History of Pius X Mission

It is coming up on 100 years since the Pius X Mission opened in 1932, and 66 years have passed since it closed its doors. This passage of time limits our access to firsthand accounts of what it was like for students at the school. Some former students have shared their stories, offering valuable insight into life at the Mission. However, we currently have very limited firsthand accounts from students who attended during the first half of the school’s operation. This is a significant gap in our understanding, especially since available records suggest that the school’s dynamics shifted around World War II and after the Mission building was rebuilt following a fire in 1945.

The Sisters of St. Ann kept an internal record known as the Chronicles, documenting events, comings and goings, illnesses, and staffing. These records offer meaningful glimpses into daily life at the Mission, but it is important to remember that this account was made from a very different perspective from that of the students; the Sisters were adults, teachers, Catholics, missionaries, and Euro-Americans. 

The student experience at the Mission appears to have varied over time and between the genders. In earlier years, accounts and photographs suggest a more rigid environment. Students wore matching uniforms, had their hair cut short in a uniform style, and marched. By the 1950s, however, there seems to have been some easing of these strict routines. Additionally, the experiences of boys and girls differed significantly. In the 1950s, older boys were reportedly allowed more freedom, while girls were only permitted to leave the Mission when accompanied by a Sister.

Accommodations and Food

Image courtesy of the Skagway Museum, Dedman collection, MS-2159

While Crimont Hall at the Pius X Mission was praised for its modern amenities, it still had its share of significant shortcomings. In the early years of the Mission, it was common for the pipes to freeze for a week or more at a time, or at times for the building to become so cold that students were kept in bed during the day just to stay warm. When the pipes froze, boys were tasked with hauling water from the river. The school also flooded during heavy rains. After the building was rebuilt in 1948, a nearby creek was diverted, but this may have worsened the problem. Former students recall regularly cleaning up floodwater from the ground floor.

Following the fire in 1945, student housing was moved to detached “cottages” - repurposed army barracks left over from the war. When first installed in the late 1940s, the Sisters described these cottages as comfortable and attractive. However, student accounts from the 1950s tell a different story: they remember the buildings as cold and damp, with rotting floorboards. When new Sisters arrived at the Mission in 1959, they immediately moved the children back into the main school building, citing the unsuitable and unsafe conditions in the cottages.

Food at the Mission seems to have been a case of feast or famine. The Sisters’ chronicles describe holiday celebrations with chicken or turkey, pies, and gifts of fruit, nuts, and candy, donated by the Skagway community, the army, or other sources. In some entries, it is clear that students shared in these celebrations; in others, it’s unclear whether the feasts included the children or only for the staff. Regardless, one of the most common and unhappy memories shared by former students is the food. Many recall eating oatmeal every day and hating it. Some remembered being served old military rations, including rotten peanuts and dry powdered eggs, while at the same time collecting fresh eggs from the Mission’s chickens, which were sold rather than eaten by the children. A former student said girls served dinner to the Sisters, priests, and staff and noted that their food was consistently better than students.

One former student recalled how the girls were responsible for serving food, while boys helped cook. If a girl liked a particular boy, she would crunch up the cornflakes at the bottom of his bowl before filling it the rest of the way, giving him a little more food than others. On the surface, it simply is a sweet gesture, but it also suggests the reality that students may have been hungry, even after meals.

Aerial View of the Pius X Mission property c. 1948

“Those peanut shells were moldy and even though we had fresh eggs at the mission they never once served them to us - only egg powder.”

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“She returned to Pius X and observed the barracks where the food as old as 10 years was still stored.” 

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“Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in the usual Catholic and American way: High Mass of Thanksgiving and general Communion and generous servings of roast turkey“

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“Double feast - Bishop Crimont’s namesday and the anniversary of the election of our Mother General […] The children are given an apple and a banana treat.”

Education

The quality of education at the Pius X Mission is somewhat unclear. Some former students have given positive reviews of their schooling, even stating that the education they received at Pius was better than what was offered in public schools. The Mission also seemed to cultivate a reputation for academic excellence. However, official records and evaluations by the Commissioner of Education paint a more complicated picture.

