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St. Michael’s Indian School

Fort Totten, North Dakota
Details:

Dates of Operation: 1885–1926 (see notes)
Current Diocese: Fargo
Previous Dioceses Involved:
Vicariate Apostolic of Dakota, 1885–1889
Jamestown, 1889–1897
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Sisters of Charity of Montreal (otherwise known as Grey Nuns), 1885–1926*
On a Reservation: Spirit Lake Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota

Notes: In November 1874, the Sisters of Charity of Montreal established St. Michael Mission about a mile from Devil’s Lake. They opened a school, Our Lady of Sorrows School, in February 1875. The school was destroyed by fire in 1883 and was rebuilt at Fort Totten in 1885. That school, St. Michael, was destroyed by fire in 1926. A third school, Little Flower, was built at St. Michael in 1926. The three schools were one mission for the Sisters of Charity of Montreal but were listed separately because each school had a different name and location. For more information, see the entries for Devil’s Lake, Our Lady of Sorrows, and St. Michael, Little Flower.