The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1901-12-28
Pioneer Missions
in MOntana

Across the Bitter Root range, locked
in by rugged mountains, rich in his
torical associations overlooking a beau
tiful valley and a magnificent river, is
the Occur d'Alene mission, named by
the pioneer priests who founded it the
Mission of the Sacred Heart This
mission was established in 1912 by
priests who responded to the call of
the Indians for a teacher of the new
gospel From what meager details are
left in the records. it is believed that
the church of the mission was built
just after the priests were forced to
leave st. Mary's Mission. The mission
had been established for about eight
years at this time. The church was de-
signed by Father Ravalli, and was built
by the priests and the Indians with
meager tools and limited supplies This
church was built without a nail. The
lack OF nails was supplied by the slow
and laborious process of boring holes
and inserting wooden pins wherever it
was necessary. This church is the
most elaborate in design of any that
are credited to the architectural skill of
Father Ravalli, despite the fact that
1t was constructed under such unfavor-
able COM Atoms. 1t is built of logs, clap
boarded ANA Shitewashed. 1t is ninety
feet long and forty feet wide. On each
side are two rows of windows, four in
each row, the upper being close under
the caves. In front is a porch, thirty
feet hifh, supported by round wooden
columns on square bases The face of
the building above the porch is SYM
metrical and somewhat ornamental. At
each side, springing from the porch, is
a pedestal bearing an urn, and above
these are other urnS, one on each side,
from which springs an elliptic arch,
whose central point is level with the
gable of the roof Above the point of
this arch rises a white wooden cross.
The location of this church is particu-
larry attractive. 1t overlooks from the
slight eminence upon which it is built
the Occur d'Alene river and its beauti-
full valley, while beyond rises the, rug
ged wall of the everlasting mountains.
1t marks the artistic trait of the great
designer.
Largest of the three churches which
stand as monuments to the great priest
is that of st. Ignatius in the Mission
valley on the Flathead reservation.
This missionwas founded in 1856 and
the church was built by Father Ravalli
in 1862 1t is 100 feet long and was
formerly surmounted by a tower resem-
bling that of St. Mary's but this was
removed when the church was moved
from its first location to permit the
erection of the building. 1t is plain
structure, built of logs, clapboarded and
painted. Large double doors form the
entrance, surmounted by an oval tran
som, which occupies the center of the
facade. In the gable is a small Win
dow and under the caves of the front of
the roof are these words: Nom est
hic a Iiud Nisi Domus Del ct Port
Coeli-Gen. cxxxiii., 5-17-"This is none
other than the house of God and the
gate of heaven
AS the years have come and gone
these churches have endured the raw
ages of time and still stand as monu-
ments to the wonderful attachments of
the remarkable man who designed and
them. At intervals they
are still used for holy worship, and
their walls echo to the same chants
that sounded within their Enclosures in
the days when, remote from civillza-
ton and friends, Father Ravalli Ia
bored patiently at the work which he
had chosen in preference to other open |
ings which gave promise of brilliant |
earthly recognition and reward. Who |
shall say that his final reward is not |
the greater for the noble sacrifice and |
self effacement that he assumed in car |
rying out his chosen work?-Anaconda |
Standard.