Description of Historic Place

Crane River Reserve Catholic Church Site comprises a First Nations burial site established in the early decades of the twentieth century as well a stone cairn installed in 2008 to commemorate a 1927 church that once served the community. Situated within O-Chi-Chak-Ko-Sipi First Nation Reserve along the western shores of Lake Manitoba, the designation applies to the cemetery, cairn and grounds they occupy.

Heritage Value

Crane River Reserve Catholic Church Site, also known as O-Chi-Chak-Ko-Sipi First Nations Catholic Church Site, recognizes the place where a modest church once stood, as well as a neatly-fenced cemetery that is still used by the community. The church, built in 1927 with the help of local resources, and served by a priest who for some time commuted from the community of Toutes-Aides, provided communal services to the people for over six decades. Destroyed by fire and now marked by a commemorative cairn that also serves as a tribute to unmarked graves, the site remains an important historical and cultural landmark to the O-Chi-Chak-Ko-Sipi First Nations people at Crane River.

Source: O-Chi-Chak-Ko Sipi First Nation Band Council Resolution, March 28, 2009

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the character of the Crane River Reserve Catholic Church Site include:
- the relatively remote and isolated location within O-Chi-Chak-Ko-Sipi First Nation (Indian Reserve #51) at Crane River near the western shores of Lake Manitoba
- the open and bushed site, set back from the main drive amongst residences and other facilities on the Reserve

Key elements that define the site's heritage character include:
- the elements that reflect the nature of the site such as the place where the church once stood and is now marked by a monument, the cemetery within the designated boundaries
- the fenced and neatly-kept cemetery with marked and unmarked graves, including the north-south orientation
- a granite cairn commemorating the church and the unmarked graves
- the public areas and continuing use