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213:, Father Edward Peytavin and Brother Surel, who all stayed in a 24 x 32 log cabin. Coccola spent much of his time building homes and working in the gardens. His duties often extended to providing medical attention to the local residents, as there was no doctor in the region. On one occasion he was sent with medicine for a son of a Chief in the Nicola Valley and when the man recovered, Coccola was sent on more sick calls to
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Nations were going to revolt. Their concerns dated back a few years earlier to 1884 when two
Kootenai men had been arrested and charged with murdering two white men. Upon learning that there was no evidence to support the charges, Chief Isador led a band of thirty warriors to Wild Horse Creek and broke the two suspects out of the
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were moving across the
Alberta-British Columbia border and that more missionaries were needed to attend to the workers. Nicholas Coccola heeded the call and went to Eagle's Pass and the other advance camps of the railway construction workers. He often stayed in the bunkhouses with the workers, giving
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The story prompted
Coccola to suggest to the local Kootenai that mining could be profitable for them as well and advised them to keep a lookout for similar stones. In April 1893, Coccola had just returned to the mission when he was approached by a Kootenai man named Pierre or Pielle, who showed him
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In the fall of 1891, two
Kootenai women picking berries along the St. Mary's River discovered a large shiny rock. They carried it for a distance and then discarded it upon reaching a good berry patch. The rock was found by Joseph Bourgeois and its discovery was the beginning of the North Star Mine,
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The St. Eugene
Mission had a large garden that provided fresh produce for the residents of the mission and the local miners who were prospecting nearby at Wild Horse and Perry Creeks. There were few white settlers in the area and many had left because they had concerns that the local Kootenai First
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was completed on
January 17, 1922 and the staff and students were moved from the old school at Fort St. James. The same year brought a new St. Joseph's church for Fort Fraser. Coccola was made the principal of the Lejac school that fall and he served there on and off until 1925 when he went to
307:". The Chief then ordered that the judge, the arresting officer and the land surveyor leave the area within twenty-four hours. When Coccola arrived in 1887, the settlers had petitioned the government for protection and North-West Mounted Police (later the
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On August 31, 1913, Coccola blessed the new reservation and its church. Several townspeople from Fort George arrived in boats to watch the ceremony. He then returned to Fort St. James and Stoney Creek for the winter. In the spring of 1914, he traveled to
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swept the region. In Stoney Creek, one third of the population was lost and at Fort St. James 14 people died and were buried in a single day. Other victims succumbed out in the wilderness at their trap lines and their bodies were never recovered.
425:. Eventually the railway succeeded in negotiating for the 1,366-acre (5.53 km) property and with Nicolas Coccola as the band's spokesman, the village was sold for $ 125,000 and a new reservation was built 16 miles (26 km) north on the
417:, where there was a large licensed hotel. The First Nations village was a valuable property, as it had been decided that the railway was going to pass through Fort George. Several different concerns tried to purchase the property, among them
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Vancouver for a hernia operation and took some time to visit his old St. Eugene
Mission. He returned to the Lejac school and remained there until 1934 when he was made chaplain of Sisters of the Child Jesus Hospital in Smithers.
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At Easter in 1940, although retired from missionary work, Coccola was summoned to
Moricetown as the residents had found themselves without a priest for the holiday and they didn't want to go without Mass and Communion.
256:. By then the rails had arrived in town and there was a population of 300 living in tents, boxcars and shacks. Coccola said Mass anywhere he was invited to do so and prepared the children of Donald and nearby
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Coccola's work in the St. Eugene
Mission were much like what he had performed in Kamloops and along with his regular duties, his medical services were often required. There were few doctors in the region and
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Pielle and Father
Coccola both sold their claims in 1895 for $ 12,000. Father Coccola became known as the "miner priest" and he used the profits to construct a hospital and a new
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In 1881, Kamloops was a new settlement and consisted of two stores and a like number of hotels. The First Nations camp was three miles (5 km) outside of the village on the
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Throughout the next decade the St. Eugene Mine produced more than $ 10,000,000 in ore and was the catalyst for the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company, later known as
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where three lots of the new town had been purchased for the construction of a church. He also went to Prince Rupert and inspected the church at Moricetown. In April the
413:, later Prince George, regularly and he began to grow concerned over the bad influences of the railway construction workers and settlers in the nearby townsite of
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If it can be found that these men are guilty, I will be the first to punish and deliver them. How many Indians have been found killed and white men not arrested?
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371:, Coccola, Pielle and a Spokane developer by the name of James Cronin each staked a claim above Moyie Lake and registered them in Fort Steele on June 25.
295:. The mission was 200 miles (320 km) from Golden and river navigation had ended for the year, so Coccola was guided there by a family of Shuswaps.
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By 1917, Prince George, Fort St. James and Hagwilget each had their own priests and Cocola held Mass and served at other towns along the rails such as
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In the fall of 1887, Nicolas Coccola had just finished serving in Golden when he was transferred to the St. Eugene Mission near
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where churches and hospitals were being built to fill the demands of the rush of settlers caused by railway construction.
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After performing his last duties as a missionary, Nicolas Coccola returned to Smithers, where he died on March 1, 1943.
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363:. Coccola immediately went to Fort Steele and registered for a miner's licence. He sent the samples to
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209:. It had thirty homes, a school and a church. When Coccola arrived he began his service with Father
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was opened at the mission with 20 students in attendance. Coccola often visited and held Mass at
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In 1921 construction was begun on a new residential school, this time on Fraser Lake. The
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communion and instructions and hearing confessions. He went from camp to camp, through to
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In August 1883, Coccola and the other missionaries at Kamloops were contacted by Father
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By 1911, Nicolas Coccola was visiting the First Nations Lheidli T'enneh village at
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303:. When confronted, Chief Isador had defended the action with this statement, "
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Nicholas Coccola left France for British Columbia on June 6, 1880 aboard the
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He spent 63 years in different regions of the province, working among the
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for analysis. Upon learning that the ore contained high percentages of
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church in the St. Eugene Mission as well as another church in Moyie.
