The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-05-15
from
EARLY CATHOLIC FOOTPRINTS IN MINNESOTA

PRINTS IN MINNESOTA
Marest, of the Society of Jesus, who
accompanied the explorers and sought
to bring about the conversion of the
natives to Christianity. In 1889 he
was with Perrot at the Fort st. An
tome, and like lie Sueur, signed his
name to the above proclamation.
Mention of his presence among the
Sioux occurs again in 1902.
Fort Beauharnois.
With the growth of the French
possessions in the West it became
necessary to establish more perma-
nent posts in those regions, so as to
keep the savages in subsection and
also to have certain stopping places,
from which to push further west on
the continent, in view of reaching III
timately the Pacific Ocean. One OF
these posts was erected in 1927 on
the western shore of Lake Pepin, on
or near the site where is now located
Villa Maria, the Convent and Academy
conducted by the Ursuline Sisters, not
far from the present town of From
tenac, Minnesota. The post was
called Fort Beauharnois, in honor of
| the Marquis Charles de Beauharnois,
then Governor of Canada, whilst the
chapel erected within the ground was
dedicated to the service of God in
honor of St. Michael the Archangel.
The fort was maintained with one or
two brief Interruptions, until the war
between France and England over the
possession of Canada, or until the
surrender of that country to the Eng
lish, in 1860. With the soldiers that
garrisoned the fort, were as a rule,
ed to the spiritual needs of the white
men, or else to the work of convert
ing the Indians. The records of the
time have preserved the names of
two such missionaries: the Jesuit
Fathers Michael Guignas and Nicho-
las de Conner. An amusing incident
occurred soon after the opening of the
fort in 1927. The small company
wished to commemorate with special
solemnities the feast of st. Charles
Charles being the name of Governor
Beauharnois. They set apart fine
day in November, had a High Mass
in the morning, and in the evening
display of fireworks. The poor In
dams unaccustomed to such things,
were badly frightened since they be-
lieved that the stars were falling
J from heaven, and they begged of the
commander of the fort, to stop such
terrible medicine
Fort ST. Charles.
Another of such forts on Minnesota
soil was the Fort st. Charles, erected
by de Ia Verendrye in 1882, on the
southern shore of Northwest Angle
Inlet, Lake of the Woods; it's name
was also selected in honor of the
Governor of Canada, Charles de Beau
] harnois. Of the missionaries we
l know two Jesuit Fathers, Messenger
: and Aulneau, who were stationed
+, there successfully for some time. The
latter found tragic death not far
from the fort, at the hands of savage
Indians. Early in June, 1886, the
commander of the fort, de Ia Veren-
drye, send out an expedition headed
: by his own son, the men of which
: we're to go east in order to secure
e fresh supplies and ammunition. Ia
g Their Aulneau was DESTROYS of seeing
a fellow priest to open to him his
rather delicate conscience, and so he
s begged for permission to go with the
men. The request was granted
Only about twenty miles from the fort
o the men were surprised and attacked
!, on an island, by band of savage
8 Sioux, cruising in the waters of Lake
f of the Woods, and all were put tt
d death; the island has since beer
r. named Massacre Island. The remain:
q of the victims were taken back t.
d Fort St. Charles by de la Verendryt
|. and buried there. During the summer
l. of 1908 party of Catholic explorer:
h from ST. Boniface, Manitoba, encour
J. aged by His Grace, Archbishop LANCE
o vim, succeeded in locating the site O
d the ancient fort, and in finding thu
@ remains of the men slain by thu
@ Sioux; whatever was thought to be o
# interest was carried by them to st
" Boniface, where the relics are treas
n ured with all due veneration.
y First Parish at Pembina.
n There is no record of any NOR,
n Catholic missionaries, or traveller
y or explorers coming to the West, afte
C. the cession of Canada to the English
Le until the time when permanent sci
g Elements commenced to appear, in tn
Di early part of the 10th century. TIL
N first of these settlements in what be
c. came afterwards Minnesota, was lC
e. Gated at Pembina, on the banks o
N the Red River of the North. TIL
e, town of PeIhbina is now in the Stat
m of North Dakota, in the northeastern
" corner, but for time it was within
the limits of the old Territory o
Minnesota, which extended in bot
the Dakotas, as far as the Missouri
n River; and for this reason descriI
lie ton of its early settlement come
IL within the scope of this paper. L
III 1918 a number of people, mostly hall
Id breeds, and French Canadians, lef
IN the colony established in 1912 by Lor
e. Selkirk at st. Boniface, Manitoba
he went some distance up the Red River
ar ond established thomcnIvoS at pom