The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1901-11-16
Last Installment OF u Compre-
hensive Write-Up OF the
Late Missionary.
HIS LIFE AND Works.
by One Who Lived at His
Mission During the Early Days
Of Its Establishments.
Jacobsville, Mich, Nov. IA, 1901.


What contributed much to the
support of the sisters aud their
school was the farm which grew up
under the indefatigable missionary's
hands. Its cultivation and man.
egement required little expense, as
the sisters and their pupils shared
the labor. FIR. Terhorst devoted
much of his time to the improve
ment of this farm and to horticul-
ture. He enjoyed nothing better
than promenade in his garden
early in the morning, or after a
rain shower, watching the progress
of the growth. During bad weather,
and on winter days, he
busted himself in the shop
which joined his residence,
aud 4 number OF useful articles
were turned out by his hands
on the lathe aid the carpenters
bench.
With the birth of L'Anse, about
the year 1870, FIR. Terhorst life
entered new epoch. Heretofore
his work was confined to mis-
sionary duties within the narrow
limits OF an Indian village. Now he
was confronted by the task of found
ing new congregation, building a
new church, and presiding as the
spiritual guide over u community
Of whites, all OF which he successful
ly accomplished. He administered
tn ;he spiritual wants of the LAnse
congregation until some years later,
another town at the head of the bay,
and Within three miles of his Nilsson,
appeared on the map, named after
the late sanity bishop. There he
established another church of which
he took charge, and when he con-
tinued to officiate without, however,
changing his residence or neglect
ing his work at the Indian Mission.
Prior to TIE existence Of these towns
the people of the bay had to trans
act all their business at Hough-
ton or Hancock, a distance Of twen-
ty-tive miles. The means of COM
munication then were extremely
primitive. In winter the journey
to Houghton was accomplished on
snowshoes, following-all the way
through the woods-a hardly dis
tinguishable trail; or, in favorable
weather, upon the treacherous ice
of the lake, witha dog sled as the
only means-of conveyance. During
the open season the water route by
canoe or Mackinaw boat presented
a more agreeable mode of communi-
cation. Father Terhorst acquired a
small sailboat for his personal use.
The writer accompanied him on
many trip, both by, water and by
land, and remembers with sad
smile how elated the young mission
ary would feel, when under a fresh
breeze. he succeeded in steering his
little craft safely into port. Though
he was but a novice in the art of
navigation he used to be proud OF
his modest achievements as a sailor,
and when relating his experiences
on the lake, or his feats as pedes-
trian, he was prone to exaggerate.
These experiences, because of their
novelty and looked at through the
magnifying glass of retrospection
assumed in his eyes undue import
ance. He never boasted of his real
and greater achievements as mis-
sionary. Contrarily he hated pub
licity, and woe to the man who dared
to extol his deeds before the peo
pie. For the same reason, consider
ling it a vanity, as he did, he was
pertinaciously averse to the repro
duction of his features, and there is,
as far as the writer knows, no por
trait OF him in existence.
Practical and business man though
he was, his kindness Of heart some
times made him forget to follow the
course which his common sense hat