Map of Hudson's Bay Company forts
The Rocky Mountain Mission got off to a rocky start. Father Verhaegen, the leading Jesuit Priest in St. Louis, had wanted to send priests back with the Flatheads beginning as early as 1839, but he sadly lacked the necessary funds to do so. That all changed in 1840 when he was once again flush with money, and that’s why he agreed to send Father Pierre-Jean De Smet west on his first trip to the Rocky Mountains.
He would have eagerly awaited his return, but his eagerness no doubt turned to trepidation as he saw his tidy sum of money begin to disappear on the necessities of St. Louis. By the time De Smet returned, things weren’t as they had once been.
He would have eagerly awaited his return, but his eagerness no doubt turned to trepidation as he saw his tidy sum of money begin to disappear on the necessities of St. Louis. By the time De Smet returned, things weren’t as they had once been.
Show Me the Money
Philadelphia, 1855
The Rocky Mountain Mission was approved in January 1841 and De Smet was chosen as its leader. Unfortunately the money that had been available the year before was now half of what it had previously been. It was agreed that De Smet would travel east to Philadelphia where he’d try to persuade area churches to fund his mission in the wilderness.
His efforts paid off and he even found more funds from generous Catholic churches on his return westward, as well as needed supplies. He accumulated at least $3,340 and possibly more, a tidy sum for the time. It was enough to convince Father Verhaegen to give his final stamp of approval for the mission. Now it was time to formulate exactly what the goals of this Rocky Mountain Mission were.
His efforts paid off and he even found more funds from generous Catholic churches on his return westward, as well as needed supplies. He accumulated at least $3,340 and possibly more, a tidy sum for the time. It was enough to convince Father Verhaegen to give his final stamp of approval for the mission. Now it was time to formulate exactly what the goals of this Rocky Mountain Mission were.
De Smet’s Missionary Goals
Fort Vancouver, 1845
De Smet decided on four main goals in travelling to the Rocky Mountains. First, establish a permanent mission among the Indian tribes living there. Second, write descriptive letters of faith that would both uplift and inform. Third, make contact with the Hudson’s Bay Company and Father Blanchet who was staying with them in Oregon. Finally, De Smet wanted to find reliable travelling routes between his permanent mission in the Rocky Mountains and the Hudson’s Bay Company’s three main posts at Forts Colville, Walla Walla, and Vancouver.
De Smet wasn’t alone on his foray into the wilderness; he had with him Father Gregory Mengarini, Father Nicolas Point, and three fellow Jesuit missionaries, Charles Huet, Joseph Specht, and William Claessens. No doubt the three men were chosen for their abilities with wood and metalworking, and the two priests for their abilities with languages and medicine. They began what would become the very first permanent white settlement with little more than five carts and wagons of supplies, a few horses and mules, their faith, and their determination.
De Smet wasn’t alone on his foray into the wilderness; he had with him Father Gregory Mengarini, Father Nicolas Point, and three fellow Jesuit missionaries, Charles Huet, Joseph Specht, and William Claessens. No doubt the three men were chosen for their abilities with wood and metalworking, and the two priests for their abilities with languages and medicine. They began what would become the very first permanent white settlement with little more than five carts and wagons of supplies, a few horses and mules, their faith, and their determination.
Notes
Baumler, Ellen. Montana Moments: History on the Go. Montana Historical Society Press: Helena, 2010. p 125.
Carriker, Robert C. Father Peter John De Smet: Jesuit in the West. University of Oklahoma Press: Norman, 1995. p 31-64.
“History of St. Mary’s.” Historic St. Mary’s Mission & Museum. Web. Retrieved 7 June 2013 from Stmarysmission.org: http://www.saintmarysmission.org/history.html
Malone, Michael Peter; Roeder, Richard B.; Lang, William L. Montana: A History of Two Centuries. The University of Washington Press, 1976. p 62-3.
McLynne, Frank. Wagons West: The Epic Story of America’s Overland Trails. Random House: London, 2002. p 58-78.
"Pierre Jean De Smet." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004. Retrieved June 07, 2013 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3404701747.html
Toole, K. Ross. Montana: An Uncommon Land. University of Oklahoma Press: Norman, 1959. p 57-61.
Baumler, Ellen. Montana Moments: History on the Go. Montana Historical Society Press: Helena, 2010. p 125.
Carriker, Robert C. Father Peter John De Smet: Jesuit in the West. University of Oklahoma Press: Norman, 1995. p 31-64.
“History of St. Mary’s.” Historic St. Mary’s Mission & Museum. Web. Retrieved 7 June 2013 from Stmarysmission.org: http://www.saintmarysmission.org/history.html
Malone, Michael Peter; Roeder, Richard B.; Lang, William L. Montana: A History of Two Centuries. The University of Washington Press, 1976. p 62-3.
McLynne, Frank. Wagons West: The Epic Story of America’s Overland Trails. Random House: London, 2002. p 58-78.
"Pierre Jean De Smet." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004. Retrieved June 07, 2013 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3404701747.html
Toole, K. Ross. Montana: An Uncommon Land. University of Oklahoma Press: Norman, 1959. p 57-61.