In multiple years, the Commissioner of Education’s reports grouped Pius X Mission among schools deemed “unable to measure up to the standards of public schools,” citing issues such as understaffing, inadequately trained teachers, poor facilities, and a lack of basic supplies. Pius X was specifically noted as being unaccredited, and correspondence from the mid-1950s indicates that there were still “setbacks in instructional programs” stemming from the fire that destroyed the original building in 1945. A sanitation and engineering inspection conducted in 1961, after the school had closed, also found that classroom lighting did not meet minimum standards set by the American Standard Practice for School Lighting.

It is unclear whether this discrepancy between student experiences and official reports was due to shifting conditions over time, efforts by the Mission to conceal its shortcomings, or possible prejudice on the part of those evaluating the school.

Education  at Pius X Mission covered a typical curriculum of reading, spelling, grammar, arithmetic, geography, history, science, physical education, and art, but over the years, also included vocational and practical training such as typing, shorthand, ceramics, dressmaking, and leatherwork. The mission was originally grade school up to 8th grade, but in 1948, the high school grades were added. In the early 1950s, there were plans to establish a laboratory to teach physics and chemistry, but there is no record that this ever came to fruition. 

In 1939, Samuel Jackson of Skagway, a notable totem pole carver, began a class in wood carving for the boys at the mission. This is the only documentation found of the school fostering Alaska Native culture.

Father Gallant often emphasized the importance of education to the students at Pius, and many were encouraged to continue their schooling after leaving the Mission. Some went on to pursue further education in fields such as teaching, dental hygiene, and nursing. Over the years, many students joined the military, and some chose to stay and make Skagway their home.

A speech given to the graduating boys of 1953 emphasized the ideals:

“Be a saint, be a man, be a loyal American.”

an example of Mission school education’s instilling Christian, patriarchal, and nationalistic values.

Religious and Cultural Education

At the heart of the Pius X Mission’s curriculum was a deliberate effort to replace students’ traditional beliefs and lifeways with Catholic teachings and Euro-American cultural norms. Religious instruction was central to daily life at the Mission. Students were expected to attend Mass multiple times a day, recite prayers, and participate in sacraments such as baptism, first communion, and confirmation - events carefully recorded by the Sisters of St. Ann and celebrated with pride. One journal entry reads, “Our prayer is that these children will be Apostles among their own people,” underscoring the broader goal of training students not only to adopt Catholicism, but to spread it to their families and communities.

The Sisters viewed student devotion as evidence of success. One account records, “Our Lady must smile on these little Duskies as they clasp each bead in their little fingers and answer devotionally to the Hail Mary.” While likely seen as innocent and affectionate at the time, the language and sentiment reflect the racial and religious superiority that underpinned the Mission’s work; an assumption that Indigenous children needed to be spiritually rescued and reshaped.

Image courtesy of the BC Archives, Sisters of St. Ann Archives collection, MS-3606)

In addition to religious instruction, Western holidays played a significant role in reinforcing Western cultural norms. At the Mission, students were introduced to and actively participated in holidays like Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the Fourth of July. Costume parties were held for Halloween, Valentine’s Day was celebrated with decorations and (in later years) dances, and Christmas always featured a large decorated tree with gifts for the children. These celebrations created joyful memories for many students and fostered emotional connections to Western traditions. Over time, these events helped to integrate the children into Euro-American cultural life and made them excited about Western holidays, further distancing them from their own traditional celebrations.

The Mission also embraced elements of popular American culture. In its later years, students held a spring recital that included a performance of The Music Man, a Maypole dance, and a final tableau depicting the Statue of Liberty, during which students sang a flag song and The Star-Spangled Banner. A prom-like event was even introduced, complete with the crowning of a king and queen. These activities not only brought a sense of fun and normalcy to life at the school but also worked to instill patriotic and cultural loyalty, forming students into what the system hoped would be disciplined, Christian, and “loyal American” citizens.

