Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-01-19
TIFF STORY OF THE FIRST
MISSIONS IN MONTANA

HilSSlOIl among lHeIl anu ldiieu.
About the time of his arrival the In
dams had become certain that the four
! sent to st. Louis had failed, and they
believed them dead for Ignace told them
! the Cathoncs would eagerly respond to
| their appeal. So certain was he, that |
| he himself offered to lead another party. |
| He went in October of 1885, taking his
| two sons Charles and Francis. 10 and
! II years Of age, so that they might be
| baptized. He intended going to his old
| teacher, Father JOgues but learning
| there were Jesuit Fathers in st. Louis,
he too went there. The trip was an
| awful one and they reached there
starving and exhausted. His boys were
| baptized on the eve of st. Francis
Xavier, December End, 1885. Ignace elo-
uuently set the cause of the Flat Heads
before Bishop Rosati and he told him
| missionaries should be sent. The three
I then started home, reaching there
| safely. The son Francis, is still in Mis-
soula county, and heartily respected by
all. He is known as Francis Saxa.
Then they waited. until eighteen
months rolled by and still no priests.
But their faith was not diminished and
once again Ignace led a party for st.
Louis. He took with him three Flat
Heads, and a Nez Perce. At Fort Lar
| annie they met some white people,
among them w. H. Gray. This man in
sisted on going through the Bitter Root
valley as he wanted to inspect it. The
others were traders. At Ash Hollov
on the Platte, they encountered 500 of
i the hostile Sioux and a fierce fight fo4.
lowed. The little party killed fifteen OF
the Sioux but of course were over
| come. The whites had taken no part
as they "a been told to stand aside.
Ignace was dressed like white man
| ard was told to stand with the others
but he refused and fought with his
brethren. The news of this sad ending
to their expedition was received i'm
n,ediately by the Flat Heads. The his
| tory of Montana tells the story differ
| emily, it states that the Iroquois, Ig-
| mace and three Of his party were per-
suaded to take short cut by Mr..
Gray. the five separating from the car
avian, and that meeting party of Sioux
Gray told them the 1roquas Indians
were Snakes. Ignace declared they We're
not, as he knew the Snakes We're at
war with the Sioux. In the fight all fell
but Gray, who was told to stand aside.
The Flat Heads killed seven of tina
Sioux.
However the mode of their death
I came it seemed to make the Flat Head
s tribe more anxious than ever for the
Catholic religion. So two Iroquois In
dams, Left Handed Pete (Peter Gau-
cher) and Young Ignace started for st.
Louis. This was in June. 1889, and they
went with a party of Hudson Bay trap
pers. reaching St. Louis in safety. They
could speak French and eloquently they
pleaded for their tribe. They confessed
to the priests and We're confirmed after
| which they We're promised that priest
should be sent to them at once. They
told the priests that of the twenty-four
Ircuuois who had gone among the Flat
Heads there were only four living.
Young Ignace agreed to go back to the
tribe and tell them the joyful news.
while Peter Gaucher would wait at the
mouth of Bear River for the priests.
The priests in St. Louis decided to
send Father De Smet who left st. Louis
in the spring of the next year as prom
Used, 1910. The question was where to
raise the money and VINO would go;
there were so few of them. 1t was de-
cided by Father De Smet who said he
would go if the pension coming from
J his family cauld be applied for that
purpose. The journey was one of trial
and suffering although Ignace waited
} in St. Louis and served as guide. He
has left detailed account of it which
| is most interesting. telling how they
were joined by party of traders, the
. annual expedition Of the American Fur
! ! company Peter reached home safely
: and a party of Flat Heads went to meet
. Father De Smet, reaching him on June
| 30th. On the following Sunday Father
De Smet celebrated mass on an altar
r erected on little knoll decorated with
' | green boughs and wild flowers and af-
I forwards the spot was always called:
!, 1.-The Prairie of the Mass" The con-
1 grega ton was made up of those rough
s trappers, hunters, and solemn red
t men.
II The next day Father De Smet WITH
!. his Flat Head guides left the meeting
s place and after eight days trave
h reached the tribe who had SO patiently
= waited for the longed-for priest. The,
t all came 500 miles to meet the priest
:. | and so many Nez Perces. Pend D'oreil
t | les and Kalispels had joined them thai
e they numbered 1000 and lie was warmly
n welcomed by all. He was conducted t.
d the wigwam of the CHEZ. The Big Face
s and an address, most eloquent of WEI.
n come was made by the chief. wht
= ended by at once handing over t
Father De Smet the reins of govern
Is ment. This the father refused, sayins
IS he only came to teach them the religion
II they SO desired but did not wish to gov
d ern. Then the chief gave the fathe
II a little bell to call the people togethe
= when he choose. The Iroquois had toll
IL them of the bell to call the congrega
y ton together and by some means the,
10 had secured one. That night he use,
'e it and 1000 Indians responded recitin
ct night prayers after the father. The
ir they sang Il solemn song of thanksgiv
II. ing in their own language. The seen
,g was one that overpowered the goo
" father and he wept aloud
III The next morning the whole bod
ir moved up Henry's Fork of Snake rive
n to Henry's lake. Father De Smet as
~ cended the highest peak on the mai