St. Michael’s Indian Residential School (IRS) was located on Cormorant Island in Alert Bay off the north coast of Vancouver Island. The IRS operated from 1894 - 1974 (80 years) and closed on December 31, 1974.
Other names identifying the residential school from 1893 - 1929 were Alert Bay Boys’ Home, Residential School for Boys, Indian Girls’ Home at Alert Bay, Boarding School for Girls, Boys Industrial School, Alert Bay Industrial School, and Alert Bay Girls’ Home and from 1929 - 1974 as Indian Residential School, Alert Bay, St. Michael’s Indian Residential School, Alert Bay Indian Residential School, St. Michael’s Hostel, St. Mike’s, St. Michael’s Student Residence, Alert Bay Student Residence, and St. Michael’s Indian School.
The Government of Canada was responsible for funding the Alert Bay Boys’ Home and was managed and operated on behalf of the government by the Church Missionary Society. The Government of Canada was responsible for funding the Alert Bay Girls’ Home and was managed and operated on behalf of the government by the Anglican Diocese of British Columbia, Anglican Church in Canada. From 1922 until 1929, both the Alert Bay Boys’ Home and Girls’ Home were funded by the Government of Canada and managed and operated by the Indian and Eskimo Residential School Commission of the Missionary Society of the Church of England in Canada. From 1929 until March 31, 1969, the school was managed by the Missionary Society of the Church of England in Canada (MSCC), which later changed its name to the Missionary Society of the Anglican Church of Canada. The MSCC had three different administrative organizations involved at the school: 1) The Indian and Eskimo Residential School Commission until 1946, 2) the Indian School Administration until 1963, and 3) Residential Schools and Hostels Division until 1969. The federal government took over the management and operation of the IRS on April 1, 1969, until closing in December 1974. On June 8, 1912, an agreement was signed between His Majesty, the King, represented by the Superintendent General of Indian Affairs of Canada and the Right Reverend John Charles Roper, D.D., Bishop of Columbia, Victoria, for the management and operation of the IRS. In 1948, an agreement between the government and the Missionary Society of the Church of England in Canada required children from the IRS to attend classes at the Indian Day School (IDS). On May 1, 1962, an agreement between Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada and Missionary Society of the Anglican Church of Canada for the management and operation of the IRS was signed.
No information regarding which grades were taught at the IRS.
Students from the following bands attended the IRS: Ahwamish, Aiyansh, Bella Bella, Bella Coola, Campbell River, Canyon City, Cape Mudge, Gilford Island, Gitlakdamix, Greenville, Hartley Bay, Kincolith, Kitamaat, Kitasoo, Kitkatla, Kitselas, Kitsumkaylum, Kitwancool, Kitwanga, Klemtu, Klowitsis, Kwawawain, Kwawkewlth, Kwawwawaineuk, Kwickeutaineuk, Lakalzap, Mamalillikulla, Masset, Matilpi, Metlakatla, Nakwakto, Nimpkish, Nishga, Nuwhitti, Oweekayno, Port Essington, Port Simpson, Quatsino, Quawshelah, Skidegate, Squamish, Tanateuk, Tsawataineuk, Tsimpsheen, Tumour Island.
Statistics for student enrolment are inconsistent with a low of 32 in 1916 and a high of 228 in 1959.
1948-01-01
1904-11-01
1937-01-01
1980-01-01
1948-01-01
No date
1904-01-01
1891-01-01
1915-01-01
1891-01-01
1945-1951
1951-03-31
1949-12-31
1952-12-31
1943-1944
1943-03-31
Unknown date
Unknown date
1943-1949
1943-03-31
1945-06-30
1945-09-30
1945-12-31
1946-03-31
1946-06-30
1946-09-30
1946-12-31
1947-06-11
1947-03-31
1947-06-30
1943-06-30
1947-09-30
1947-12-31
1948-03-31
