History
The
log cabin school
![](images/cabin-large.jpg) |
St.
Ann's School, c.1860
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t.
Anns school was started in 1858, in a little two-roomed
log cabin at the edge of what is now Beacon Hill Park. This became
the home of the four pioneering sisters who arrived by boat to
Victoria from Quebec to teach in the little school, which was
also an orphanage. Until the building of St. Josephs Hospital,
the Sisters also cared for the sick and the dying in their home.
There was no light, heat or water. One former student described
her memory of how different things were: Travel was slow
and extremely arduous, communication with home and friends a matter
of months. Of equipment there was none, of comforts and amenities
none.
The
cabin had previously been the home of the Morrell family. Bishop
Demers purchased the structure from Leon Morrell, whose daughter
Emily became the first orphan to be cared for by the sisters.
Two days after the Sisters arrived, classes began. By the end
of the first year, 56 pupils of diverse backgrounds were enrolled
in the school
Activities:
1. Visit your local museum to learn more about how people
lived during these days. Talk to your parents, or grandparents
if they are still living, and find out what life was like
when they were growing up. Ask if they have any old photos.
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Fort
Victoria
![](images/student_corner_student_life_fort_victoria.jpg) |
Interior
of the old Hudson Bay Company's Fort Victoria, 1860
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When
the sisters arrived in Victoria, the Hudson's Bay fur trading
company was operating in the area. In the spring, just before
the sisters arrived, gold was found on the Fraser River, and Victoria
grew by almost 20,000 people. Sir James Douglas (1803-1877), known
as the Father of BC, was a key person in building
the province of British Columbia from what started as a small
fur trading post.
The
1858 gold rush saw thousands of miners, many of them American,
surging into the Fraser River area and mainland. Victorias
population began to grow rapidly. During this time, many lives
and fortunes were lost. Under the guidance of Douglas, the Cariboo
Road was built. As early as 1862, Douglas was one of the first
politicians to advocate the building of the Trans-Canada Highway.
Douglas
was a cold brave man
There was something grand and
majestic about Douglas - in the first place he was broad
and powerful and had a wooden hard face when necessary,
which said very plainly I am not afraid but noli
me tangere. When in this state he had the shape
of a horseshoe on his forehead unmistakable and we all knew
then to be cautious, for there was something wrong, something
to be put to rights, whether with the officers of others.
John
Helmcken (BCARS: ADD.MSS 505, v.12)
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to
learn more about this subject, click here
This
is the setting in which St. Anns Academy was growing, and
from which many students of the school arrived. Some students
were from local Native communities, some from abroad, while others
were children of the Hudson's Bay Company employees. One former
student (1867-1882) describes what life was like in school during
this time:
![](images/student_corner_student_life_ships_in_harbour.jpg) |
Victoria
Harbour, C. 1880
BC Archives #HP000368 |
Beyond
the convent walls lay the world unknown. Steamboats were the only
means of communication that Victoria had with the outer world
and to its harbour came the steamboats from San Francisco once
every 8 or 10 days; while from Puget Sound and up the Fraser River
and Nanaimo steamboats came and went about once or twice a week.
This meant that students from a long distance had to spend their
vacations at the convent
Kamloops and Alaska were such dangerous
trips that they were out of the question.
Activities:
1. Write a poem about what it means to be Canadian.
Here
are some examples of poems written about Canada:
My
country is my cathedral,
The northern sky its dome.
They all call it Canada,
But I call it home.
The mountains, the lakes, the valleys,
Are friends I have known.
They all call it Canada,
But I call it home.
-
Author Unknown
CANADA
FOREVER
God
bless our mighty forest land
Of mountain, lake and river;
Thy loyal sons from strand to strand
Sing Canada Forever.
-
St. Anns Student
2.
Create a poster display outlining your own cultural heritage.
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here for more on Student Life