In 1891, Roman Catholic missionaries from the Oblate Order of Mary Immaculate established the Sacred Heart Mission School in Lac la Biche. In 1898, Sacred Heart Mission School was moved and rebuilt in Saddle Lake by the Oblate Order of Mary Immaculate and renamed as Blue Quills School. In 1931, the school was relocated to its final location near St. Paul, Alberta and named Blue Quills Indian Residential School. From 1931 to 1970, the Oblate Order of Mary Immaculate administered the school on behalf of the Canadian government with the assistance from the Grey Nuns of Montreal.

The Government of Canada attempted to close Blue Quills Indian Residential School in St. Paul during the year of 1970, but it was occupied by members of Saddle Lake First Nation in protest. The occupation ended when the Government of Canada agreed to hand control of the site over to the Blue Quills Native Education Council. In 1970, the Blue Quills Native Education Council was incorporated to take over operations of the former Blue Quills Indian Residential School and became the first Indigenous owned and governed educational centre in Canada.

The Indian Residential School Project – St. Paul Site

Although the high school and its residence closed in 1990, University nuxełhot’į thaa?ehots’į nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills (UnBQ) began the Indian Residential School Project at the site in May 2021. Coordinated by the Indian Residential School Project Team, UnBQ is leading the search for unmarked burial sites at the St. Paul site of the former Blue Quills Indian Residential School.

In addition to coordinating the search effort, the project team is also responsible for the coordination of Survivor supports, Survivor interviews, community dialogues, ceremony, archival research, and facilitating advisory committee meetings.