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was driven and with rail construction over, he returned to Kamloops.
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At the St. Mary's Mission, Coccola continued his studies and on
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just such a stone and led him to where he had found it near
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for their first Communion. In November 1884, Coccola was at
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311:) were established at Galbraith's Ferry, later known as
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They Call Me Father: Memoirs of Father Nicolas Coccola
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They Call Me Father: Memoirs of Father Nicolas Coccola
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construction of the Grand Trunk Pacific was completed
91:(December 12, 1854–March 1, 1943) was a French
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243:with the news that the construction camps of the
481:Lejac Residential School at Fraser Lake 1920's
436:Church at Fort George Reservation No.2 in 1914
160:thirteen days later. After taking a train to
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895:20th-century Canadian Roman Catholic priests
890:19th-century Canadian Roman Catholic priests
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770:Prince George Railway and Forestry Museum.
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397:Father Nicolas Coccola with the Chief from
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354:St. Eugene Mining Company in Moyie in 1908
343:which would be purchased for by the CPR's
266:last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway
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323:was a common ailment. In October, 1890 a
453:and Coccola returned to Fort St. James.
831:Sacred Heart Cathedral, Prince George.
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900:Roman Catholic missionaries in Canada
449:, but August brought the outbreak of
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252:and in the fall of 1883, arrived in
700:"Nicolas Coccola death certificate"
106:from 1880 until his death in 1943.
880:French Roman Catholic missionaries
14:
347:for $ 40,000 the following year.
833:"Sacred Heart Cathedral history"
26:
164:, he boarded a small sidewheel
1:
309:Royal Canadian Mounted Police
813:"St. Eugene Mission history"
580:Whitehead, Margaret (1988).
514:Whitehead, Margaret (1988).
885:History of British Columbia
811:St. Eugene Mission Resort.
726:They Call me Father preview
493:In 1936, pioneer surveyor,
464:. In the fall of 1918, the
277:Cranbrook, British Columbia
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905:French emigrants to Canada
798:"St. Eugene Mine at Moyie"
59:Smithers, British Columbia
82:Jean and Elise di Coccola
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487:Lejac Residential School
473:Lejac Residential School
275:St. Eugene Mission near
245:Canadian Pacific Railway
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32:Father Nicolas Coccola
852:BC Geographical Names
723:Google Books (1988).
684:BC Geographical Names
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353:
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227:
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612:"St. Eugene Mission"
466:Spanish flu epidemic
419:Charles Vance Millar
636:Crowsnest Highway.
187:priest and sent to
761:has generic name (
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423:BC Express Company
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325:residential school
283:St. Eugene Mission
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415:South Fort George
211:Jean-Marie Lejacq
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41:December 12, 1854
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815:. Archived from
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796:Crowsnest Pass.
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179:, 1881, he was
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100:British Columbia
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847:"Mount Coccola"
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784:on May 17, 2003
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659:"Moyie History"
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508:Further reading
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170:New Westminster
168:and arrived in
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139:Lheidli T'enneh
89:Nicolas Coccola
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45:Corsica, France
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237:Albert Lacombe
207:Thompson River
185:Roman Catholic
177:Passion Sunday
156:, arriving in
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698:BC Archives.
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638:"Eugene Mine"
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55:March 1, 1943
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836:. Retrieved
821:. Retrieved
817:the original
801:. Retrieved
786:. Retrieved
779:the original
772:"Newsletter"
740:. Retrieved
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703:. Retrieved
693:
682:
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662:. Retrieved
657:Moyie Lake.
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641:. Retrieved
631:
620:. Retrieved
616:the original
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455:
439:
427:Fraser River
408:
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231:in the 1880s
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201:in the 1880s
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172:on July 26.
166:sternwheeler
154:SS Gascoigne
153:
151:
108:
88:
87:
875:1943 deaths
870:1854 births
451:World War I
411:Fort George
399:Fort George
389:Fort George
345:Donald Mann
313:Fort Steele
250:Rogers Pass
864:Categories
838:2007-08-08
823:2007-08-08
803:2007-08-08
788:2007-08-08
742:2007-08-08
705:2007-08-08
664:2007-08-08
643:2007-08-08
622:2007-08-08
610:steugene.
458:Vanderhoof
361:Moyie Lake
96:missionary
73:missionary
66:Occupation
751:cite book
329:Ainsworth
321:influenza
293:Cranbrook
264:when the
131:Hagwilget
79:Parent(s)
443:Smithers
219:Lillooet
215:Fountain
199:Kamloops
189:Kamloops
181:ordained
115:Kootenai
462:McBride
421:of the
405:in 1909
383:Cominco
365:Spokane
241:Alberta
127:Gitxsan
111:Shuswap
733:
588:
522:
376:gothic
369:silver
337:Nelson
258:Golden
254:Donald
229:Donald
135:Babine
123:Sekani
119:Dakelh
104:Canada
93:Oblate
70:Oblate
782:(PDF)
775:(PDF)
534:Notes
333:Kaslo
289:Moyie
763:help
731:ISBN
586:ISBN
520:ISBN
460:and
335:and
301:gaol
217:and
137:and
52:Died
38:Born
239:of
98:in
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681:.
600:^
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
