, 1922-09-21
4 Yda ! ; HISTORY Of The a.
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and from the annual rendezvous in the Green
River valley, or 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 presence
there is a story in itself. The restoration of the
Society of Jesus in 1914. after Il wears of supnres-
sion, found "A few old Jesuit priests at Whitemarsh
Md. who had established there the first novitiote
in the United States. In 1923 an offer of lnnd at
81. Louis was made to then. Twelve set out for
st. Louis April II, 1923. They walked aIE.he wav.
carrying their goods in wagons. Among them was
young De Smet, who had come from Belgium in
1871 ut the age of twenty. In 1927 he was or
dained priest. In 1881 the Missouri mission was
made Independent. In 1884 the petition Of the
Second Provincial council Mt Baltimore that the
indian Roman Catholic missions of the United
States be confined to the Society of Jesus was
granted at Rome. Thus the Jesults 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. one OF the famous
Rocky Mountain Fur company's traders. and
reached st. Louis October /. They presented their
petition to Bishop Rosati. Two of the Indians fell
i'll. They died and were 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. 207 and 2OS in his gallery of
Indian paintings.
This unique request from the Flatheads gained
nationwide publicity, A sympathetic account was
published in the Christian Advocate. In 1893 an
editorial in the Christian Advocate pronounced 1t
a call to the Christian conscience of the world
and eXhorted the Protestant churches To take II
M In earnest. In those days, 10 the East. the name
Flathead included all the tribes in the vast area
from Montana to the mouth Of the Columbia and
uorthward into Canada.
The Methodists raised funds and in 1891 started
a missionary expedition under the leadership of
Jason Lee of Canada. The party kept on past
the Bitter Root country and began operations men.
the mouth of the Columbia.
The Presbyterians in 1885 sent Marcus Whitman
10 Oregon. He returned, reported. and in 1896
went back with his wife and a party 10 begin his
labors at Waiilatpu among the Cayuses.
Thus the net result of the first Flathead expe-
dition TO ST. Louis for Blackrobes in Montana was
Protestant missionaries In Oregon.
The Flatheads of Montana tried n second time
to get a Blackrobe. In 1875 Old Ignace with his
sons Charles ana Francis went tn st. Louis and
returned the following spring with the promise
that II Blackrobe would be sent in time.
In 1897 the Flathends started their third deputa-
tion. In consisted of Old Ignace. three FIathends
and a Nez Perez. All were massacred by Sloux
en- route to ST. Louis.
Not in the least dishenrtened by these three
failures, the Flatheads sent 10 81. Louis n fourth
time. The two petitioners. Young Ignace and
Pierre Gnuclier. travelled safely by canoe down the
Yellowstone and Missouri and arrived October u.
1899. Bishop Rosatl promised them a Blackrobe
the following spring. sGnucher Immediately set
out with the good news. He arrived in the Ritter
Root valley early in the sprinF-a most remark.
able journey.
Father DE Smet volunteered for the nrduous
mission. At Westport Cknnsas city, he Joined
the 1910 expedition of the American Fur comnnnv
10 the Green River rendezvous. There De Smet
found Gnucher ana ten Flatheads to meet him
They went 10 Plerres Hole. where were encamped
the main body OF the Flatheads. who had come
800 miles TO meet him, together with bands Of Nez
Perces. Pend d'Oreilies aud Kalispels-about LOCO
in all. lie baptized and Instructed. postponed his
visit to the Bitter Root AMI reached ST. Louis by
way of the Jefferson and Missouri rivers Deccm.
Der ~. 1910.
lie was then Informed that there were no funds
for the promised expedition. So he went ont and
raised funds. The spring OF 1871 found him on
the Oregon Trail. accompanied by two priests and