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By Marylu Walters
Alberta Connections
Do you know where Alberta's first printing press operated?
Its first commercial grist mill? How about its first sawmill?
If you answered Lac la Biche Mission to all three,
go to the head of the class. Located 11 Km northwest of the Town
of Lac la Biche on the shore of its namesake, the mission was established
by the Roman Catholic Order or Oblates in 1853 and was in important
focal point for industry, agriculture, religious worship and education
for almost 110 years.
Lac la Biche mission is also a primary historic site
for both Alberta's Métis and French. Now the two communities have
joined in a unique partnership to restore the site to its golden
era of the 1870s as l'entrepot du nord (warehouse of the North),
when it was a key link in the transportation system between the
far North and the Red River Settlement.
"It is also called "beautiful Queen of the Lake;"
says Tom Maccagno, a board member and volunteer with the Lac la
Biche Mission Historical Society, which is spearheading the project.
"The ambiance is really quite stunning. Not only does the mission
possess a rich historical fabric, it is also of great natural beauty."
The site consists of four major buildings - a convent,
a school, rectory and a church- and several smaller buildings. Early
work secured the exterior of the buildings but the interiors have
not been restored or furnished, Maccagno says. The society plans
to raise funds to complete the restoration and operate it as a major
attraction comparable to the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village
or Fort Edmonton.
"This is not only one of Alberta's most significant
historic sites, but one of Western Canada's most significant historic
sites, "Maccagno points out.
The mission was designated a Provincial Historic
Resource in 1987 and a National Historic Site in 1989.
The Alberta Historical Resources Foundation (AHRF)
and Alberta Community Development have provided $160,000 in grants
toward preservation work. The mission has also received funding
from the federal government for exterior restoration and a visitor's
center. The AHRF recently provided funds to assist the society,
originally formed in 1980, in developing a business plan.
Staff from Alberta Community Development's Historic
Sites Service have been involved with various aspects of the project
since its designation. Community Development field services staff
recently assisted the society's board in strategic planning. Revising
their bylaws, and solidifying their partnerships.
Our president Leo Piquette has worked diligently
at forming new partnerships to give the society a fresh direction
and at reviving the old partnerships that existed originally between
the Metis and French communities, Maccagno says. Other partners
include the provincial and federal governments and municipal bodies
such as the Town of Lac la Biche, Lakeland County and the Village
of Palamondon .
Echoing its history as rendezvous point, the mission
has become the focal point for regional Canada Day celebrations
in recent years. "We weave in cultural activities and displays and
have fish fry", Maccagno says. It's common knowledge here that you
go to Lac la Biche Mission on Canada Day.
"Its makes you feel good. We're very much a community."
For information
Tom Maccagno, Lac la Biche
Mission Historical Society, 780-623-3274, or Leo Piquett, interim
president, Lac la Biche Mission Historical Society, 780-798-3898.
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