Roman Catholic missionaries first arrived here in August 1858 and in 1894 a priest established a permanent residence.

The Parish Hall was built in 1911 within the Hudson’s Bay Company compound (near the Rock Monument) and relocated in 1921 to near the present day hospital. It took six weeks, and ox-powered capstan and a lot of hard work to do the job.

The Mission expanded considerably during the years 1915 to 1923. St. Margaret’s hospital was built in 1916 on a site across 100th Street where Deh Cho Hall used to stand (now an empty lot). it burned to the ground in 1930 and was replaced the following year by a new St. Margaret’s Hospital, which served until 1972 when the Federal Government built today’s hospital. A school, St. Margaret’s Hall, was built in 1917 and served until 1947 when a Federal Day School was built. The Parish Hall was moved ot the area in 1921 and in 1923 Sacred Heart Church was built.

At the same time the Mission had considerable land under cultivation to provide potatoes and vegetables for its staff and hay for its horses and oxen.

There is a stone grotto on the lawn in front of the hospital erected in 1958 to mark 100 years of missionary activity in the community.

The old Roman Catholic cemetery is located behind the school, close to the steam plant. In an unmarked grave lie the remains of the many local victims of the 1928 flu epidemic.

Information courtesy of the Fort Simpson Historical Society

Roman Catholic missionaries first arrived here in August 1858 and in 1894 a priest established a permanent residence.

The Parish Hall was built in 1911 within the Hudson’s Bay Company compound (near the Rock Monument) and relocated in 1921 to near the present day hospital. It took six weeks, and ox-powered capstan and a lot of hard work to do the job.

The Mission expanded considerably during the years 1915 to 1923. St. Margaret’s hospital was built in 1916 on a site across 100th Street where Deh Cho Hall used to stand (now an empty lot). it burned to the ground in 1930 and was replaced the following year by a new St. Margaret’s Hospital, which served until 1972 when the Federal Government built today’s hospital. A school, St. Margaret’s Hall, was built in 1917 and served until 1947 when a Federal Day School was built. The Parish Hall was moved ot the area in 1921 and in 1923 Sacred Heart Church was built.

At the same time the Mission had considerable land under cultivation to provide potatoes and vegetables for its staff and hay for its horses and oxen.

There is a stone grotto on the lawn in front of the hospital erected in 1958 to mark 100 years of missionary activity in the community.

The old Roman Catholic cemetery is located behind the school, close to the steam plant. In an unmarked grave lie the remains of the many local victims of the 1928 flu epidemic.

Information courtesy of the Fort Simpson Historical Society

Heritage Park overlooks the Flats, Drum Circle and Papal Grounds and is home to historic McPherson House and the original Fort of the Forks built by the Northwest Company in the early 1800s.

A short walk from the territorial campgrounds, Heritage Park has a picnic area and one of Fort Simpson's best views of the mighty Mackenzie and tranquil Liard rivers.

Albert Faille was a well known gold prospector who traveled and looked for gold in the Nahanni Mountains. Each spring from the 1950s through to his death in 1973, Faille would embark from his home in Fort Simpson up the Liard and then the Nahanni rivers, portage around the great Virginia Falls and continue on into the Nahanni Mountains, a difficult and dangerous journey. Preserved for history immediately after his death, Faille's Cabin is located along the Mackenzie river and can be visited between May 15th and September 15th each year. Albert Faille's Cabin is a window into the past and a must see if you have time.