Lejac Indian Residential School: November 2009

Mom told us Lejac first started in 1922 at Fort St. James on Stewart Lake, 45 miles north of Vanderhoof, BC. Then a year later, in 1923 they moved the school to the south shore of Fraser Lake, 100 miles west of Prince George in interior British Columbia. We used to go for walks on Saturdays or Sundays, especially in the fall, spring and summer. Then one day we walked to Mouse Mountain at Fraser Lake 3 miles from school. We took the railroad tracks back to the school that Saturday. And about a half mile from Lejac we saw a cement culvert next to the railroad tracks so we stopped to check it out. The culvert came from the lagoon in the big field surrounding our school.

There was a log cabin dormitory beside the church in Fort St. James where the Oblates had run a school for several years. The school at Lejac opened it doors to students in 1922 and at that time the students we transported to Lejac. It had taken 5 years to build the school and the brick used was actually made on site.
(blue text added by Jim C.)

The lagoon you refer to was actually a sewage lagoon that was built in 1960. The school at Lejac was built at the request of the chiefs.

And that's when I saw it. The writing on the cement, which said built in 1923. I guess Mom was right.

I spent eight years there. At Lejac Indian Residential School. Not all of them bad. In fact, I always thought we had the best school in the whole wide world, even though it wasn't hardly nothing. And all us boys, some of us started school there same year, and graduated together eight years later. Mojo was my best friend at Lejac. We hung out everywhere. He was a little older 'n me. But my best friend. Totally did everything. He was from Tache north of Fort St. James. He was #37.

You probably think we had it really rough. Actually, it wasn't all bad. Least we did a lot of stuff. When I first got there in 1963, I think I already told you this, everything was segregated. Girls one side of the school, boys other side. And we weren't allowed to talk to them or nothing, except maybe in class on the second floor. Then Mr. Lundy came. He was the intermediate dorm supervisor. Tall guy, about six feet tall, really good hockey player. They even said he tried out for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

One thing I liked was Mr. Lundy used to play music for us in dorm at night after lights out. I still listen to that same music today like 'Wheels' by the Ventures, or Baby Dave Cortez. Another thing they did about 1965 was they bought a pop machine and put it in the hallway just outside the girls' rec room. Well.....we weren't allowed down there....ever! You have to leave our rec room, walk past the kitchen, past the dish washer room and then down to just outside their rec room. Now....you can go down there....but only if you need a pop. Which cost a dime!

Then, next year, they tore down our old dining rooms (there were two, one for the boys and one for the girls) and built one big dining room. And first day when they opened it up they said we could sit anywhere we want, even with the girls. That was the strangest thing I ever did was sit with the girls. Another thing they did also was we were allowed to walk around the whole school starting around 1967, even on the girls' side. Lot of us used to walk in groups, both boys and girls, around the school or up to the gate on the highway. Was a lot of fun.

Then there was the Band. Most boys joined Band by the time they were 8 or 9. Band was AWESOME!!! You got to travel to places like Smithers, Fort or Prince George. We actually took the band to Vancouver and Seattle, all through the Okanogan and up to the peace country on different trips that we would do each year. For young boys who had never traveled more than 200 miles from their respective reserves it was quite an experience. On many occasions we also brought along the dance band equipment and entertained other guest bands in the evening. By the late 1960s (1968, 1969) we even travelled to the other Residential Schools like St. Mary's at Williams Lake or to Kamloops. We also had sports and Williams Lake used to come to Lejac in the late 60s to play hockey, us boys, or for the girls, they played floor hockey up at the old barn. We had an annual exchange hockey tournament with Williams Lake Residential School. We took turns about traveling the road, often a tough trip in the winter.

I used to think that the boys were rough!! Holy Cow!!! You should'a seen the girls in floor hockey! Man....were they ever rough!!! And the girls from Williams Lake, they were just as tough as our girls! Didn't back down or nothing, they were just about fighting if it wasn't for Sister Ann (Sr. Ann Rosario was the girls' Senior Dorm supervisor in the late 1960s).

Friday nights was show time. That's when they showed the latest movies and everybody went to the movies down at the Show Hall down at the 'new school'. Then in dorm weekends they left our TV on for us 'til the Late Show and some guys actually watched TV 'til 2 in the morning on weekends.

They also started archery in the late 1960s. Mostly all the supervisors, the priests and even the nuns. In fact I started the archery club for the senior boys with some bows and arrows I ordered from Sears. Sister Ann then, rightly, insisted that the girls get involved and more equipment was bought. I then inviter the archery club from Prince George to come and help us out which they gladly did and supplied us with a lot of arrows. A few of the staff members got involved a little later. Then, the older boys and girls were allowed to get into it. And they set up the archery range in the field past the barn. Some days everybody in the whole school was out there. If we weren't playing softball, hockey, soccer, or street hockey, summertime we were down at the docks swimming. We were always doing something. Even picnics sometimes.

Lots of stuff happened....at Lejac. But the funniest thing I ever heard was the time we all went to Two Mile Encombe for a walk one Saturday! It was around 1968. Victor West always told this story. Victor was in Seniors. Anyway, it was fall time and one thing they told us when we went for walks on weekends in the fall time was NEVER EVER GO ON THE ICE!!! It's not safe! They said the ice is thin along the shore line-so stay off the ice-and if we ever catch you on the ice chasing muskrats you are in BIG TROUBLE!!

What did we do? We went on the ice! First chance we got, everybody went to Two Mile Encombe, everybody chased muskrats!! All over the ice!!! Then one Saturday.....one Saturday near all the boys were out there on the ice chasing muskrats, the ice only went out maybe 30 feet from shore, and it was so clear you could see the muskrats right through the ice. So you bang your club on the ice and try and get them out in the open. And that's where you.....all of a sudden someone hollered 'ED FITZ IS COMING!!!'

Jesus!!! Everybody scrambled!! Ed Fitz is the Junior Dorm supervisor. And everybody always said if you're going to get caught....make sure you don't get caught by Ed Fitzgerald because he is TOTALLY MEAN!!!

It was late October. And there was ice maybe out about thirty feet from shore. And one of the boys had fallen in. So, he stayed in the water and started diving for muskrats. Of course, until someone hollered Ed Fitz was coming. And that's when he heard Ed Fitz. So he dove!!! And held his breath. There was Ed Fitz standing on shore giving everybody shit!! For going on the ice!! And for chasing muskrats. And if we told you guys a million times we better not catch any of you on the ice chasing.....WHAT THE HELL!!!!

All of a sudden some boy's head popped up out of the water!!

Victor West said the boy held his breath long as he could. And he would'a got away except he ran out of air. And that's when Ed Fitz caught him!!

To add to that story I remember coming home from a walk to 2 mile Encome one day to find two muskrats sitting behind a chunk of plywood in the shower room. How the boys caught them and how they got them back to the school without getting bitten still remains a mystery to me. I ordered them removed immediately and taken to the sewage lagoon before someone got hurt.

On another occasion when we were camping on the other side of the lake where I use to let the senior boys hunt grouse and rabbits with a 22 rifle using 22 shorts one of the boys came back into camp with a deer over his shoulder. That is also a mystery to me how he managed to get close enough to a deer to kill it with a 22 short. Not to mention that it was out of season. However it was quickly roasted and consumed with great delight.

When one thinks of it we had a lot of good times and a lot of good fun at Lejac. Yes life was tough at times, but is that not the way of life. For the most part they were happy times.

Jim