The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-07-19

were anxious to be equally Favored,
and he taught about the Maker. as
they called God, in their own tongue
One of the most striking characters
tics of the Rev. Father DeSmet was
his ingenuity, which was well taxed OIL
this occasion, for he had but three days
in which to accomplish what seemed
life work. iWth the aid of an interpre-
ter he translated the sign of the cross
principal prayers and articles of
faith into the Coeur de'Alene tongue.
Having completed this he made all the
younger members of the tribe stand III
a circle, and to each he gave a SEN
tence of the prayer. He demanded that
they always stand in the same order
to pray. Frequent repetition by each
in term of what he had memorized Sc
cured to each the prayers in their en-
tirety. On his return trip he was de-
lighted to find that large number of
the tribe knew the prayers by heart.
This induced him to send missionaries
among them, so in the fall Father
Point and Brother Huet left the Flat
head mission in Montana, under the es-
cort of some zelous Couer de Alenes,
who had gone to secure a BLACK robe
for themselves. Their first mission
was put under the patronage of st. Jo-
this section was named by these
worthy pioneers. who carried the torch
of faith to this benighted tribe They
continued their work here with good
results. The interest of Father De
Smet in this region seeems to have
been deep-rooted. for in the fall of 1874
we read of his coming again among
them and converting the Kootenai or
Nez Perces Indians in the north. The
work was slow and difficult, for these
tribes spoke q different language from
the Couer de Alenes, which Father De
Smet had already mastered. In 1S4S
an old chief, whose life had been de-
SPARED of, was instructed and bap-
tized After this he was always a very
strong ally of the whites. On the oc-
casion of the uprising which resulted
in the death of that brave old hero. DR..
Whitman. to whom we owe three of the
largest and richest states of the Union,
the chief sheltered Mr.. Spaulding and
family in his own wfgwam. and thus
saved them from the fury of the reds.
When spring came the floods caused
such devastation on the banks of the
st. Joseph that the mission there had
to be abandoned. and the second was
located on the banks of the beautiful
known as Old Mission. Here, in 1853,
was built the first Catholic church in
Idaho. Here today stands that same
old structure, an unworthy monument
to the zeal and emery of the Jesuits
who worked so earnestly amidst perils
and hardships in these early days.
Some idea of the enregy needed may
be acquired when we think that they
had at their disposal none of the tools
SO indispensable to the workman today
they made rude trucks, harnessed
themselves to them and brought wood
and rocks from the mountain near.
Nails they had to manufacture, or more
properly, wooden pegs, which today
still hold the old edifiee together. The
noble red man asked no pay for his
work; it was all for the honor and
glory of the Maker-not to be allowed
to work upon Gods house was the Sc
verest punishment that could be inn
posed.
Ftotu a1l that bag been said. it uuust
not be thought that these eaTlJ mis-
sionaries always had smooth sailing,
for they did not. War broke out on
several occasions against the govern
ment, and it was beyond the control
of the priests. After the uprising in
1858 the PRIESTS were about to aban-
don the mission. The United States
troops had defeated the Occur d'Alenes
and General Clark, who commanded,
urged them to stay, saying, 1.-THE
Occur d'Alenes will yet become good
Indians" The prophecy was fully veri-
fled by the present condition of the
above tribe.
After the rush of miners to the Occur
d'Alene, whose effect upon the Indians
here has never been for the good, the
mission was moved further west. on
the Washington border, to what is
known as the De Smet mission A
sight of the reservation here, with it's
neat farm houses, cultivated fields is
surely convincing proof of what the
Jesuits have done towards eiyilizing
and Christianizing this tribe, whose
very name reminds one of the eharac-
ter they have among the neighboring
tribes. The Occur d'Alenes Heart of
Owls) were now peaeeable, thrifty
farmers could not solution of the
Indian question be found here?
The first great rush of whites into
the southwest, who came to the placer
diggings in the early sos, was soon
followed by the Catholic priests to
minister to the spiritual wants of the
T
were the first. They were qualified to
cope with the wild state of society
here. in which a rough, depraved ele-
ment abounded. Strong physically,
nerved to hardships, broad and lib
eral mentally, they were not long in
gaining the good will of the sturdy
miners, all courageous and adventur-
Gus, all having one common aiml-the
arnassing Of gold. Rough, perhaps; but
invariably generous, without religious
they were ever ready to
help charity at all times and do it
without stint. Thanks to this noble
generosity within six months four edi-
fees raised their spires heavenward in
mute recognition of the Almighty.
These churches were ST. Joseph's, at
Bannock; now Idaho City; at Placer
Vile, at Centerville at Pioneer City.
OF course, they were small frame
protection, that was all
but when we think Of lumber at S100
per thousand, wages 81 a day, they
deserve much credit who achieved so
much amidst SO many difficulties. Fires
seem to have followed in the wake of
church building in these early days.
Three times were they burned down
in these first days. Nothing daunted.
within two months, at Idaho City, an
other was nearing completion.
In 1867 the Sisters of the Holy Name
from Portland selected Idaho City as
the site for an academy. Within two
years Idaho City met the fate of so
many small camps of that tine-the
mines failed to produce, and the town
became a typical deserted village. The
sisters, receiving so little patronage.
were obliged to close their school and
return to Portland
The Rt. Rev. L. Lootens was the
first bishop of Idaho. During his time
two churches were built, one in Boise,
the other in Granite Creek. His diff
iuclties were many, especially from
financial standpoint. These, together