The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1868-12-18
Green Bay Two Hundred years ago }
Inter eating Services at St. Mary
From the Green Bay Gazette. Dec.

SA0A> ~.
From the Green Bay Gazette, Dec, o.
Thursday the Sd of December, was
commemorative day in the history of The
ancient city, and of the whole Northwest.
In these days little do we think of the
changes n the world during the eventual
period of the past two lDndred years.
London was then just recovering from the
great fire that nearly destroyed all its
streets. bridges and public buildings-in
1866 the Tower, thai old historical land
mark, had just began to assume its present
gigantic proportions by rebuilding its an
clent and decayed walls; and in other coun-
tries too, the old kings and queens-the
old blue boards and wiyes-held sway. A
co >ncident with Our own time must not
be forgotten, it is the eruption Of Mt Etna
In March 1860, Etna burst forth in its
great eruption, sending out streams of lava
for miles it reaches Cantania, but the city
walls block its appr. III; this it finally sur
mounts, sweeps through the streets, over,
whelming the converts and on2again carry
ing destruction in its course for fifty four
days, destroying fourteen cities and towns,
during which time neither sun nor stars
appeared. We are reminded that these
same causes are showing their effects in 80
many parts of the world to day, and old
Etna, SO long slumberer, has again belch-
ed forth. We might go on recording the
eventful times two hundred years ago, bu,
must con6ne ourselves to our own North
west.
From this point the catholic missionaries
first penetrated the luxuriant woodlands
and praries of Wisconsin,, where for ages
the red men had roamed raised the cross
of Christ in the wilderness to the astonished
natives; planting missions near Dcpere and
| at Che goi me-gon, or La Pointe, Lake Su-
perior. From this poins Marquette aud
his band of exp'oreIs ascendod the Fox
and down the Wisconsin, crowning their
discoveries by the first peep Of the "Fathe,
of Water" the Mississippi; marking a,
that early day the course of the great high
way that is now i'll pro pect o. being opened
to the commerce OF the world
Tho following extract OF the early time.
/! taken from the newly publ he'd works o.
the State Historical society, but differs some
from the records in the chursb hire:
Before the Pilgrim fathers had col
lcge IN New England the Jesui had form
ed one at Quebec. and endowed it with an
ample fortune. While Massachusetts was
la ing the basis of the Harvard Uuivers ty
and before she had adopted any system Of
public schools, father Nicolet visited Gree-
Bay, observed closely the character of the
| inhabitants, AMI bore back to Can1da and
France On account of his treaty with four
or five thousand Indians assembled on The
Fox river. He war followed ty heroic ano
self denying disciples of LoyolA, such a.
| Mesnard: Allouez Marquette, who explored
two hundred years ago, the southern anc
western shores of Lake Superior and M ch
| igan, discovered our rivers and called then
| By their euphonious Indian names. Mex,
came adventurers and traders, with no re-
| ligious zeal, but in quest of fame and richie,
aud they by scores and ty hundreds trav
eled ovel the State and the sections adjoin
| ing.
| At La Pointe, Lake Superior, the eros.
| was erected, by Me.nard, in 1860; but 8
permanent Missionary station was never
| formed. Allouez labored I here afterward:
| four years among the Chlppewas. 1t he
came subsequently, French Trading post
At Green Bay Allouez opened in 1865
his Chapel and mission house TO the ma
tives for instruction. This became the
most important station west of Lake Mich
lgan-belng the centre Of all Operations ir
| this state and farther south. Joliet anc
| Marquette the missionary stopped here II
| 1913 while on their voyage of discoye erin.
the Upper Mississippi. LA Sale was here
| in 1851 to traffic for materials to aid hin
in descending the Mississippi river wher
he connected its northern discovery with
its southern by De Soto, and planted the
| arms of France at its mouth and named
the whole valley of the Mississippi, Louis
lana"
The services in this city in c,mmemora
ton OF the arrival of their first missionar,
Deceln Der 3. 1868, was an imposing iuter
esting ceremony, uniting the French, Ger
man Holland and Irish Catholic churches
and churches represented by the Priests oi
the Bay Settlement, Maple Grove, Holland
Little Chute, Appleton, Oconto. and New
Fraken churches, and also the CHAPLIN oil
he church OF Notre Dame, of Milwaukee
who preached an interesting discourse in
Herman. IN the afternoon; and Father
Mazeand OF Oconto, in French, in The even
ing. La the morning Ponti6cial Mass, and
English sermon delivered by Father Yer
berk, OF Little Chute. One beautiful fea
ture OF the ceremony being the choral SER
vice, conducted by G.. j. b. Brice, Eso.
The sermons delivered ON this day were
mostly made up from the records Of the
churches at this place. The following will
embrace the substance ofrhese sermons and
which is kindly furnished US by Rev. Faith
er Hotfen of the church of st. Johns
French. J where the records are kept; these
being substantiated by records at Quebec
and other places
FROM THE OLD RECORDS.
The first attempt to establish Catholic
Cnnrch here was made in 1912 by Rev.
Chas. Kaymbout, and Isaac Jogues, but,
they were stopped at Lake Superior. In
1860, Father Rene Menace, opened the frs,
Chapel at La Pointc on the FIRST of Oc,obs
and the following year he attempted to
come to Green Bay to visit the Island.
where some Catholic Hurons we're living
but he was killed On the 10Th of August on
the banks Of the Menomonee river. In
1868, Fnther Ciande Allouez went to La
iointe and established bis Chapel on the