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The provision of western education in Fort Providence began at the Providence Mission School in 1867, sometimes known as “Our Lady of Fort Providence Residential School” but more consistently known as the “Sacred Heart Mission School” or “Sacred Heart Residential School” (“École du Sacré-Coeur” in French). The school was operated by the Grey Nuns and initially was meant to provide a boarding and day school for Hudson Bay Company employee children. It soon focussed on orphaned and needy children and is known as the first residential school in Canada’s north, although other sites of shorter duration possibly predate Sacred Heart.

Sacred Heart Residential School took in both day pupils and residential boarders. It was chronically under supported, and the Grey Nuns threatened to close or possibly did close it in 1881/82, and reopened with Federal Government funding later in the 1880s. The original log structure was expanded in 1912, and a new three story school built in 1930. An extension was added to this in 1948.

Students came from communities throughout the north, and even as far south as Fort McMurray and Fond-du-Lac. In later years children came from primarily the Deh Cho region; home communities included Fort Providence, Fort Simpson, Fort Liard, Wrigley, Norman Wells, Tulita, Ptarmigan Point, Yellowknife, Fort Smith, Trout Rock and Hay River, and sometimes others. It is unclear when the residential school closed, as historical sources give dates ranging from 1953 to 1960, but the Federal Elizabeth Ward Elementary School opened in 1958 and Sacred Heart Residence likely closed in 1959.

Ron Cree lived in the Fort Simpson area with his family. The family left the North in 1963. Ron Cree died in 1987.

John K. Leslie worked at the Tuktoyaktuk DEW Line site as civilian personnel from 1958 to 1961.

Dorothy (Chocolate) Carseen was born in 1959 and raised on the land near Gameti. After going to high school in Yellowknife, she worked at Native Press as a photographer and photography editor [1984-1990], as well as photographer at Press Independent [1990-1993], and editor at Northern Star [1993]. She was also a founding member of NIIPA, the Native Indian/Inuit Photographers' Association. Dorothy used her time away from her photography jobs to return to traplines and camps to document contemporary camp and community life.