Beyond mainstream American holidays, the Pius X Mission also celebrated Catholic feast days, one of the most prominent being the Feast of the North American Martyrs. This annual event honored missionaries who were killed while attempting to convert Indigenous peoples in what is now Canada and the northern United States. For the Alaska Native children living at the school, this celebration likely sent a painful and confusing message. It upheld the idea that Indigenous identity needed to be changed or erased in order to be accepted by God, and that unconverted Native people  were “the bad guy” and a threat to faithful Catholic missionaries. Rather than affirming the value of their heritage, the Mission placed honor on those who had tried to replace it. For many students, this could have contributed to feelings of shame, loss, and a sense of not belonging - both at the school and within their own culture.

A note made for the opening day of a school year :

“The Feast of the Jesuit Maryrs of America. Pius X Mission once more opens its portal to the descendants of the same Aborigines for whom the Martyrs’ blood besprinkled American Soil.”

In 1939 a visiting nun noted :

“These native children at their present stage of development may be classified as half and half. They speak English with an Indian accent; they dress like moderns and adopt the amenities of their white associations. On the other hand, they cling to their communal life in camps or huts, even to such as are built on stakes on the beach and they prefer the floor to chairs and tables. The manners which they put on while in school are easily discarded out of it”

Recreation, Music, and Sports

While life at the Pius X Mission was structured and oriented toward discipline, religious devotion and academic instruction, students did participate in a range of recreational and extracurricular activities. These activities often reinforced the school’s goals of assimilation, but they also created spaces for joy, creativity, and connection.

Father Gallant placed great emphasis on music as a tool for both discipline and character formation. In 1938, he purchased a full set of instruments for Pius X Mission and within a year, the Mission had established a well-regarded student band.  Their first public recital was held on Easter Sunday in 1939. The school also had a choir and a Glee Club for a time, and students performed in community events such as Skagway’s Spring Recital, Silver Tea Party, and other local fundraisers for the Mission.

When the Sanatorium was in operation in Skagway, the students went there at Christmas to sing carols for the patients.

Image courtesy of the BC Archives, Sisters of St. Ann Archives collection, MS-3606)

One former student reflected,

“I guess my music is what I gained most from there. I still play the trumpet. They were excellent teachers. I grew up among regimentation with them, but you learned.”

Image courtesy of Marquette University, BCIM Collection

Music and the arts were a clear part of Gallant’s vision for an “accomplished” student. Children at the Mission also participated in theater productions, and poster design competitions. Mission students regularly won top prizes in poster contests, including events sponsored by the American Legion and the National Dental Week campaign.

Recreation also included sports, especially basketball. Pius X had a competitive team, and the Sisters kept records of the school’s wins and losses, although not very consistently. Girls and boys attended games in town.  In 1930, after the local Boy Scouts refused to accept Native children, Father Gallant started a scout troop for the Pius X students, though with Gallant’s regular and extended absences for fund raising, it’s unclear how long it lasted.

Outside of formal activities, older boys sometimes went hunting and fishing or gathered food for the Mission along the Chilkoot Trail.  The children on occasion went on picnics organized by the sisters - one time going all the way to Log Cabin on the train.

Another memorable presence at the Mission was its dogs. Over the years of operation, three Saint Bernards were residents of the school. The first, named Big Ben, and the last, Blizzard, served  as companions to staff  and students.

Image courtesy of Skagway Museum, Kasbohm Collection-1

Student Labor

In addition to their academic and religious education, students at the Pius X Mission were expected to perform daily labor to help sustain the school. Like many boarding schools of its era, Pius X presented this labor as a form of education, vocational training, or character building. However, it also played a crucial role in the Mission’s ability to operate and raise funds

The school’s farm, known as the Mission Dairy, opened in 1937. Not long after, Father Gallant secured milk contracts with the Alaska Steamship Company and C.P.R. (possibly referring to the Canadian Pacific Railway), turning the dairy into a commercial enterprise. Older boys were responsible for tending to the farm, which included cows, chickens, pheasants and a pedigree Ayrshire bull. Father Gallant had an interest in birds and would go on trips to gather wild geese eggs often adding rare or undomesticated breeds to the flock. 

