The Bozeman courier., 1927-07-01
oLp JEsUIT MIL no REoPEN

OLD MILL lO hEOEEN
pleted overhauling their -four mill They
installed a Carter disc, a securing maehlne
ments at 2 cost Of $4,000: The capacity p Sa g Of
now turning out a patent flour The. mill
IS sae ho% as Re as % being SS one Of the Oldest It
having been established soon after the MIS-
The first milistones in the mill were quaTried
ffaSbi faSbioned eSI by iT hand and and Whip saw mill
TNHE conversion Of the Flathead nation /
is interesting, Father l.. y. Pa!la-
dino, S. j., writes in Historical
notes of the Flathead," and con-
tinues. 1t is plain history, buJ more IN
teresting than fiction, and reads like ro-
nance. Between 1912 and 1880, pand
Of Irquois, "a in number, LETT the CaJho-
lie mission of Caughnawaga, near SaulC
Saint Louis on the st. Lawrence, Can
ada. and crossing the Mississippi valley, |
directed their course toward the un-
known region of the northwest. We do
not know what motives 1mpelled them
to undertake this long and dangerous
Journey, but unconsciOusly they were
fulfilling the designs Of Divine Provi-
dence for the conversion Of those who
were to become their adopted brethren.
The leader of the band was Ignace La
Mousse better known among the Indians
and to history as Big Ignace or Old 1g-
mace for his moral and physical super
iority and distinguish him from young
er Ignace, who stands out prominently
in the history OF the Flathead. Having
been Hospitality received by the FlaChead
the wandering Irquois cast their lot
among them and became identified with
the tribe They were devOut Catholics
and treasured the faith and pious prac-
tices that Father Isaac JOgueS, the apos-
tie of the Irquois, had taught and sealed
with his blood in their midst 1gnace
La Mousse acquired great ascendency
over the Flathead tribe and welded it
not only for the temporal but much
more for the moral and spiritual benefit
of his adopted brethren. Time and time
again he spoke of the Catholic religion,
of its teachings, its prayers and rites, and
always insisted on the necessity and the
advantages of having the blackgowns in
their midst to instruct them in all these
things and show them the way to heaven.
The FIathead listened TO his words
with great attention and interest, and
soon learned the principal mysteries ano
precepts of Christianity, the sign OF the
cross, the Lords Prayer and other prac-
tices of Catholic devotion. Moreover,
they strove as best they could to put
them into practice, and began to pray
in common morning and evening, pap
tized their children and marked the
graves Of their dead with the cross the
symbol as well as the instrument OF re-
demption The Sunday was announced
by raising a sort of flag on pole, called
in their language SchaZzeius. Hence the
Lords name became known to them un-
der that name, and is still so designated
in the Flathead language. Gradually
thev cherished a strong desire to have
the Blackrobes among them. Ignace had
told them that some Of the tribe WOULD
have to be sent to the country OF white
men, where alone the black robe could
be obtained.
Great Task Undertaken
The project was talked over in their
councils. 1t appealed to them in spite
of the very serious difficulties Of the un-
dertaking. and when 1our braves iIl VolIl-
teered TO 60 for the black robes a resolu-
ton that they should do so was adopted
in one Of their general assemblies. Inc
heroic audacity Of this resolution would
have appeared the height Of folly to any
but this brave people. None OF them
had ever seen a white mans city, and
few of them even the face Of White
man They would have to travel thou
sands Of miles over trackleSs mountains
treeless plains and sandy deserts; cross
wide, deep, rushing streams, their path
infested on every side by deadly enemies
eager TO waylay and massacre the wan
derers. But the Flathead were dauntlesf
and knew no fear.
Two of the braves who volunteered
were Nez Perces by birth, but they hao
long since become members OF the Fiat
head tribe by residence and choice. Start
ing from the mountains in the spring o.
1881, the four brave men reached st
Louis in the early part of October. Prob
ably their course lay along the overland
route generally followed by the trading
caravans whose headquarters were at 81
Louis. But, whatever their course ma!
have been, the extreme hardShlpS OF INT
Journey were too severe for even thes'
heroic Indians. They all fell sick ate
reaching the city, and two OF them, Mar
ciss and Paul after being baptized wer
carried off by death and solemnly IN
TERED in the Catholic cemetery. Tn
survivors left St Louis the following
spring. But. unfortunately, they neve
reached the Flathead country, and ther
is no authentic record of their ultimaU
fate. George Catlin speaks OF meeting
two Indians 1882 whom he painte'
from life and with whom he Travelled
1000 miles. One of them died near tn
mouth of the Yellowstone river.
seems probable that these two Indian
were the survivors of the Flathead eX
pedition, because Catlin's account agree
very we'll with that Of Bishop Rosati, De
cember 81, 1881.
They sent three further expeditions
St. Louis until, finally, they succeede
in obtaining the priests for whom the
longed so ardently. Bishop RoSat1, in
letter to the General Society Of Jesu
mentions these expeditions and earnestl
sOlicits Jesuit missionaries for these poe
abandoned Indians in the Northwest.
Ignace and his sons returned success
fully to the Flathead territory an
brought the good news from st. Louis
the great consolation and Joy of til
whole tribe About 18 months afterwa1
a third expedition was organized und'
Old Ignace as leader with three Flathes
and one Nez Perce. Near Fort Laram
some white travellers joined the litt
band. While passing through the coul
try Of the hostile Sioux, at a spot calle
Ash Hollow on the South Platte, the
encountered a large body of Sioux wa
riors. Being wantonly attacked, the men
bers of the expedition defended then