GUIDE TO CATHOLIC RECORDS ABOUT NATIVE AMERICANS IN THE U.S.
Volume 3: Western United States
Montana: MT-35
St. Mary Church
333 Charlos Street
Stevensville, MT 59870
Phone: 406-777-5574
History: St. Mary Church, Stevensville, Ravalli County, Montana, was once a predominantly Native American (Salish) parish in the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings (Archives: Great Falls).
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Since ca. 1820s |
The Northwest Fur Company employed lay Iroquois Catholics from Canada who intermarried and catechized among the Salish Indians |
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1831, 1834, 1837, and 1841 |
Four delegations of Salish, Iroquois, and Nez Perce Indians attempted to reach and request Jesuit missionaries the Bishop of St. Louis; only the first and fourth delegations reached St. Louis to make their requests whereas the others were killed in route by Indians from enemy tribes. Narcisse and Paul, two Salish Indians of the first delegation, died in 1831 and were buried in the St. Louis cemetery |
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1841-1850 (closed) |
In response to the fourth request, Rev. Pierre-Jean De Smet, S.J., visited the Northwest tribes in 1840-1841, and with other Jesuits (Turin, Province, Italy), he established St. Mary’s Mission and Academy (Salish) |
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1865-1866 |
Jesuits reopened and attended St. Mary’s from St. Ignatius |
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1866-1888 |
Jesuits administered St. Mary’s Mission and Academy |
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1891 |
Chief Charlo and the Salish Indians moved to the Flathead/ Jocko Reservation |
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1891-1904 |
Helena diocesan priests administered St. Mary’s |
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1904-present |
Great Falls-Billings diocesan priests have administered St. Mary’s |
Jesuits at St. Mary’s had attended to St. Francis Borgia station (Kalispel), Flathead Lake, Flathead Reservation, Montana, 1850-1853.
Holdings of Catholic records about Native Americans:
Inclusive dates: 1877-1937
Volume: Several records within several volumes
Description: Sacramental records (e.g. baptisms, marriages, burials) for Native American parishioners of St. Mary Church.
Unless otherwise noted, the repository on this page holds (or held) the records described here and they are not held at the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Archives.
new2006/rev2020
