The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-11-02
SIXTY YEARS OF ACE
SIT. PAUL RECEIVED IT'S CHRIS
TENINGs NOV. L,
FATHER GATHERS CHURCH
Faithful Priests Interesting Ac-
count of Founding of the Little
Chapel From Which City
Takes It's Name.

| Paul. This chapel became the nucleus
of a great city to which it gave its name.
At that time there was not even a
steamboat landing at ST. Paul. and only
| a few white people had ventured to come
in among the Indians who yet held the
country. The church was built of logs
| and was very primitive in every respect.
| Yet it the only Catholic church in
the settlement for many years, and for
a long time was the only church of any
denomination nearer than Mendoza.
The church was built and named by
Rev. Lucian Galtier, who was ssent as
a missionary toward the upper waters of
the Mississippi The story of his coming
to this place. and the building and naming
of the chapel is better told by the follow
ing, which was written by Father Ga1tier
himself:
/ .on the 18th of April, 1910, st.
Louis steamboat, the first of the season,
arrived at Dubuque, bound for Ft Smell
ing Right Rev. DR.. Loros Immediately
came to me and told me he desired to
send me toward the upper waters of the
Mississippi. There was no St. Paul at
that time; there was on the site of the
present city but single log cabin occu-
pied by a man named Phelan, and steam
boats never stopped there.
An Uninviting Prospect.
''The boat landed at the foot of Fort
Smelling then under command of Maj.
Plympton. The discovery that I soon
made-that there were only few houses
on the st. Peter side of the fort, sur
rounded by a complete Wilderness and
without any signs of fields under tilage-
gave me to understand that my mission
in life must henceforth be a career of
privation, hard trial and suffering, and
required of me patience, labor and res
ignation. I had before me a large terri
to watch over
I'm that precarious and somewhat diff
cult condition | continued for over a year.
A circumstance rather sad in itself COM
menced to better my situation by procur-
| ing fer me a new station and a variety
in my scenes of labor. Some families,
| most of whom had left the Red river
settlement, British America, on account
of the flood and loss of their crops in the
years 1887 and 1885, had located them
selves all along the right bank of the
Mississippi. opposite the fort Unfortu-
! nately some soldiers now and then cross
ed the river to the houses of these set
tiers and returned Observation-Disclosures
! remaining out day or two, or more
| without reporting to their quarters. Con-
/ sequently a deputy marshal from Prairie
du Chen was charged to remove the
houses. He went to work, assisted <by
soldiers, and unroofed one after another
OF the cottages extending about five miles
along the river. The settlers were forced
to look for new homes They located
themselves about two miles below the
cove. Already a few parties had opened
| farms in this vicinity. Added to these
the new accessions formed, quite a little
settlement. Among the occupants of this
ground were Rondo, who had purchased
the only cultivated claim. in the place.
that of Phelan, Vetal Guefin Pierre
! Bottineau, the Gervais brothers, and
! Others L deemed it my duty tosvisit oc-
casionally those families and set to work
to choose suitable spot for a church
Choosing a Site.
Three different points were offered One
called the La Point Bosse or Point LIE
Claire (now Pigs Eye, but I objected
because that locality was the very ex-
IRENE end of the new settlement and in
| nigh water was exposed to inundation
The idea of building a church which
might any day be swept down the
river to St. Louis did not please me- Two
miles further up on his elevated claim
| (now the southern point of Daytons
bluff, Mr.. Charles Mousseau offered me
an acre of his ground, but the place did
not suit my purpose. l was truly looking
ahead, thinking of the future as well as
| the present. Steamboats, could not sion
|
on the summit of the hill too restricted:
! communication difficult with the other
! parts of the settlement I'D and down
! the river.
After mature reflection [ resolved to
| put UP the church at the nearest possible
! point to the cove, because also it would
| be the nearest point to the head of nay1-
| cation outside of the reservation l;,e
Mr.. B. Graves and Mr.. VetaI Guerin, two
| good. QUIET farmers a no o1,fxy
that appeared to answer tie purpose
they consented to give me Jointly the
! ground necessary for church site, a
garden and small graveyard.
/ accepted the extreme eastern part
| of Mr.. Guerin's claim and The extreme
west Of Mr.. Gervais Accordingly In
! M, in the month of October Io@s were
| prepared and church erected, SO poor
that it would remind one of the stable
at Bethlehem. 1t was destined, however,
to be the nucleus of great city. On the
flrst cay of November in the same year.
! | blessed the new basilica and dedicated
! 1t to Saint Paul, the apostle of nations
I expressed wish at the same tins that
the settlement would be Known by the
same name. ard my desire was obtained.
Named 1t ST. Paul.
had previously to this time fixed my
| residence at st. Peter and as the name
| of Paul is generally connected with that
| of Peter and the gentiles being we'll rep
| resented in the new place in the PERSONS
| OF the Indians, l called it st. Paul. The
name st. Paul applied to town or city
seemed Appropriate. The monosyllable is
| snort, sounds we'll and is understood by
| all denominations of Christians When
| Mr.. Vetal Guerin was married I pub
lished the banns as being those of a
! resident of St. Paul. A Mr.. Johnson put
up store and a grocery was opened
at the foot of the Gervais claim This
| soon brought steamboats, to land there
Thenoeforth the place was known as
Saint Paul landing and later on as ST
Taul'
| Father Galtier, it seems, never lived in
st. Paul, but supplied the church while
/ living at st. Peters (now Mendota) He
onl remained on the field a year or two
after the chapel was built, and then re-
| turned to France where he remained four
years. He then returned to America
| and settled at Prairie du Chen His
work here was taken up by Father Ra-
vouX, who still lives in the city
The little chapel remained standing I'M
| til after the dedication of the Cathedral
which took place June Is, 1858. 1t was
then torn down. While it no longer
| stands as landmark yet its influence is
felt and known better than that of any
| of the old landmarks of the early days
| of the city.