The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-12-06
MINNESOTA'S CATHOLIC HISTORY

with this period. They are Mgr.
Cretin, the first Bishop of St. Paul, and
Father Ravoux. The latter was the
first missionary to penetrate to the
western part of Minnesota, establish
ing on one occasion, his headquarters
on the shores of Lake Traverse. In
the other panels are painted the first
Catholic Church in Browns Valley,
| acquired seventeen years ago at the
foundation of the parish and the new
brick Gothic church, dedicated in June,
1912. Thus are linked the secular and
religious progress of Minnesota, and
the new church in Browns Valley
salutes the new Cathedral in st. Paul
in the persons of Father Ravoux and
Bishop Cretin
The story told by the artist on this
stained-glass window is a stirring one.
Half century ago Minnesota was an
almost unexplored territory. To the
west, the rolling prairie, the haunt of
the buffalo, and the hunting ground of
the Sioux; to the east and north, dis
NAL swamps, and primeval forests
these comprised it's geographical def
nition The great cities of st. Paul
and Minneapolis had not yet begun to
cast their long lean arms around the
majestic Mississippi; and silence
reigned where now are heard the null
titudinous sounds of commerce. Here
frontier trading post, the stopping
place of the trapper and backwoods-
man, there an Indian village alone
broke the solitude. Today, these
prairies are dotted with prosperous
towns and cities, humming hives of
industry. Thousands of happy homes
and farms now warm the landscape
The tall grass of the prairie has given
way to waving fields of golden grain,
and the wild buffalo has been replaced
by blooded cattle from the richest
pastures of Europe. A network of
railroads stretches from the Missis-
sippi to the Pacific Ocean, hurrying to
hungry mouths in distant lands the
products of these fertile regions.
Swamps and impenetrable forests now
exist in the memory of the oldest
pioneers. On every hand are seen
schools, colleges and universities,
bright centers of learning and culture;
over every village rises the towering
spire, symbol of piety and religion.
What seer, standing at the gateway
of the Northwest in the early forties,
could behold the future, and predict
the marvellous progress in civilization
that has taken place here within the
short space of half century?
Discovery and Exploration.
Let us recall briefly the beginnings
of Minnesota. The scene portrayed
in the window brings us back to the
year 1880 when Father Hennepin with
Michel Acault and Antoine Augele ex-
plored the head-waters of the Missis-
sippi. This dangerous mission-dan-
gerous on account of the rowing beast
and the crafty and merciless redskin
had been entrusted to the intrepid
monk by Cavalier de la Sale, who
spent the winter of 1879 on the shores
of the Illinois River, where the city
of Peoria now stands.
The expedition set forth on Febru-
ary 29th, 1880. On March 18th, Father
Hennepin launched his frail canoe on
the waters of the Mississippi, at that
season of the year much swollen, and
made perilous by floating ice For one
month all went well; but on April 18th
he was surprised and captured by one
hundred and twenty Indians, in full
warpaint, their faces hideously be-
daubed, the whole band yelling with
exultation over their prisoners. The
missionary, however, was a man of
resource. Quickly producing the calu-
met of peace, he offered various trim
kets; and to the chief he gave small
hatchet, having first passed it across
his neck in sign of submission. More
over, having OWNED their plans, and
learned that they were in pursuit of
their foes, the Miamis, Hennepin in
formed them by making signs on the
into their native haunts far from
the bank Of the Mississippi BY this
strategy he won their friendship, while
still remaining their prisoner Of war.
Father Hennepin then accompanied
the Indians up the river, and at the
end of April he wrote in his memoirs
that after nineteen days of navigation,
they had arrived five leagues below
the falls Of the Mississippi. There the
Indians landed in a sheltered cove
to deliberate about their prisoners.
Having taken council they determined
to carry them along; and set out once
more, this time over land, in the di-
rection Of Mile Laos, in which neigh
borhood they arrived on May 9th.
Meantime Father Hennepin was hard
at work studying the Indian language;
and he even made an effort to con-
vert his captors to the faith. But his
efforts we're not crowned with success.
He enjoyed however, the consolation
of baptizing sick child, who died
soon after her baptism. She was
named Antoinette; and has the unique
distinction of being the first Christian
baptized in Minnesota.
Near the end of June, at the open
ing of the hunting season, the whole
tribe advanced towards the Missis-
sippi, and pitched camp at Anoka.
The falls were near at hand; it was
here that Father Hennepin gave these
falls their present name.
No longer suspecting the good will
of the Franciscan, the Indian chiefs