The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1909-06-19

as the missionaries were known in
those days. Fathers De Smet, Greg
DRY Mongarini and Nicholas Point,
accompanied by Brothers Specht,
Huet and Claessens, came from st.
Louis in 1S41 and lived among the
Indians. They founded their first
mission in the Bitter Root valley in
/ Montana, near the site of the pres
emit town of Stevensville, where they
afterward erected a church and par
ish house and cultivated the land.
Several years afterward Father Josef
joined the band Of workers and the
Occur d'Alene mission was estab-
lished.
Father Josef later became superior
of the Rocky Mountains mission,
which, in 1907, was united with the
California mission. 1t is headed by
Rev. Father George De la Motto OF
Spokane, whose jurisdiction now en-
braces the states of California, Ore
gon, Washington, Idaho, Montana,
Wyoming, North and South Dakota
and southern Alaska, an area of 9O0,-
600 square miles.
In the early days some of the In
dams, then in their prime, were
looked upon as medicine men," en-
dowed with supernatural power and,
consequently, of great influence
among their fellows. When the
priests began their work they con-
demned that superstition and the
medicine men gradually lost their
power and influence. Old and young
today are devout ajherents of the
Roman Catholic religion. The men
devote themselves to athletic sports
and games between the ceremonies,
being especially fond of baseball and
horse racing. Indian officers main
tain vigilant police system and Of
tenders are punished by imprison-
ment in the Jail at De Smet. Drunk
enness is not tolerated.
Pierre Wildshoe, chief of the tribe
and successor of Andrew Seltice, who
died in 102, while not the wealthiest.
is one of the most respected and in
fiuential men on the reservation.
Pierre Moctielma is sub-chief and
John Davenport, who was raised by
white merchant of the same name
at Colfax, Wash, is head of the In
dian police. They are respected by
all who know them.
Louis Mitchata probably is the
wealthiest of the Occur d'Alene In
dams. He is reputed to be worth
at least $4,000, of which $4,000 Is
In money at interest. He lives in
a house which would be no discredit
to any farmer in the country. and
has good barn for stock and con-
venient outbuildings. A grove of
trees surrounding a large fish pond
is pretty feature of the premises.
Lo-lo, who lives near the government
sawmill, few miles east of the mis-
sion, has possessions in livestock and
cash to the amount of $4,000. Chief
Wildshoe is worth $4,000 and others
have from $1,000 to $1,000.
The great age reached by a num-
Der of these people is a matter of
interest. Father Caruana, of DeSmet
mission, says that Charles, who died
there a few years ago, was not less
than 120 years old. He was totally
bling for years before his death, and
was waited on by his daughter, who
died later deaf and blind, at the age
of 80 years. Coo-Na-Cha, a Occur
'Alene squaw, died recently at the
age of SO years, and Victoria of the
same tribe, is supposed to be in her
Goth year. -tal-am-to, a Spo-
kane squaw, who lives on the reser-
Walton, is 81 years. There are sew
eral others past the four score per-
iod.
The reservation is situated wholly
in Kootenai county, Idaho, and con-
tains approximately 625 square miles
or 100000 acres of lands, of which
two-thirds is cultivatable and cap
able of high development. The rest
is heavily timbered with white and
yellow pine. cedar, fir and tamarack,
and is subject to entry under the
homestead laws at its appraised val
ue. The cost of these lands has not
yet been determined. While the
principal crops are wheat, oats and
hay, the soil has proved itself to be
admirably adapted to the cultivation
/ of potatoes, sugar beets and other