas upon his return to Lac St. Anne. The relocation of the mission site was prompted by the decision to develop Notre Dame des Victoires into a northern base from which missions were outfitted in order to decrease costs and the missionaries' dependence on the anti-Catholic Hudson's Bay Company. In addition to its role as a supply base, it also served as a residential school for native children and as the episcopal seat of Bishop Faraud of the Athabasca Diocese from 1877 to 1889. Because of these various roles, construction activity at the mission was extensive. The first building was constructed in the spring of 1856 and completed in June. In 1856, Father Remas' original house was transported by raft to the new mission site and the two buildings formed the nucleus of the new mission. In anticipation of the arrival of the Grey nuns, a third building was commenced in 1858. The stone foundation was held together by a unique mortar made from stones obtained on the lakeshore. The wooden frame was built in August of that year and a second storey was completed in summer of 1860. The main floor of the building contained a public chapel and the mission's main refectory (dining room). The upper floor housed a workshop and the nun's dormitory which was later converted for use as a schoolroom. The construction of buildings to permit the mission to serve its various functions continued through the late 1870s. These buildings included sheds, storehouses, granaries and at least ten houses. A water-powered flourmill was constructed in 1863 of parts which were shipped from St. Boniface. A sawmill permitted the mission to construct some of the earliest sawn lumber buildings in the Province. The first separate church building was constructed in the late 1870s. The importance of the mission began to decline with the departure of Bishop Faraud in 1889 and the construction of the Athabasca Landing Trail in the 1890s. The convent may be the only building on site which has survived from the period of the mission's prominence. The first church building was blown over by violent winds in 1921 and rebuilt in 1922-1923. A rectory was built between 1920 and 1922. The new construction to some extent reflected the development of nearby Lac La Biche on the arrival of the Alberta and Great Waterways Railway (later Northern Alberta Railways) in 1916. Construction of new buildings and modifications to existing buildings on the site continued as late as 1960, however, when additions were made to the school. The importance of the site, therefore, derives from the efforts of the Catholic Church during the latter half of the nineteenth century to launch and sustain missionary work in northern Alberta, and forms the mission's site association with the development of Lac La Biche in the twentieth century.

Additional Information

Object Number:	4665-0835
Designation File:	DES 1509
Related Listing(s):	4665-0427 (Lac La Biche Mission Site)
Heritage Survey File:
Website Link:
Data Source:	Alberta Culture, Historic Resources Management Branch, Old St. Stephen's College, 8820 - 112 Street, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P8 (File: Des. 1509)