The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-05-14
FIRST MISSIONARY
WORKER IN
STATE
Biographical Sketch Of a Pho
neer Who Crossed North
Dakota Many Times.

f. r. Steinbrueck in Bismarck Trib-
une: The first missionary to bring
| the gospel OF Christ to the Indians of
the northwest and the western part
of our present state of North Dakota
was the Jesuit father, p. Pierre Jean
DeSmet He was born ON January
S0th. 1901, in Termonda. Belgium.
and was one of the twelve novices
who wandered from the Chesapeake
| to the Missouri, to be one of the
| novitiate at St. Louis in 1928. In the
year 1888. now a Pater. P. DeSmet,
S. j.. began missionary work among
the Indians OF the Rocky Mountains.
He founded missionary station
among the Potawatomies. In 1910 we
find him at his blessed work in the
Bitter Root valley, among the Flat
heads. the Snake Indians and the
Pend d Orilles. His field of CONVEX
sion extended as far as Fort Union,
opposite the mouth of the Yellow
stone river. Thence he descended
the Missouri river as far as Fort Rice
visiting on his journey the Mandans,
the Arikara and the Hidatsa Indians
on their reservations of Fort Berthold.
Thus in September. 1910. was the
first time that christian missionary
traversed the upper territory. which
is now a part of the state of North
Dakota.
In 1912. on his return from Fort
Vancouver to St. Louis, it was the
second time, that he. going down the
Missouri. crossed our state again.
teaching. consoling, pacifying and
spreading the holy sacraments of bap-
tism and of matrimony. He was the
one white man, in whom the poor.
illtreated Indians had implicit faith,
to whom they looked up to as a
father. whom they respected and hon
ored and obeyed because they recog-
nized him to be pure OF heart. honest
and unselfish.
From 1S44-1S46 P. DeSmet spent
his time among the Flatheads and the
Blackfeet. who We're hostile to each
other. He succeeded in bringing on
peace between these two tribes. He
also worked among the Nez Perce's
and the Crows.
After an absence of three years and
six months he returned from Fort
Berthold by way of the river
again to st. Louis, always visiting
his Indians on the way and adj
ministering to their religious wants.
The whole Columbian valley had been
dotted with infant establishments and
he had laid the foundation for
spiritual empire throughout that en-
tire northwestern region.
The great rush and increasing inn
migration of white settlers into
Oregon has caused the Indians to feel
uneasy and alarmed, seeing their once
them. Disturbed, they became hos
tile. Councils with the Indians were
arranged for by the government and
P. DeSmet was called upon as peace
maker. Not once, but many times,
and he was always successful in re-
storing peace and submission. task
that no other white man could have
accomplished.
Owing to jealousy and false reports
about P. DeSmet's work, intentions
and achievements, his blissful work
among the Indians was interrupted
for over six years. The Indians had
become uncomfortable and inimical
during that time. and serious trouble
was q hand. Then the government
took refuge again to F. DeSmet's good
services, and again he was sent out to
smoothe the difficulties. This hap
pened in 1859. seven years after his
last visit to the Upper Indians in 1851.
He returned in July, 1859, to St.
Louis. again by the great waterway
of the Missouri, baptizing on his route
over 900 Indian children. In the sum-
mer of 1862 he travelled once more
the long distance from st. Louis to
| Fort Benton and back, in fulfillment
| of his religious work among the In
dians. After Generals Sibley's and
Sully's military expedition against the
Sioux in 1868, P. DeSmet left St.
Louis again April goth, 1864, on a
peace commission after his own mind,
having refused to accompany mill
tary force of war, he, a messenger of
| peace and love. He remained at Fort
Berthold nearly all summer among
our Mandans Arikara and Hidatse.
In the year 1866 he made his first
journey to Fort Benton. Early in
1867, once more requested by the Sec
rotary of war to pacify the hostile
Sioux. he went as far as Fort Buford,
stopping on his way at Forts Thomp-
son, Sully, Rice and Berthold, where
hundreds and thousands of Indians
were waiting at the landings to see
him and shake hands with him. Where
ever he showed himself, peace was
with him. In 1868 he only travelled up
the river as far as Fort Rice on a
peace commission, including Generals
Sherman. Sheridan. Harvey, Terry
and others, who turned off to Fort
Laramie, while P. DeSmet betook
himself across the plains. directly
west about $40 miles to see Sitting
Bull and his 5000 hostiles. After a
council, peace was in sight and thus
T. DeSmet had succeeded in solving
the most difficult problem. outside OF
any other white mans power. His
achievement is the most remarkable
In the history of our Indian wars,
Ten times had he entered OF
traversed our state He had made
nineteen voyages across the ocean
and had travelled during a period OF
fifty blissful years, 236,762 miles. He
the greatest man whom ever our state
has harbOred. Jesuit father, p
Pierre Jean DeSmet, died at St. Louis
May %, 1873. seventy-two years old
true apostle of Christ and a peace
maker between the red and the white
race. for the U. 8. government.
The occasion of my writing this
short biographical sketch of this cele
brated pioneer priest, of the Societ,
of Jesus, is the announcement mad,
by our venerable pastor, the very Rev
D. v. Collins. that on the 18th O
May to the 26th, Catholis mission
and revival will be preached in GU
beautiful church, by two priests O
the same order.
/ This wa aan fhat 4l,e ca.xl>ll