The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1905-11-30
To Honor Bishop futile.


Rev. James Bowen Funston bishop
OF Roise, has inaugurated move
ment which viii doubtless prove Of
great interest TO the pioneers, not only
OF this city aud state but those OF
Utah and Montana as we'll. and To the
communicates OF the Episcopal
church. all over the country. IL Ii
proposed 10 erect 10 Boise building
to be used for some good purpose for
the commemoratioB Of the pioneer
missionary work IN the three states
named OF Bishop Daniel Sylvester
TuttIe, the presiding bishop OF the
Episcopal church In theUnited States.
bishop futile. who Is now nearly
% years OF age, was the FIRST mission
AIRY bishop OF Utah, Montana and
Idaho, coming To the intermonDtain
region about 40 years ago, and re-
naming here In the active discharge
OF his duties as missionary bishop for
20 years.
Old timers remember him as a typ
ical pioneer missionary. taking his
part In the rough work aud the hard
ships OF the times, as though he bad
never been accustomed 10 anything
else. Indeed, he is the son Of a
blacksmith and Is not ashamed OF
that fact. Hut early In bis childhood
he determined TO acquire an educa-
tion and make something OF himself.
lie succeeded after many trials In
graduating from Columbia university,
and finally, at the age Of 30, was con-
secrated as bishop and assigned TO
the missionary field OF the Pacific
northwest.
Il But even at that early age be had
demonstrated something OF the stuff
OF which he was made, and year
after coming to the intermountaln
region he was elected to the bishopric
OF Missouri. He declined this. how
ever, prefcrring TO stay IN the west,
where he said there was a field OF
promise for his activities Twenty
years later, the substitute bishop who
had been elected TO Missouri had died,
he was again called to that field and
accepted.
The first winter that he lived In
his western bishoprlc, he made bis
home at Virginia City, Montana,
where there was then no semblanct
OF house OF worship, the future city
being a wild mining camp. A veal
or so later, Montana having been cul
OF from his Jurisdiction to make room
for another missionary bishop, ht
moved with his family to Salt Lake
where he resided the remainder OF hi
stay In the west.
IL was an important part tha
Bishop futile bore In the laying o
the foundations OF organized churcl
, life In the Pacific northwest. Ill
came In the very earliest OF pioneer
} days. and won the respect OF thu
early miners and stage drivers by thu
matter OF fact way In which III
shared In their hardships and cbeeret
j | tIbtu III Juttt VIII "ao We
known In many OF the pioneer mining
camps, aud on more than one occa
sion won fame as a tire-hghter, lead
Ing an lmpromptu fire brigade t.
combat tho flames that seemed abou
TO destroy the town,
Many anecdotes are told Of the earl.
trials OF the missionary bishop. o.
one occasion, so II Is related, h
chanced.into Silver City on saturda,
! and found that show was In town
! He rejoiced at the circumstance, feel
| Ing that certainly there would be
] large congregation TO whom he nigh
! speak on the Sabbath. But whel
tho Sabbath came, ii was found tn
circus had stayed over, and only ON
man, of all the crowd that had col
lee ted from far and near, came I