UnBQ Boiler Room

The boiler room and former coal shoot at University nuhelot’įne thaiyots’į nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills (UnBQ). This large space continues to house the utilities used to heat this large masonry building. Click on the triangle to load the point cloud.

“Their education must consist not merely of training of the mind, but of a weaning from the habits and feelings of their ancestors, and the acquirements of the language, art and customs of civilized life.” – Egerton Ryerson, 1847 Report for Indian Affairs

Heating, Water and Plumbing

Young students dressed to work, likely either in the boiler room or on the farm that was maintained on the grounds of the school. Between 1959-1966. PR2010.0475 from The Provincial Archives of Alberta, Open Copyright.

The boiler room is one of the areas of UnBQ where function and appearance have changed very little since its operation as a residential school. While there have been technological updates and modernization of the utilities, the boiler room retains much of its original appearance.

Students at the school were often responsible for tasks related to the operation of the school such as laundry, washing dishes, harvesting food from the gardens, serving staff meals, taking care of livestock, and shoveling coal. Children working at these tasks would be assigned them both as daily living chores but also occasionally as punishment.

Water Quality and Quantity

Soon after its construction, chemical analysis of Blue Quills water supply revealed high levels saline/sodium sulfate, which is said to have a laxative effect when consumed. The extreme hardness of the water with high amounts of rust would have been harmful for both human consumption and the plumbing system itself. Despite these safety concerns, government representatives deemed the installation of a water softener to be unnecessary and too expensive.

Fire Hazards and Protective Measures

Students organized by gender and age in front of Blue Quills. between 1938-1949. PR1973.0248/871 from The Provincial Archives of Alberta, Open Copyright.

Many of the risks faced by Indigenous students attending residential schools such as Blue Quills came from the buildings themselves. The architectural plans for Blue Quills which have been constructed using the laser scanning data, illustrate how poorly these schools were designed from a safety perspective. In 1952, a very dangerous fire hazard was identified at Blue Quills following the construction of a new wing of the school which was accessible from two levels. Inspector F.A Ingram advised that the stairwells be enclosed so that they acted as a natural fire break to prevent the spread of fire.

The relatively remote location of Blue Quills required that fire suppression be done on site. Blue Quills had been designed to accommodate 200 students. However, a feasibility study showed that well water productivity was only able to support 100 students. This was inadequate for both fire protection and student use (hygiene and consumption). As a result, water tanks at the school were of a size that was inadequate for extinguishing any fires that might occur. Fire escapes, as seen in the virtual 3D model of UnBQ above, were also documented as being inaccessible to many students. Inspectors report that while fire escapes were accessible to students on the first floor, they were inaccessible to students on the second floor.

This image includes modern images of the boiler room. If anyone has historic photos of the boiler room at Old Sun that they would like to submit to this archive, please contact us at irsdocumentationproject@gmail.com or submit through "Submit your Memories" button at the top of the page.

UnBQ boiler room, largely unchanged since its time as a residential school. Taken during digital documentation, August 2022. From Madisen Hvidberg.

UnBQ coal shoot, largely unchanged since its time as a residential school when students would have to work here or be locked in for punishment. Taken during digital documentation, August 2022. From Madisen Hvidberg.

Staff or visitors in a granary truck, which would have been used for work around the school grounds as well as for picking up students to bring to the residential school. Date unknown, likely 1950s. PR1973.0248/287 from The Provincial Archives of Alberta, Open Copyright.

Farm buildings on the grounds north of the school building, 1938-1949. Students at the school were made to maintain and work the farm, along with grow vegetables for their own consumption. Milk from the cows on site was a leading cause of tuberculosis at Blue Quills. PR1973.0248/871 from The Provincial Archives of Alberta, Open Copyright.

Students on school farm, between 1959-1966. PR2010.0475 from The Provincial Archives of Alberta, Open Copyright.

Students and staff working on school harvest, between 1959-1966. PR2010.0475 from The Provincial Archives of Alberta, Open Copyright.

Agnes Gendron- That Fateful Day

We grew up, I remember my childhood, it was always loving and caring fun. The siblings played together in winter, summer, didn’t matter, fall. We all were together, until that fateful day we were brought to residential school.

I was seven years old and I left at eleven years old. First day of school was a culture shock to me. I remember we were all brought into the shower room. Everybody had to take a shower and we got out of that room, and I fainted. I just dropped. I don’t remember very much of that first year at school because I was so homesick, I was sick most of that year, and I seen the horrific things that happened to other children there.

I learned to be standing alone at an early age. I’d seen other children’s, their ears bleeding because somebody was pulling on their ears. I’d seen our young men being ridiculed, and laughed at by the people, the masters and the nuns that were looking after them. I saw that and it hurt me, pretty badly.

I must have been about eight years old, nine years old. I saw my sister, she was only six years old. When she went to residential school, she started wetting her bed and they brought these little children into the refectory for breakfast with their wet sheets on their heads. And I hated those people that were looking after them, I could feel the hair on my back standing. Seeing that my little sister with her sad eyes and tears in her eyes, and we couldn’t go up there and comfort her.

I was so thankful that I didn’t have to go back, I was there until grade four. Now we couldn’t talk to our brothers. My brother was on the other side, on the boys’ side. There was very seldom that we ever talked to him, but there was one thing that was happening at that school, at Blue Quills, was the boys had a band, and my brother was in the band, in the cadets. And to this day, I was so proud of him, and the other boys that we’re in there.

– Agnes Gendron

[watch full testimony]

Notes:

Agnes Gendron Testimony. SP203_part08. Shared at Alberta National Event (ABNE) Sharing Panel. March 28, 2014. National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation holds copyright. https://archives.nctr.ca/SP203_part08