The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-04-01
EARLY CATHOLIC HISTORY
OF MINNESOTA

Encyclopedia Sketches the Be-
ginnings of the Church in
This State.
In the tenth volume Of the Catholic
Encyclopedia just issued by the Robert
Appleton Company, there is a scholarly
article on Minnesota" from the pen
of the Hon. John w. Willis, of ST. Paul.
The writer shows an intimate &C
quaintance with the history, physical
conditions, laws and institutions of the
State of Minnesota and presents his
information in very pleasing and at
tractive manner. He gives a some
what detailed account of the religious
history of the State as far as it bears
upon the beginning of the Catholic
Church, and her subsequent growth
and development. This portion of the
article is of special interest to Catho-
lies, many of whom ought to be more
familiar with local church history
than they are.
"The real history of the State" he
says, may be said to begin in 1860
with visit to the Falls of St. Anthony
and adjacent regions made by Rev.
Louis Hennepin and his companions,
Accault and Augelle. During the same
year Sieur Daniel Greyolson Du Lhut
explored the northern part of the state
and, in July, Joined Father Hennepin
at or near the lake now known as
Mile Laos. Later in the autumn Du
Lhut and Hennepin departed for the
land of the Dakotas and returned to
Eastern Canada. From the time of
this exploration to the English con-
quest of Canada in 1850, France held
sway over the Upper Mississippi re-
gion.
"A trading company formed in Mon.
treal to carry on traffic in furs with
the Indians of the La Baye Depart
ment, dispatched on June Is, 1927, an
expedition under Rene Boucher to the
land of the Sioux The expedition
arrived at it's destination on the shore
of Lake Pepin on September II. Two
Jesuit missionaries, Michel Guignas
and Nicholas De Conner, accompanied
4 Boucher and his small command. Be
fore the end of October a small fort
called Beauharnois as compliment
of the Governor of New France, was
built on the low lands opposite the
towering cliff which now bears the
name of Maiden Rock. A chapel wa:
erected within the enclosure of For
Beauharnois, and was dedicated to st
Michael the Archangel. This was the
first Christian temple to cast it's bene
ficent shadow upon the soil of Mime
sota
TN September, 1880, Fort Beauhar
. nois was rebuilt on plot of higher
ground near the old establishment
some of the most beautiful scenery il
America, now stands the Ursulint
convent, Villa Maria. The conven
chapel very properly bears the sam,
; name as it's historic predecessor, st
Michael the Archangel.
From the date of the English vic
tory over the French, until the estab
lishment of Fort st. Anthony (nov
Fort Snelling) by the Government O
: the United States Tin 1879 condition
we're unfavorable for the maintenance
of Catholic missions in the Uppe
, Mississippi country. However, SOM
colonists from Switzerland who pos
: sessed the true Faith and spoke tn
French language, having migrate,
from their original settlements nea
: Fort Garry in Canada to place sevel
or eight miles below the Falls Of 81
:, Anthony, Bishop Matthias Loras of Du
buque, whose diocese included the er
: tire region now called Minnesota, Wis
tied Fort Smelling and the adjacen
Swiss settlement in 1889, and in tn
; following year sent a missionary t
Minnesota, Father Lucien Galtier TIL
4 latter established himself upon tn
!, present site Of the metropolitan cit
. of St. Paul, and in the following yea
:, built log chapel which he called b
: the name of the great Apostle Of tn
: Gentiles. The gradual increase 3
: population about the chapel, the deve
: opment of the community into wi
! lage and finally into large city unde
. the name of st. Paul, constitute an in
: posing material monument to the mil
:, sionary zeal of Father Galtier and fol
!. ever associate the name and fame {
: the capital city of Minnesota with tn
! glories Of the Catholic Faith.
1.-THE progress Of the Catholic Fait
: in Minnesota has been 1narvelou,
: In 1841 the mission OF Father Cattle
= included some twenty families, and |
: 1851, when Father Joseph Cretin wa
named first Bishop of St. Paul, th
: number Of Catholics in Minnesota
:. estimated to have been about LOO
: In 1888 the See of st. Paul was raise
: to archiepiscopal rank, the dioceses {
st. Cloud, Winona, Duluth, Farg,
!. Sioux Falls and Lead becoming late
: it's suffragans.'
u Make the best Of everything; thin