Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1882-03-03
Settlement of Oregon.
The Roman Catholic Mission L.
l'OiIiiIIIled.

The Roman Catholic Mission.
Continued
On the 18th of November, the
missionaries reached Fort Walla
Walla. At that place, write.
Blanchet: " The Hoy Sacrifice of thu
mass WAS celebrated, after lich
the chief of the Cayuses and Wa IA
'Wallas came with tn if people to see
tho priests. The Cayuses werr d.
vided into two tribes; one of which
on the Walla Walla river, known as
Waiilatpu, formed the Presby' t,a'
mission, established by DE- " hit
man in 1886. The other r,np, ly
Ing on the Cmatla river, 30 miles
hence, was Under the command If
the youn chief, TowatC. The day
was passed in speaking to them of
God and religion. They were so
glad to see the Blackgowns 20 long
expected, there were three bap-
tisms made at this place, and on a
subsequent visit by Rev. NJ. Demers,
the young chief brought, his child to
be baptised by the priest, Mr.. Pam
brum having consented to be its
godfather, which gained for him
great blame and displeasure from
the doctor DIR. Whitmln.) Since that
time the young chief .nI his btrl
always preferred the priests prayers
before that Of the minister"
The missionary priests arrive ut
Fort Vancouver on the following
Saturday, November 24th, 1888.
There arrival is thus heraided in the
Historic, Il Sketches of the Catholic
church in Oregon:
when the tlotilla appeared in
sight, as it made its way down the
Columbia, all WIS excitement at the
Fort. All the populace rushed to
the river bank in order TO feast their
eyes on the first Catholic mission
aries whose presence they had long
expected. Prominent among the
assembly stood James Douglas,
acting Chief Factor and Governor of
the establishments of the Hudsons
Bay Co. west of the Rocky Noun
tains, il the absence of DR.. John
Mclaughlin who was then on q
visit to Canada and England. He
was the first to welcome the mis-
sionaries to the scene of their future
labors. CONDUCTING them to the
Fort, where the flag was flying in
honor of their arrival, the Governor
ushered them to apartments pre-
pared for them, appointed servant
to wait on them. and in every way
manifested his hospitality and his
delight at their arrival.
"No sooner had the missionaries
reached the Fort than they were
waited upon by Joseph Gsrvais,
Ettienne Lucior, and Pierre Belequt
delegation representing the Cana
dams OF the Wullamet valley. who,
having heard that the missionaries
were coming, had LEFT their homes
in body in order to greet the long
looked for Catholic missionaries on
their arrival at Vancouver.
On Sunday. Nov. 25th, 1885. the
two priests celebrated their first mass
at Vancouver. To obey the instruc-
ton establishing at Cowlitz, the
principal station. Father Blanchet
left Vancouver Oh the H.. December,
reaching Cowlitz Prairie on Sunday,
the 10th at 10 o'clock in t.. 0 forenoon.
The settlement then cons: ited of the
families of four retired Canadian
servants of the Hudson's Bay Com
papy, who had taken claims upon
the Prairie upon the west side of the
river. Mass was celebrated on Sun
day and Monday, at the house of
Simon Plemondon. A section of
land was taken for the mission, pre-
: paration made to obtain timbsrs for
: buildings, after which Blanchet re-
turned 10 Fort Vancouver.
QS39.) Early in January, with the
appreciation OF Chief Factor Douglas,
. Father Blanchet visited the Catholic
families residing on French prairie.
A iOg-churoh seventy by thirty feet,
had been built in 1896, just after
the petition to the Bishop of Red
river for priests. On Sunday, Jan.
J 9Th, the Vicar General blessed the
chapel under tho patronage of St.
Paul, and celebrated the first mass
in the Willamette valley. This
visit continued for five weeks, after
which the Cowlitz mission was es-
, tablished.
In the Spring, Father Demers
visited the tribes of Indians of Puget
Sound. He returned to Fort Van
couver by June, met the trading ex-
petition of the Hudson's Bay Com
pany on its annual return TO Van
couver from New Caledonia and
the posts in the interior. After
which he visited the upper Columbia,
Forts Walla Walla, Okanagan and
Colvile.
| On the 9th October, Gov. James
Douglas communicated to the Vicar
General "that the Governor and
Committee have no further obiec-
ton to the establishment of Ro-
man Catholic mission in the Wal
lamet, and that the missionaries were
al liberty to take any means towards
the promotion of that object"
Blanohet ut once assumed charge
of the Wallamet mission, and as
signed the Cowlitz mission to Rev.
Modesto Demers.
In the Spring of 1910, Vicar Gen
eral Blanchet made tour to the Indi-
an tribes of Puget Sound extending
his mission as far as WILDLY island.
There he erected a cross, convened
aud taught the Indians, baptised
their children, reconciled two hos
tile tribes then engaged in war.
Father Demers again accompanied
/ Tho heionlo &C Ahn H,.l.,. D.