Life in Sherwood was never easy and many of those living in the valley lived in extreme poverty. Sherwood would endure the Depression years and then the Second World War only to fall victim to a lack of employment that would cause an exodus of most of the people in search of work.

But Epiphany Mission faced its greatest challenge in 1960. On the Wednesday after Easter, an early morning fire destroyed the church. Everything was lost including the Perkins triptych.

Of the fire Father Huske would later recall, "Twenty minutes and all was over. Twenty minutes that seemed hours. All lost … every Vestment, every piece of linen, every Chalice, every piece of brass, of silver, of wrought iron, every chair, rug, prayer book, hymnal gone – not one thing left – all a heap of smoking, charred debris, twisted metal, and stark crumbling walls."

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Top: Moments before this pictues was taken,, St. Gabriel, the church bell, crashed from the bell-tower to the chapel floor and can be seen just inside the door. Photo from The Booklet, 1960, courtesy of John Lynch.

Below: Ruins of Epiphany Mission the day after the fire. Photo from The Booklet, 1960, courtesy of John Lynch.