St. Laurent de Grandin is an area of

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...

settlement along the South Saskatchewan River. It is just east of Duck Lake, and at present is the site of the St. Laurent Ferry, as well as the Roman Catholic Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes. The shrine is a popular destination for Catholics in central Saskatchewan, and was historically associated with the Métis and

Cree The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada ...

people of the area. St. Laurent was part of the Southbranch Settlement and is found downstream from

Batoche Batoche may refer to: *Batoche, Saskatchewan, a historic site in Saskatchewan * Batoche (electoral district), an electoral district in Saskatchewan * Batoche (former electoral district), a former electoral district in Saskatchewan *Batoche (N.W.T. e ...

. It is also a short distance upstream from St. Louis. It is situated in Aspen parkland roughly near the edge of the Nisbet Provincial Forest. Although never a town, St. Laurent was an important area of settlement and of spiritual significance in the area during the late 19th century. St. Laurent's picturesque scenery continues to attract tourists to the shrine along the Louis Riel Trail today.

History

St. Laurent, the oldest, was originally the wintering home of Métis buffalo hunters ('' hivernants''). A mission was established in 1873 by Father André O.M.I. after Métis settlers arrived in the area from Manitoba in the 1860s and 1870s. It had a church, a residential school and a convent. By 1888 St. Laurent also had a post office, a telegraph office and a store. Some of the men killed at the

Battle of Duck Lake The Battle of Duck Lake (26 March 1885) was an infantry skirmish outside Duck Lake, Saskatchewan, between North-West Mounted Police forces of the Government of Canada, and the Métis militia of Louis Riel's newly established Provisional Govern ...

during the 1885

North-West Rebellion The North-West Rebellion (french: Rébellion du Nord-Ouest), also known as the North-West Resistance, was a resistance by the Métis people under Louis Riel and an associated uprising by First Nations Cree and Assiniboine of the District of S ...

are buried in the cemetery. The mission closed in 1894.

References

External links

Shrine St. Laurent: Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine - St. Laurent de Grandin

* ttp://www.ameriquefrancaise.org/en/article-396/Saint-Laurent_Pilgrimage_in_Saskatchewan.html Saint-Laurent Pilgrimage in Saskatchewanat the Encyclopedia of French Cultural Heritage in North America {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Laurent De Grandin St. Louis No. 431, Saskatchewan Unincorporated communities in Saskatchewan Division No. 15, Saskatchewan

History

See also

References

External links