Here's what we know about Gordon's Indian Residential School

The more than 100-year history of residential schools on George Gordon First Nation is expected to create a complicated investigation as the community searches for possible unmarked graves.

The discovery of 14 potential burials was announced by the First Nation on Wednesday. According to officials, the investigation is the first of three ground penetrating radar searches.

“This is probably going to be at least a ten year journey for George Gordon First Nation,” said Sarah Longman, a member of George Gordon First Nation and the chair of the George Gordon First Nation IRS Cemetery Committee.

“We’re dealing with 100-plus years of history with the residential school here at George Gordon so there’s a lot of work and a lot of area to cover to find what we’re looking for,”

Here’s what we know about Gordon’s Indian Residential School.

FOUNDING AND EARLY DAYS

A school was established as a day school by the Anglican Church of Canada in 1876 on the boundary of the George Gordon First Nation. The building was expanded to include student housing in 1888, according to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR).

An overview document of the school’s history and administration put together by the NCTR shows further expansion in 1895 and 1922, before the boarding school was destroyed by a fire in 1929.

A new building would replace it a short time later.

The school would be closed for a long period of time between 1947 and 1953 due to water and mechanical issues, according to the overview.

The building would see further additions in 1956 and 1965.

Students attending the school came from all over Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta during the time of its operation.

WHO WAS IN CHARGE

The school was run in some capacity by the Diocese of Qu’Appelle, the Anglican Church of Canada and the federal government for the majority of its history.

The government assumed direct responsibility for the administration of the school in 1969, but the church continued to provide chaplaincy services after that.

After 1975, the residences had an advisory board made up of members of the Gordon Band that was able to make policies that affected students including admissions, staffing and student discipline, according to the NCTR overview.

The school would continue to be managed by the federal government until the closure of the residences and subsequent demolition of the main building in 1996.

“We’re working with 100 plus years, I think that’s pretty obvious there’s a lot more than what we found in the first three months,” Longman said.

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If you are a former residential school student in distress, or have been affected by the residential school system and need help, you can contact the 24-hour Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419, or the Indian Residential School Survivors Society toll free line at 1-800-721-0066.

Additional mental-health support and resources for Indigenous people are available here.