St. Labre saw its first residents in 1900. The first wave of
immigrants arrived from Quebec, Belgium, France, Germany, and Switzerland in
1908. They earned their living by harvesting the burned Norway pine that
was left from the great fire at the turn of the century.
Grenier School was built in 1910 to serve the growing population.
Through much devotion, the St Benoit Joseph Labre Church opened in 1928.
In 1943, a convent was built to house the nuns who taught at the school.
St. Labre maintains a strong agricultural base today. The St Labre
residents live in a picturesque forest setting where beautiful timber is still
harvested by local sawmill operators, wood dealers, and carpenters.
Vast, fertile fields produce a variety of cereal and forage crops and
the land is ideally suited to present and future dairy operations as well as the
expansion of the beef cattle industry.
