St. Marys Church - Deadmans Creek HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF SITE

BIBLIOGRAPHY SITE CONTENTS LOCATION MAP MEASURED DRAWINGS TEACHER'S CORNER ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION DESIGN TEAM HOME		Even though the Skeetchestn had been living in the area for approximately two thousand years it was in 1868 when the reservation was established. (F. D'Ambrosio and J. Nichols. "St. Mary's Church". Selected 'As Found' Drawings Projects. Vol. 3 (Victoria, B.C.: British Columbia Heritage Trust, 1984) 1.) The Oblate missionaries had an ongoing relationship with many First Nation groups in the interior of British Columbia starting around the 1840's. It was not until the 1860's when the Oblate missionaries started to interact with the Skeetchestn people by becoming regular visitors to the village. The first church in the village was made out of logs and had a dirt floor. The log structure was considered inadequate and in 1909 Oblate missionaries and the Skeetchestn Band built St. Mary's Church. Tragically the missionaries in teaching the Christian way almost wiped out an entire cultures language and way of life. (Ibid.) St. Mary's Church has offered a monthly mass since its opening. The church has only closed once in its history due to renovations. With major renovations taking place between 1993 to 1995 the church is once again available to the Skeetchestn Band. (Ella Jules, personal interview, 12 January 1999.)

Last updated 1 March 1999. This digital collection was produced under contract to the Canada's Digital Collections Program, Industry Canada. Produced by Canada's Digital Collections Team. Content provided by BC Heritage Trust and Heritage Branch, Province of British Columbia.