St. Mary's Mission (Montana) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
St. Mary's Church and Pharmacy
|
|
Side and rear of the church
|
|
 Location in Montana
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | North Avenue, Stevensville, Montana |
|---|---|
| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Built | 1866 |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000364 |
| Added to NRHP | October 6, 1970 |
The Historic St. Mary's Mission is a special place in Stevensville, Montana. It was started in 1841 by a group of Catholic priests called the Society of Jesus, also known as Jesuits. This mission was meant to be a village for the Salish people who followed the Catholic faith.
St. Mary's Mission was the very first lasting settlement built by non-native people in what is now the state of Montana. The main church building was rebuilt in 1866. Because of its important history, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.
Contents
The Search for Black Robes
The Salish people learned about the Jesuits from Catholic Iroquois fur trappers. These trappers had settled among them around 1811 or after 1816. One Iroquois man named Ignace, also known as Big Ignace, told exciting stories about the "Black Robes," which was a nickname for the Jesuit priests.
The Salish wanted a priest to come to their land. They sent groups to St. Louis in 1831 and 1835, but they didn't find a priest. In 1837, another group, including Ignace, was attacked by Lakotas near Ash Hollow, Nebraska. Sadly, they were killed.
In 1839, two Iroquois men met Father De Smet by chance at Council Bluff. They told him about the Salish people's wish for a priest. In July 1840, Father De Smet met over 1,000 Salish and Pend d'Oreille people in Pierre's Hole. He promised to come back and help them within a year.
Father De Smet kept his promise. On September 24, 1841, he returned to the Salish people. He brought with him two other priests, Father Gregory Mengarini and Father Nicholas Point. Three brothers, Joseph Specht, William Claessens, and Charles Huett, also joined them in the Bitterroot Valley.
Building the Mission
Brother Claessens was a skilled carpenter. He was in charge of building the first church at the mission. Pierre-Jean De Smet watched the construction begin. He wrote about how the Salish people helped build St. Mary's.
He said that the women and their husbands worked very hard. They cut down timber quickly. In just a few weeks, they built a log church. This church was big enough to hold 900 people. To make the inside look nice, the women used mats made from long grass. They hung these mats on the roof and sides of the church. They also spread them on the floor. The church was decorated with branches of cedar and pine.
Nicolas Point had a plan for the village to have houses with lawns. The houses were built following this plan. However, this made the village somewhat open to attacks. A strong fence, called a palisade, was built around the church for protection. The first special church service, called communion, happened at Easter in 1842. At this time, Chief Victor was the main leader for the Bitterroot Salish.
In 1845, Father Anthony Ravalli joined the mission. He was a doctor and helped the Salish people. He gave them shots to protect them from smallpox, a very serious disease. He also managed the mission's medical center.
By 1846, the mission's fields were doing very well. They grew 7,000 bushels of wheat. They also had many garden crops. However, around this time, many Salish people started to leave the mission. They slowly went back to their traditional way of life. They felt upset because the Jesuits had also started a mission at Colville for the Blackfeet. The Blackfeet were enemies of the Salish.
Mission Closed and Destroyed
In 1850, attacks by the Blackfeet Indians forced the mission to close. The church was left empty. It was then burned down, which was a common practice during such raids. After the mission was abandoned, the Jesuits sold the village to a trader named John Owen for 250 dollars. This happened even though the land originally belonged to the Salish people.
Reopening and Changes
Sixteen years later, in 1866, St. Mary's Mission started again. This time, it was built about a mile south of the first location. The Catholic Salish people attended services in the new church. Later, settlers who moved into the area also began to come to the church. The church building was made even bigger in 1879.
In October 1891, Chief Charlo and the Bitterroot Salish were forced to move. They had to go to the Jocko Reservation. This move marked the end of St. Mary's as a mission specifically for Native Americans.
In 1921, the church became known as St. Mary's Parish. In 1953, work began on a brand new chapel. When this new chapel was finished and dedicated in 1954, the historic St. Mary's chapel was no longer used for regular services.
The historic chapel was restored in the 1970s and 1980s. The Jesuits' old kitchen was also rebuilt. In 1996, a visitor center and a museum were added to the complex. The entire St. Mary's Mission Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.
The Mission Complex Today
Today, you can visit the St. Mary's Mission complex from April through October. Guided tours are available. The buildings you can see include the old chapel with a connected living area. There's also an infirmary, which was like a small hospital. You can also see a dovecote, which is a house for doves.
There is a cabin that holds special items from the Salish people. The visitor's center has a museum where you can learn more about the mission's history. It also has a research library, an art gallery, and a gift shop.
