The Historic St. Mary's Mission is a

mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

established by the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, located now on Fourth Street in modern-day

Stevensville, Montana Stevensville ( Salish: ɫq̓éɫmlš) is a town in Ravalli County, Montana, United States. The population was 2,002 at the 2020 census. Stevensville is officially recognized as the first permanent settlement of non-indigenous peoples in the sta ...

. Founded in 1841 and designed as an ongoing village for Catholic Salish Indians, St. Mary's was the first permanent settlement made by non-indigenous peoples in what became the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

. The mission structure was rebuilt in 1866. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1970.

The search for Black Robes

The

Salish Salish () may refer to: * Salish peoples, a group of First Nations/Native Americans ** Coast Salish peoples, several First Nations/Native American groups in the coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest ** Interior Salish peoples, several First Nat ...

came to know about the Jesuits from Catholic

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

fur trappers who settled among them either in 1811,Peterson, Jacqueline and Laura Peers (1993): ''Sacred Encounters. Father De Smet and the Indians of the Rocky Mountain West''. Norman and London. or sometime after 1816.Mellis, john C.: Ignace Partui: Iroquois Evangelist to the Salish, ca. 1780-1837. ''International Bulletin of Missionary Research''. Vol. 33, No. 4 (Oct. 2009), pp. 212-215. Especially Ignace (Big Ignace) aroused attention with his stories about the "Black Robes". Indian delegations reached St. Louis in 1831 and 1835, both in vain, asking for a priest to follow them back to the Salish country. Lakotas near Ash Hollow (Nebraska) killed a third group sent to make the same request in 1837, including Ignace. In 1839, two Iroquois Indians met Father De Smet at Council Bluff, by chance, and they relayed the request again. In July 1840, Father De Smet was greeted by more than 1,000 Salish and

Pend d'Oreille The Pend d'Oreille ( ), also known as the Kalispel (), are Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Plateau. Today many of them live in Montana and eastern Washington of the United States. The Kalispel peoples referred to their primary tribal range a ...

Indians in

Pierre's Hole Pierre's Hole is a shallow valley in the western United States in eastern Idaho, just west of the Teton Range in Wyoming. At an elevation over above sea level, it collects the headwaters of the Teton River, and was a strategic center of the fu ...

.Baumler, Ellen: A Cross in the Wilderness. St. Mary's Mission Celebrates 175 Years. ''Montana, The Magazine of Western History''. Vol. 66, No. 1 (Spring 2016), pp. 18-38, sources pp. 92-93. He promised to fulfill the request within a year. On September 24 the next year, Father De Smet returned to the Salish. Accompanying him to the Bitterroot Valley were Fathers Gregory Mengarini and

Nicholas Point Nicholas Point; (10 April 1799 – 4 July 1868), was a French Catholic priest, artist, and member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). He is known primarily for the drawings and watercolors he created during his missionary work in the mid-19th cen ...

, as well as Brothers Joseph Specht, William Claessens, and Charles Huett.

Building the mission

Brother Claessens was a carpenter and led the building of the church. As construction began under the supervision of

Pierre-Jean De Smet Pierre-Jean De Smet, SJ ( ; 30 January 1801 – 23 May 1873), also known as Pieter-Jan De Smet, was a Flemish Catholic priest and member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). He is known primarily for his widespread missionary work in the mid-19th ...

, he described St. Mary's and the

workforce as follows:

The women hewed down the timber, assisted by their husbands, with the greatest alacrity and expedition, and in a few weeks we had constructed a log church, capable of holding 900 persons. To ornament the interior, the women placed mats of a species long grass, which were hung on the roof and sides of the church, and spread over the floor,-- it was then adorned with festoons formed of branches of cedar and pine. Smet, Pierre. ''Origin, Progress, and Prospects of the Catholic Mission to the Rocky Mountains''. Fairfield, Washington: Ye Origin Galleon Press, 1972. pp. 5-6.

Nicolas Point's plan included houses with lawns. They were built in harmony with that plan although it made the village open to attacks. A palisade shielded the church. The first communion was at Easter 1842. At this time, Chief Victor held the position as principal representative for the Bitterroot Salish. Father Anthony Ravalli joined the mission in 1845. He inoculated the Indians against

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

and ran the dispensary. In 1846, the fields yielded 7,000 bushels of wheat and a considerable quantum of garden crops. However, by this time many Salish Indians had turned their backs to the mission and slowly, took up their former lifestyle. They felt betrayed by the establishment of a mission at Colville for the

Blackfeet The Blackfeet Nation ( bla, Aamsskáápipikani, script=Latn, ), officially named the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana, is a federally recognized tribe of Siksikaitsitapi people with an Indian reservation in Mon ...

, who were their enemies.

The mission was closed and destroyed

Raids by those Blackfeet Indians closed the mission in 1850. The abandoned church was burned to the ground, following the usual practice in such raids. The Jesuits then sold the village to Trader John Owen for 250 dollars, even though it had been built on Salish land.

Reestablishment and changes to the mission

After sixteen years, St. Mary's mission started afresh in 1866. It was relocated a mile south of the first colony. The Catholic Salish attended sermons in the new church and later, settlers in the area would come as well. The church was enlarged in 1879. In October 1891,

Chief Charlo Charlo (also Charlot; Claw of the Little Grizzly or Small Grizzly-Bear Claw) (c. 1830–1910) was head chief of the Bitterroot Salish from 1870 to 1910. Charlo followed a policy of peace with the American settlers in Southwestern Montana and with ...

and the Bitterroot Salish were forced to move to the Jocko Reservation. That was the end of St. Mary's as an Indian mission. In 1921, the church became St. Mary's Parish. In 1953, work began on a new chapel, and with its dedication in 1954, the historic St. Mary's chapel was retired. It underwent restorations in the 1970s and 80s, and the Jesuits' kitchen was reconstructed. In 1996, a visitor center and museum were added. The St. Mary's Mission Historic District was added to the

in 2010.

The mission complex today

The mission complex is open for tours from April through October. The buildings include the chapel with an attached residence, the

infirmary Infirmary may refer to: *Historically, a hospital, especially a small hospital *A first aid room in a school, prison, or other institution *A dispensary (an office that dispenses medications) *A clinic A clinic (or outpatient clinic or ambu ...

, a

dovecote A dovecote or dovecot , doocot ( Scots) or columbarium is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be free-standing structures in a variety of shapes, or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pige ...

, a cabin with Salish artifacts, and a visitor's center that contains a museum, a research library, an art gallery, and a gift shop.

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary's Mission (Montana) 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States American West museums History museums in Montana Museums in Ravalli County, Montana Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Montana Religious buildings and structures completed in 1866 Religious museums in the United States Roman Catholic churches completed in 1866 Roman Catholic churches in Montana 1841 establishments in Montana National Register of Historic Places in Ravalli County, Montana Society of Jesus in the United States