Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1922-09-22
Ts25o g: L56gs13oeq, Of The zzza'':ss

and from the annual rendezvous in the Green
River valley, in Pierre's Hole under the Tetons
-Four braves volunteered to carry the request for
Blackrobes to st. Louis. There were Blackrobes
at this outpost of civilization. Their preoence
there is story in itself. The restoration of the
Society of Jesus in 1914, after Al years of suppress
sion, found few old Jesuit priests at Whitemarsh
Nd. who had established there the first novtiate
in the United States. In 1923 an offer of land at
ST. Louis was made to them. Twelve set out for
ST. Louis April II, 1923. They walked all the way
carrying their goods in wagons. Among them was
young De Smet, who had come from Belgium in
1921 at the age of twenty. In 1927 he was
dained priest In 1881 the Missouri mission was
made independent In 1884 the petition of the
Second Provincial council at Baltimore that the
Indian Roman Catholic missions of the United
States be confined to the Society of Jesus was
granted at Rome. Thus the Jesuits entered upon
a virgin field of labor of more than half the area
of the United States.
The four Flatheads joined the 1881 return
train of William L. Sublette, of the famous
Rocky Mountain Fur companys traders, and
reached St Louis October 1. They presented their
petition to Bishop Rosati. Two of the Indians fell
ILL., They died and buried in the Roman
Catholic cemetery. The two survivors left st.
Louis the following spring, but never reached
home They may be the two Indians George Cat
lin painted-Nos 2O7 and 2O8 in his gallery of
Indian paintings.
This unique request from the Flatheads gained
nationwide publicity. sympathetic account was
published in the Christian Advocate. In 1888 an
editorial in the Christian Advocate pronounced it
q call TO the Christian conscience OF the world
and exhorted the Protestant churches to take it
I'D in earnest In those days, to the East, the name
Flathead included all the tribes in the vast area
from Montana to the mouth of the Columbia and
northward into Canada.
The Methodists raised funds and in 1884 started
q missionary expedition under the leadership of
Jason Lee of Canada. The party kept on past
tbe Bitter Root country and began operations near
the mouth of the Columbia.
The presbvterians in 1885 sent Marcus Whitman
to Oregon He returned, reported, and in 1896
went back with his wife and party to begin his
lahors at Waiilatpu among the Cayuses.
Tins the net result of the first Flathead expe-
dition 70 ST Louis for Blackrobes in Montana was
Protestant missionaries in Oregon
Tho F1atheads of Montana tried a second time
n oet q Blackrobe In 1885 Old Ignace with his
sons Charles and Francis went to ST Louis and
returned the following spring with the promise
that q Blackrobe would be sent in time
In 1897 the Flatheads started their third deputa-
tion In consisted of Old lgnace, three flatheads
ond q Nez Perez. All were massacred by Sioux
en- route to st. LOUIS.
NOT in the least dsheartened by these three
ei,,,ros tho Flatheads sent to st. Louis a fourth
time The two petitioners, Young 1gnace and
pierre Gaucher travelled safely by canoe down the
Yellowstone and Missouri and arrived OCTOBER IL
1920 Bishop Rosati promised them blackrope
thn following spring. Gaucher Immediately set
ont with the good news He arrived in the Bitter
Root valley early in the spring-a most remark
able journey.
Rather De Smet volunteered for the arduous
mission. At Westport (Kansas CITY, ne joined
- 4o1o ox,ned;tion of the American Fur company
20 the Green River rendezvous. There De Smet
found Gaucher and ten Flatheads to meet him.
They went to Pierres Hole. where were encamped
Tho, main body of the Flatheads VINO had come
500 miles to meet him, together WIN oalus u oo
CIV nona a,0reilles and Kaispels-about 1,600
N no bantized and instructed, postponed his
Visit 70 the Bitter Root and reached ST. Louis by
wav of the Jefferson and Missouri rivers Decem-
Der 81 1910. ,,oro no finds
He was then informed that there were no luius
loi ' 80 THO snring of 1871 found him on
the oregon Trail, accompanied by two priests ana