In flood seasons, some boys even stayed overnight at the barns to monitor the animals. The work was demanding and, at times, hazardous. A former student recalled the grueling chore of cleaning out the chicken barns - an especially concerning task given the large number of birds (200 to 500 chicks hatched in some years) and the potential health risks involved. Exposure to dust and ammonia in enclosed chicken barns posed a serious danger to lung health, particularly in an era when tuberculosis was a constant threat.

Despite raising chickens and collecting hundreds of eggs, the children themselves were rarely allowed to eat them. The eggs, like the milk, were sold to help fund the Mission.

Image courtesy of the Skagway Museum, Dedman collection

Beyond the dairy, children produced goods to be sold at the mission, particularly to appeal to tourists. Photos from the time show girls making leather goods, including fringe jackets and moccasins, styles that had little connection to Lingít culture, but matched non-Native expectations of what "Native" art should look like. 

One account describes the jewelry-making program this way: “Children were taught jewelry making. It was hoped that in seeing gems come from unpolished, rough stones, they would learn that they, too, were gems.” While the sentiment may have been well-intentioned, it also reflects the belief that Indigenous children needed to be “refined” or “improved” by the institution

While students may have taken pride in the skills they learned or enjoyed certain aspects of the work, it’s important to recognize that much of the labor was mandatory, unpaid, and performed in service of the institution itself.

Health, Abuse, and Loss at the Mission

Like many boarding schools of its era, the Pius X Mission struggled with recurring illness, limited medical care, and conditions that would be considered hazardous by today’s standards. Students faced high rates of disease, physical hardship, and, in some cases, abuse. While some records suggest that children received annual medical and dental checkups, others reveal a pattern of chronic neglect and trauma, both physical and emotional.

In 1950, a visiting dentist treated 79 students. That single visit resulted in 55 tooth extractions and 317 fillings, a staggering number that points to serious lapses in preventive dental care. Children were also examined for eyesight and tuberculosis and often had their tonsils removed  on-site at the Mission. Commonly recorded illnesses included influenza, pneumonia, tonsillitis, measles, and tuberculosis. In one year, 45 students contracted the flu. When outbreaks occurred, school was often suspended and healthy students were enlisted to help care for the sick.

Tuberculosis was a constant threat. The Sisters occasionally implemented isolation protocols, and students were sometimes evacuated for treatment. Multiple students were flown to Juneau with TB, often dying days later, and in one case four months later. In total, at least six student deaths are confirmed in the records, with causes ranging from accidental injuries to tubercular meningitis and hemorrhaging. There is no indication that any children were buried on school grounds, but the records are incomplete.

Health at the Mission also intersected with physical control. Hygiene and appearance were emphasized. In the early years of the mission,  uniform haircuts were enforced, and photos show girls with shaved heads, likely due to lice, but some schools shaved new students heads as a standard, regardless of finding lice and other schools shaved heads as punishment. Forced hair cutting has long been recognized as a form of cultural erasure and emotional abuse. Uniforms, controlled hairstyles, and rigid personal grooming standards were used to suppress individuality and enforce conformity.

Most disturbing are the records and oral accounts related to sexual abuse. The Sisters’ journals mention frequent visits from Catholic priests. At least 125 different priests stayed at the Mission over the years of operation. Some came to teach, others simply stayed for extended visits. Four of these priest have been accused or charged with sexual abuse. One served time in federal prison before returning to active ministry. Most notably, Father Cowgill, who served at the Pius X Mission from 1952 to 1959, is now officially confirmed to have been a pedophile.

Anonymous sources have shared additional accounts, including that a teacher with alcohol issues showed pornographic magazines to children, and that older students, upon discovering the abuse of younger peers, removed them from the school and hid them in a hotel for protection. In its final year of operation, the Mission struggled with increasing behavioral issues among students, possibly a symptom of unaddressed harm they were enduring.