GUIDE TO CATHOLIC RECORDS ABOUT NATIVE AMERICANS IN THE U.S.
Volume 3: Western United States
Montana: MT-2

St. Labre Indian School
1000 Tongue River Road
Ashland, MT 59003

Phone 406-784-4536
Email: See website (Contact Us) or info@stlabre.org

 

History: St. Labre Indian School, Ashland, Rosebud County, Montana, has been a predominantly Native American (Cheyenne, Crow) school near the Northern Cheyenne Reservation and in the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings (Archives: Great Falls, Montana).

1884-1933	Mother Amadeus Dunne, O.S.U. [Ursulines], and the Ursulines (Archives: Toledo, Ohio) established and staffed St. Labre School (Cheyenne)
1885-1897	Jesuits (Turin Province) (Archives: St. Louis, Missouri) administered St. Labre’s
1899-1914	Helena diocesan priests administered St. Labre’s
1914-1925	Society of St. Edmund (Archives: Swanton, Vermont) administered St. Labre’s
1917	St. Labre’s rebuilt after a destructive fire
1926-2004	Capuchins (St. Joseph’s Province) (Archives: Detroit, Michigan) administered St. Labre’s
1933-ca. 1980	School Sisters of St. Francis (United States Province) (Archives: Milwaukee, Wisconsin) staffed St. Labre’s
1928-1938 (closed), 1947-present	St. Labre’s established/ reestablished a high school
1967-1999 (closed), 2000-present	St. Labre’s first established St. Labre Home/ Cheyenne Home, which it reorganized as St. Labre’s Youth and Family Services
1971-present	St. Labre’s incorporated
1978-1985	U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs funded the school
2001-present	Pretty Eagle Academy (Cheyenne), St. Xavier, and St. Charles Borromeo School (Crow), Pryor, joined and have been administered by the St. Labre Indian School system
2004-present	Laity have administered the St. Labre Indian School system
ca. 2004-present	A Great Falls-Billings diocesan priest and a Sister of Charity of Leavenworth (Archives: Leavenworth, Kansas) have served the school

History of Pretty Eagle Academy, St. Xavier, Crow Reservation

1887-1965	Jesuits established and administered Pretty Eagle Academy/ St. Francis Xavier School (Crow), St. Xavier, Crow Reservation
1965-2000	Capuchins (St. Joseph Province) (Archives: Detroit, Michigan) administered Pretty Eagle Academy
2001-present	Pretty Eagle joined the St. Labre Indian School System

St. Charles Borromeo School, Pryor, Crow Reservation:

1890-2001	Jesuits (Turin, California, Oregon Provinces) (Archives: St. Louis, Missouri) established St. Charles Borromeo School (Crow), Pryor
1892-1898 (closed)	Ursulines (Western Province) (Archives: Great Falls, Montana) staffed St. Charles
1925-1930s	Capuchins (St. Joseph Province) (Archives: Detroit, Michigan) reopened and staffed the school
1935-present	Congregation of the Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis (Archives: Oldenburg, Indiana) have staffed the school
2001-present	St. Charles Borromeo joined the St. Labre Indian School System

 

Holdings of Catholic records about Native Americans: 

Inclusive dates: 1926-ongoing, undated

Volume: Over 23.0 cubic feet 

Description: The records at St. Labre Indian School pertain to its schools at its main campus only. Because these records are not arranged according to a classification scheme, the description is by record type. For the records of Pretty Eagle Academy, St. Xavier, see the repository entry for St. Dennis Church, Crow Agency, and for the records of St. Charles Borromeo School, see the repository entry for St. Charles Borromeo Church, Pryor.

 

/1. Administrative records 

Inclusive dates: 1889-ongoing

Volume: Over 10.0 cubic feet

Description: Correspondence, deeds, maps, and meeting minutes.

 

/2. Board minutes 

Inclusive dates: 1927-ongoing 

Volume: Over 1.0 cubic foot

Description:

A. Board of St. Labre Mission, 1927, 1930, 1933; 1 volume

B. Mission Board, 1970-1975; 2 volumes

C. Board of Directors, 1971-ongoing; 5 volumes

 

/3. Student records

Inclusive dates: 1928-ongoing

Volume: Over 2.0 cubic feet

Description: High school transcripts arranged alphabetically.

 

/4. Publications 

Inclusive dates: 1948-ongoing

Volume: Over 2.0 cubic feet

Description:

A. The Arrow, 1950-unknown; fundraising newsletter

B. Bells of St. Labre, 1948-unknown; fundraising newsletter

C. The Chief, 1953?-unknown; school yearbook

D. Morning Star/ The Morning Star People, 1965-ongoing; ca. 1 cubic foot; fundraising newsletter

E. The Race of Sorrows, 1956-1971; ca. .5 cubic foot; fundraising newsletter

F. A Portrait of Saint Labre Indian Mission through One Hundred Years: Ashland, Montana, 1884-1984, Sister Carlan Kraman, S.S.F.

G. Sandal Prints, 1961?-1984?; fundraising newsletter

 

/5. Photographs

Inclusive dates: 1926-ongoing, undated 

Volume: Over 7.0 cubic feet  

Description: St. Labre School and Northern Cheyenne and Crow Indians, Capuchins, and School Sisters of St. Francis.

A. Motion pictures by Finton Schaub, ca. 1930s-1960, undated.; ca. 1.0 cubic foot

B. Still prints, 1926-, undated; over 6.0 cubic feet

 

Unless otherwise noted, the repository on this page holds (or held) the records described here and they are not held at the Marquette University Archives.

new2007/rev2020