The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-06-01
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
THE ODANAH INDIANS,
To the Editor:

" LIlC
A statement, recently maze, In a
local newspaper, to the effect that
Rev. Mr.. Wheeler, Presbyterian mis-
sionary, was the inspiring cause of the
progress made at the Odanah Indian
Reservation, in the State of Wiscon-
sin, and that it was his surviving and
continuing influence which led to a
a very large subscription to the Third
Liberty Loan by the Chippewas of
Odanah, led me to write letter of
inquiry upon the subject to an old
time resident of Northern Wisconsin
who is thoroughly familiar with the
history of the Indians and with the
history of missions. In his reply to
my letter of inquiry, this friend of
mine says:
Bayfield,, Wis, May IS, 1918.
Hon. John w. Willis,
st. Paul, MINI.
Dear Sir:
Your kind letter came to hand yes
terday. l read it and the article en-
closed. There is about as much con-
nection, between the Liberty Loan,
subscribed for by the Chippewa In
dians of Odanah and Mr.. Wheeler as
there is between the election of Wood
row Wilson as president of the Unit
ed States and the potato crop of
Odanah.
Mr.. Wheeler is, so to say, never
spoken of or heard about. His infiu-
ence in the moulding of the character
of Odanah Indians is imperceptible. l
am sure that Bishop Baraga and his
worthy successors in La Pointe,
Odanah, Bayfield,, Rev. Fathers Skol-
la, Van Paemel, ChebuI, Casimir Vogt
and John Gafron have done infinitely
more for the real good of our Indians
in the Lake Superior country than
Wheeler or others of his kind, includ-
ing Rev. Spies, under whom they sold
out their land and buildings to Mr.
Ed. Brown, son-in-law of Mr.. Walker,
government farmer in Odanah for
many years. When / came to the
Lake Superior country in 1878 some
of the Chippewas of Odanah complain
ed to me about how so much valuable
land had been got from the govern
ment by the Presbyterians, land that
belonged to the chippewas and of
which the very best lay between the
Kakagon and Bad Rivers, and ! sup
pose without paying them anything
for it. They (Presbyterians) got a
reservation" within Reservation.
The great bulk of the Chippewas on
Odanah Reserve did not take kindly
to the Presbyterian ministers and
their work.
In 1884 or Whereabouts they (Presby-
terians) got tired Of the whole job, and
delegation was sent to investigate
things. 1t seems Mr.. Spies had made
great debts and so they concluded to
sell out, reserving only an old rickety
church for their religious service, at
which but small number of Protest
ant Indians attended. Father Stephan,
of the Catholic Bureau in Washington,
d. c., aided by the Drexel sisters,
bought the property from. Ed. Brown,
understand, for about $4,000. The
Franciscan Sisters, of La Crosse,
Wis, took charge of the property and
school and the Franciscan Fathers,
from st. Louis, Mo-, attended the
Odanah mission and have been doing
SO for the last forty years. They have
about two hundred families of Catho-
lie Chippewas, besides a great num-
Der of whites. Their church is large
and beautiful, the school is attended
by some 800 children, Chippewas and
whites, boarders and day-scholars,
the buildings, church, day and board
ing school, barn and out-buildings are
spacious and up to date. The great
tion is not-was Wheeler and
his handful Of Presbyterian Indians,
but the Catholic community with its
church, school and modern farm. A
large percentage of the Indians there
were educated at st. Mary's school.
The great uplifting force there has
been and is still the Catholic church,
its clergy, noble. Sisters, school and
people.
1t is highly desirable that justice
should be done to the unrivaled work
of Catholics in Northern Wisconsin
Very truly,
81 JOHN w, WILLIS,