As white settlement increased and expanded, the commissioner of the lands began to cut off thousands of acres of Native land to open up prime, fertile land for the white settlers. The government came against much protest, that some land was returned. However, even though land was given back, the Natives were left with land that had no agricultural significance (Hugh M. Johnston. The Pacific Province, A History of British Columbia. p. 173). Although the Natives had enough land to maintain and expand, the small sizes of the reserve placed limitations upon the Natives and their traditional way of life.

At the same time, missionaries began arriving, to convert the Natives into Christians. By the 20th century, ninety percent of the Native people in B.C. were Christians; the majority were Roman Catholic, and the rest were Anglican and Methodist (Hugh M. Johnston. The Pacific Province, A History of British Columbia. p. 173). At the centre of nearly every village was a church. Mass was conducted by both missionaries and locals. When the missionaries were absent, some Native bands maintained their church and led their own services.

The Church of the Holy Cross, on the Skookumchuck Reserve is one example of a church that was erected during the arrival of missionaries in B.C. With its significant characteristics of Roman Catholic architecture and its surrounding of B.C. forest, the church is a building that is admired, used, and maintained by the locals of the area.