Government House, ancienne résidence officielle des Territoires du Nord-Ouest
Government House was the first official residence of the Lieutenant-Governor of the North-West Territories, built around 1876-1877. The Carpenter Gothic structure with a later Mansard roof addition stood on a hilltop overlooking the river valley and served as an administrative center for the region.
The building was constructed in 1877 in Carpenter Gothic style by architect Thomas S. Scott and served as the territorial government seat from 1878 to 1883. Following its transition to the Battleford Industrial School in 1883, it underwent successive transformations as a Seventh Day Adventist Academy and later as religious training programs before being destroyed by fire in 2003.
The site served as a center for learning and community gathering across many generations. Government officials, students, and religious groups all occupied the space, making it a place where the region's evolving identity took shape.
The site is easily accessible on foot from downtown Battleford and offers clear views across the landscape and river valley. Visitors should note that only ruins and a chimney remain, but the foundation stones and elevated hilltop location give a good sense of the building's former presence.
From 1883 to 1914, the building was the Battleford Industrial School, western Canada's first Indian Industrial School, where First Nations children learned farming and trades. This lesser-known chapter reveals a critical part of early Canadian education policy and its impact on Indigenous communities.
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