Joseph, Mother (1823-1902)

Canadian-born US nun, architect, and pioneer. She became an all-purpose architect in the creation of 11 hospitals, seven academies, five Indian schools, and two orphanages. She travelled throughout the Rocky Mountains and conducted ‘begging tours’ to raise money from miners. The state of Washington placed her statue in the US Capitol.

She was born in St Elzear, Québec, and learned carpentry from her father who was a carriage-maker. She joined the Sisters of Charity of Providence in 1843 and was sent to Vancouver in 1856. Long after her death, she was called the ‘first architect of the American Northwest’.