Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-11-26

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100 pages, has been completely re-
written. Much new material has been
| added. additional authorities cited and
it has been ampIified with much inter
esting details.
There is an Index rerum' compiled
with much care. Important letters to
the author from Archbishop Ireland,
Senator L. III. Carter and Major Crit
tenden are given in full in the APP
pendix. These letters contain much in
teresting historical data.
Archbishop Ireland's letter discloses
hc part played by General Thomas
Francis Meagher in the appointment of
a'CathoIic bishop for Montana.
Father Palladino's "reminiscences
deal charmingly with the men and
women who played a part in the
pioneer days Of the state. OF interest
to Catholic readers is the statement
that the work will appear with the
imprimatur of Cardinal Dougherty of
Philadelphia and with the approval of
Bishop Carroll and Bishop Lenihan of
Montana.
1t will likewise be under tile patron
age of the Montana State Historical
society, Of the Historical Commission
of the Knights of Columbus. of the
X. C. state council of Montana. and
he Catholic Indian bureau of the
United States.
The Sponsors
1t will be sponsored by a number of
prominent persons, among them are
Governor Dixon, Senator 4. j. Walsh,
Congressman Washington J.. McCor-
mick, John d. Ryan, a. 3. Hammond,
of San Francisco; Edward Galbaliy,
president of the American Catholic
Historical society Of Philadelphia; Mrs.
Thomas Fl. Carter, Hon. Maurice
Francis Eagan. former minister to
Denmark; Ex-Governor Joseph X.
Toole, Dean Stone Of the Montana
university and former President Ham
ilton of the Montana State college.
The Catholic missionaries were the
trail blazers of civilization in what is
now Montana, An old history of Mon
tana in speaking of these missionaries,
most of whom were French, says:
Every obstacle which savage nature
could oppose, from Quebec to Lake
Huron, was s~urmounted.'
The earliest exploration of what is
now Montana must be credited to the
Spaniards. while exploration of the
eastern part of the state belongs to
the French, say historical writer's.
The Jesuit, Pere Coquard of Coquil-
lard, who was among the leading spir-
its Of the expedition of 1893 must. says
history, De accorded the honor Of be-
ing the first Christian minister to visit
the Montana country. He was a close
friend Of Verendyre, the chief of the
expedition.
After Father Coquard came in their
L-.- ..l Nathan D--.ljt
Father De Smet and Father Palladino.
Father Palladino is the connecting
link between the travels of the Indian
and the motor car of the white man.
AS would be expected, Father Palla-
dino's history of Montana deals prima-
rily with the origin. growth and activi-
ties of the Catholic church, but apart
from its religious features. the word
contains material of absorbing interest
for every lover Of history, containing
as it does. the observations of a schol-
arlv writer. one possessed of a remark
able memory, a keen insight into hui
man affairs. and q close acquaintance
with the primitive inhabitants, as well
as with the white pioneers and also
with the prominent men of the nation.
during years that cover the most vital
period in the history Of the north
west.
The Flathead Indians
Father P~alladino begins his work
with a compliment to the Flathead
Indians-the Selfish pronounced Sale
ish) of whom he says no Indian tribe
is more renowned in history. The
name "Flathead" is. he says. a misno-
mer. These Indians are shapely and
the barbarous CUSTOM flattening, i'm
plfsd by the appellation. and practiced
by some of the Indians on the sound
and on the Pacific coast, was unknown
among these people" To the Flat
heads belongs the distinction of having
brought the missionaries to Montana.
The country Of the Flatheads, he
says, was that part Lying west and
at the base of the main range of the
Rocky mountains" 1t was called in
their language Spetleman. which mean
place Of the bitter root" whence the
name Bitter Root valley"
When the Flatheads became known
to the white man, he says, they mum
bered about 1000 souls and probably
were never much more numerous.
But if inferior in numerical
strength to many Of the other tribes
in the Rocky mountains, they seemed
to surpass them all in prowess and
daring; and as a warlike people they
were considered even by their enemies
as the bravest of the brave
Their most deadly foes. from time
immemorial, says the author, were the
Blackfeet. living in what is now north
ern Montana. The Blackfeet claimed
the range lying east of the Rockies as
their hunting ground. This was the
main range of the buffalo. They looked
on Flathead buffalo hunters as in
truders. In addition to a larger num-
Der of warriors, the Blackfeet, he says,
had the advantage Of firearms OBJ
tanned from prairie trading posts. This
was long before such posts were To-
Gated within visiting distance of Flat
head territory.
The first white man seen by any of
the Flatheads were the members of La
Eerendrye and these were met only
by those Flatheads who visited the
east side to hunt buffalo. The first
white men TO pass through Flathead
territory was the Lewis and Clark ex-
petition. in 1905. At the time the
first work was published by Father
palladino there was still living. at the
st. Ignatius mission, an old Indian
woman, Eugenie, who distinctly re-
membered the visit of Lewis and Clark
when she was about IA years of age.
The author quotes from the journal
of Sergeant Patrick Glass, of the
Lewis and Clark expedition, who wrote
that the Flatheads were Lac ONLY na-