St. Laurent de Grandin, Saskatchewan

St. Laurent de Grandin
Location of St. Laurent de Grandin in Saskatchewan

St. Laurent de Grandin is an area of Métis settlement along the South Saskatchewan River. It is just east of Duck Lake, Saskatchewan, and at present is the site of the St. Laurent Ferry, as well as the Roman Catholic Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes.[1] The shrine is a popular destination for Catholics in central Saskatchewan, and was historically associated with the Métis and Cree people of the area.[2] St. Laurent was part of the Southbranch Settlement and is found downstream from Batoche. It is also a short distance upstream from St. Louis. It is situated in Aspen parkland roughly near the edge of the Nisbet Provincial Forest. Although never a town, St. Laurent was an important area of settlement and of spiritual significance in the area during the late 19th Century. St. Laurent's picturesque scenery continues to attract tourists to the shrine along the Louis Riel Trail today.

History

St. Laurent, the oldest of the Southbranch settlements, was originally the wintering home of Métis buffalo hunters (hivernants). A mission was established in 1873 by Father André O.M.I. after Métis settlers arrived in the area from Manitoba in the 1860s and 1870s. It had a church, a residential school and a convent. By 1888 St. Laurent also had a post office, a telegraph office and a store.[3] Some of the men killed at the Battle of Duck Lake during the 1885 North-West Rebellion are buried in the cemetery.[4] The mission closed in 1894.[5]

See also

References

External links

Heritage in North America

North: MacDowall
West: Duck Lake St. Laurent de Grandin East: Bellevue
South: Batoche

Coordinates: 52°50′00″N 106°05′02″W / 52.83333°N 106.08389°W / 52.83333; -106.08389

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, February 04, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.