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 Pigeon Lake was the first permanent Methodist Mission post west of
Norway House and, at its peak, was a bustling stopover for Aboriginal
travelling
parties, some which numbered several hundred people.
However, with the signing of Treaties 6 and 7 and the establishment of
reserves, the mission was eventually sidelined and in 1906 closed its
doors.
 In
the 1950s an interest in the story of the Pigeon Lake mission developed,
and a committee was formed to create an appropriate
memorial. The original plan of was simply to build a cairn,
but as the importance of the site became clear, the committee felt that something
grander was needed. The result was a memorial
retreat centre, which today includes the Rundle Memorial Lodge and
two residences. An active monument to early mission efforts, the site was declared a National Historic Monument in
1965 and the mission cemetery, site and buildings designated a Provincial Historic
Site in 1997.
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Heritage Community Foundation Presents
