High school home to historic artifacts

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The displays up on the walls of the Stanley Mission high school may be new, but the items contained in them are far from that.

The displays provide a glimpse into what life might have been like in the Stanley Mission Old Village, with artifacts, photographs and Elders' stories depicting construction techniques that were used in the village, as well as information about food sources, recreation, and school life.

Among the artifacts on display are a reconstructed student desk, fragments of a school bell and writing slate, shortening and baking powder cans, nails and window glass, rifle and shotgun shells, a hayfork and a hoe.

The old village was located on the north shore of the Churchill River, but Stanley Mission residents gradually relocated to the south shore after the federal government designated land there as the official reserve in the 1920s.

"It's good to see these artifacts coming back," said Stanley Mission band councillor Gordon Hardlotte. "A lot of our history hasn't been documented, and this display is one way that our young people can learn who we are and where we've come from."

The display is a joint project of the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, Saskatchewan Environment, the Saskatchewan Heritage Foundation, the La Ronge Historical Society, the Stanley Mission band, and Young Canada Works.