1948-09-30
1948-12-31
1949-03-31
1948-06-30
1943-09-30
1943-12-31
1944-03-31
1944-06-30
1944-09-30
1944-12-31
1945-03-31
1930
1930
1921-1932
1921-1932
1921-1932
1921-1932
1921-1932
1921-1932
1921-1932
1936-1944
1936-1944
1936-1944
1936-1944
1948
1948
1940-1953
1940-1953
1940-1953
1940-1953
1940-1953
1940-1953
1940-1953
1940-1953
1940-1953
1940-1953
1940-1953
1940-1953
1891-1910
1891-1910
1891-1910
1891-1910
1891-1910
1891-1910
1891-1910
1891-1910
1949
1949
1889-1926
1889-1926
1889-1926
1889-1926
1889-1926
1889-1926
1889-1926
1889-1926
1889-1926
1889-1926
1889-1926
1889-1926
1889-1926
1938-1947
1938-1947
1927-1930
1927-1930
1927-1930
1927-1930
1927-1930
1927-1930
1926-1936
1926-1936
1926-1936
1926-1936
1926-1936
1926-1936
1926-1936
1926-1936
1940-1948
1940-1948
1940-1948
1940-1948
1940-1948
1940-1948
1940-1948
1940-1948
1940-1948
1940-1948
1940-1948
1929-1931
1929-1931
1929-1931
1929-1931
1929-1931
1929-1931
1929-1931
1929-1931
1929-1931
1929-1931
1929-1931
1929-1931
1929-1931
1932-1948
1932-1948
1932-1948
1932-1948
1932-1948
1932-1948
1932-1948
1932-1948
1932-1948
1932-1948
1932-1948
1932-1948
1948-1950
1948-1950
1948-1950
1948-1950
1948-1950
1948-1950
1931-1935
1931-1935
1931-1935
1931-1935
1931-1935
1931-1935
1931-1935
1931-1935
1931-1935
1931-1935
1931-1935
1931-1935
1931-1935
1931-1935
1931-1935
1947-1950
1947-1950
1947-1950
1947-1950
1947-1950
1935-1937
1935-1937
1935-1937
1935-1937
1935-1937
1935-1937
1935-1937
1935-1937
1935-1937
1937-1939
1937-1939
1937-1939
1937-1939
1937-1939
1937-1939
1937-1939
1937-1939
1937-1939
1937-1939
1937-1939
1939-1940
1939-1940
1939-1940
1939-1940
1939-1940
1939-1940
1939-1940
1939-1940
1939-1940
1940-1943
1940-1943
1940-1943
1940-1943
1940-1943
1940-1943
1943-1948
1943-1948
1943-1948
1943-1948
1943-1948
1943-1948
1943-1948
1943-1948
1943-1948
1943-1948
1943-1948
1943-1948
1943-1948
1948-1949
1948-1949
1948-1949
1948-1949
1948-1949
1948-1949
1948-1949
1948-1949
1948-1949
1948-1949
1948-1949
1948-1949
1948-1949
1948-1949
1949
1949
1949
1949
1949
1949
1949
1949-1950
1949-1950
1949-1950
1949-1950
1949-1950
1949-1950
1949-1950
1927-1930
1927-1930
1927-1930
1927-1930
1927-1930
1927-1930
1927-1930
1927-1930
1927-1930
1927-1930
1927-1930
1927-1930
1927-1930
1927-1930
1927-1930
1927-1930
1927-1930
1927-1930
1927-1930
1927-1930
1927-1930
1927-1930
1940-1943
1940-1943
1940-1943
1940-1943
1940-1943
1940-1943
1940-1943
1940-1943
1940-1943
1940-1943
Unknown date
Unknown date
1965
1930s
1930s
1930s
1938
1930s
1930s
1930s
1937-05-12
1930s
1930s
1947
1947
1947
1947
1947
1947
1947
1947
1947
1947
1947
1947
1940
1940
1937-10-19
1940
1941
1940s
1943
1940s
1940s
1940s
1930s
1930s
1930s
1941
1940
1940s
1948
1941
Unknown date
1920s
1920s
1920s
1920s
1920s
1920s
1920s
1920s
1920s
1920s
1920s
1920s
1920s
1920s
1920s
September 1921
September 1921
1922-06-01
1922-06-01
1922-05-24
1920s
June 1922
1922
1922
1922
1922
1922
1922
1922-10-01
1922
1920s
June 1922
1922
1922-06-01
1922-06-01
1921-06-01
1922-06-01
1922-06-01
1922-06-01
1921-06-01
1921
1921
October 1921
1921
1921
1920s
1920s
1920s
1920s
1920s
1930s
March 1923
March 1923
March 1923
March 1923
1922
March 1923
June 1932
1930s
1930s
1930s
1930s
1930s
1932
1932
December 1930
1930
1930
1932
1930
1930
1930
December 1930
1930
1930s
1930s
1930s
1932
1932
1932
1932
1932
1932
1932
1932
1932
1932
1932
1932
1932
1932
1932
1932
1932
1930s
1932
1932
Unknown date
1932
1932
1932
1930
1933
1932
1932
1932
1932
1932
1932
1932
1932
1932
1932
1932
1932
1932
1932
July 1941
1930s
1930s
1940
1945
1940s
1941
1941
1941
1940s
1940s
1921
1921
1930s
1930s
1956
1941
1941
1945
1956
1946
1946
1946
1930s
1933
1940s
1940s
Unknown date
Unknown date
Unknown date
Unknown date
Unknown date
Unknown date
Unknown date
2010 - 2015
2015-02-18