hundred wigwams. This tribe is one of the most formidable enemies of
the Black-Feet, and continually encroaches upon the territory of its
adversaries. The preceding year they carried off more than six hundred
horses. The actual limit of the country {170} they traverse extends
from the bases of the Rocky Mountains, between the two forks of the
Sascatshawin, some distance beyond the Red River. Their turbulent and
warlike spirit, and rapacity for plunder, especially for horses, are
among the great obstacles which retard the conversion of the larger
portion of this tribe.
The example of their brethren, who listen with docility to the
exhortations of their zealous and indefatigable missionary will, we
trust, produce fruit in due time, and be imitated by the entire nation.
To give you an idea of their military discipline, and of the profound
superstition in which these unfortunate people are still immersed, I will
relate to you some of their proceedings.
The Crees were meditating a deadly stroke upon the Black-Feet, and for
this purpose they collected all their ready forces, amounting to more
than eight hundred warriors. Before setting out in quest of the enemy,
every species of juggling and witchcraft imaginable was resorted to, in
order to secure the success of the expedition. It was decided that a
young girl, with a bandage over her eyes, should be placed at the head of
the Indian army, and thus blindfold, serve as a guide to the combatants.
In case {171} of success, the heroine was destined to become the bride
of the most valiant. According to the Oracle, none but the great _chief_
himself had the privilege of shoeing or unshoeing her.
This concluded, they began their march, intoxicated with confidence
and presumption, following this extraordinary guide over the hills and
valleys, ravines, marshes, and swamps. One day she would direct her
steps towards the north, the next to the south or west—the point of the
compass mattered naught—the Manitou of war was supposed to guide her,
and day after day the infatuated Crees continued to follow the steps of
the blindfolded Indian. They had already penetrated far into the plain,
when they were discovered by a party of seven Black-feet. The latter
might easily have escaped under favor of the night, but the Partisan,
or Black-foot Chieftain, a man of undaunted courage, determined to
oppose this formidable force. With the aid of their poniards they made
themselves a hollow, in which they took shelter.
The following morning, at day-break, the eight hundred champions
surrounded their feeble prey. The first who pressed forward to dislodge
them were driven back several times, with the loss of seven men and
fifteen wounded. The failure of {172} ammunition at length put the
Black-feet at the mercy of the Crees, by whom they were cut into pieces.
The first engagement threw the victorious party into consternation, for
they too numbered seven killed and fifteen wounded. They removed the
bandage from the young heroine’s eyes, and the _Manitous_ whom they had
thought so propitious, being now judged unfavorable to their warlike
projects, the warriors hastily dispersed, taking the nearest road back to
their respective homes.
The Crees have rather a singular custom among them, and one contrary to
the practice of other nations. They stain the faces of the warriors who
fall in combat, clothe them in their richest ornaments, and thus expose
them in places conspicuous to their enemies. They place near them their
guns, bows and arrows, to show that in their death there was no cause
for compassion; and this they do purposely that they may be cut into
pieces—an opportunity which an enemy never suffers to escape, and which
a Cree warrior regards as the height of his wishes. Other nations, on
the contrary, carry off and conceal their dead, to save them from the
rapacity and insults of their enemies, and to be cut into pieces, even
after death, is {173} considered a great dishonor among them.—The Crees
and _Sauteux_ are allies, and considerably intermixed by reciprocal
marriages. The latter form the most numerous and widely-diffused nation
of these parts.—They are to be met with from the confines of Lower Canada
even to the foot of the Rocky Mountains.[242]
This is also the nation of medicine, _par excellence_:—for all pretend
to be jugglers, and sell their medicines and quackery at a high price.
In consequence of this attachment to their old, superstitious practices,
and the great profits they derive from them, the seed of the Divine Word
has hitherto fallen upon an unprofitable soil. An adroit impostor who has
been baptized, and who is, moreover, a great medicine man among them, has
contributed not a little to keep his nation in an obstinate ignorance,
which makes them prefer the shades of paganism to the beneficial light of
the gospel. Falling one day into a species of lethargy, it was thought
that he had expired—but recovering after a short time, he assembled his
band, and told them the following story:
“Immediately after my death I repaired to the heaven of the white man,
or Christians, where the Great Spirit and Jesus Christ dwell, {174}
but they refused to admit me on account of my red skin. I then went to
the country where the souls of my ancestors are, and there, too, I was
refused admittance on account of my baptism. I am, therefore, come back
to this earth, to renounce the promises I made in baptism and resume my
medicine bag, hoping to expiate my former error by my sincere attachment
to jugglery, and thus render myself once more worthy of the beautiful
and spacious plains of that happy and delightful abode, where reigns
everlasting spring, and numberless flocks and herds afford an abundant
and everlasting subsistence to all the inhabitants of the Indian Elysium.”
This extravagant report which has been circulated throughout the whole
tribe and among the neighboring people, has greatly contributed to attach
them to their old customs and superstitions,—and make them turn a deaf
ear to the instructions of their worthy missionary.
The Rev. Mr. Belcourt has, notwithstanding, succeeded in converting a
considerable number, whom he has persuaded to renounce the illusions of
their brethren, and united in a village at St. Paul des Sauteux, where
they persevere fervently in all the practices of religion. The {175}
number of faithful, in this spot, increases every year.[243]
At length, on the 25th October, thirteen Black-Feet arrived at the
Fort. They saluted me with a politeness truly _à la sauvage_, rough and
cordial, at the same time. The old chief embraced me quite tenderly
when he learned the object of my journey. He was distinguished from his
companions by his dress—being decorated from head to foot with eagles’
plumes, and wearing a large breast-plate in form of medallion, _figured
with blue_, as a mark of distinction. He was profuse in attention to
me, making me sit beside him whenever I went to visit them in their
apartment—shaking me affectionately by the hand and amicably rubbing
my cheeks with his scarlet-painted nose. He cordially invited me to his
country, offering to be my guide and to introduce me to his people. The
difference of physiognomy existing between the Indians inhabiting the
plains east of the mountains and those near the upper waters of the
Columbia, is as great as the stupendous rocks that separate them. The
latter are remarkable for their mildness, serenity and affability, while
cruelty, craft—the word BLOOD, in fine, may be read in every feature of
the Black-Foot Indian. {176} Scarcely could an innocent hand be found in
the whole nation. The Lord, however, is all powerful—“from stones he can
raise up children unto Abraham,” and, full of confidence in the treasures
of His holy grace and mercies, I purpose to visit them. The essential
point and my greatest perplexity is, to find a good and faithful
interpreter; the only one now at the Fort is a suspicious and dangerous
man:[244] all his employers speak ill of him—he makes fine promises. In
the alternative of either renouncing my project or being of some utility
to those poor, unfortunate Indians, I accept his services. May he be
faithful to his engagement!
I have the honor to be, monseigneur, your very humble and very obedient
servant in Jesus Christ,
_P. J. De Smet, S. J._
No. XIII
A. M. D. G.
Fort of the Mountains, October 30th, 1845.
The year 1845 will be a memorable epoch in the sad annals of the
Black-Feet nation. It has been a year of disasters. In two skirmishes
with the Flat-heads and Kalispels, they lost twenty-one warriors. The
Crees have carried off a great number of their horses, and twenty-seven
scalps. The Crows have struck them a mortal blow—fifty families, the
entire band of the _petite Robe_, were lately massacred, and one hundred
and sixty women and children have been led into captivity.[245]
What a dreadful state for these unfortunate beings. In the first
excitement, numbers of the captives were sacrificed by the Crow squaws
to the manes of their husbands, brothers, fathers, or children. The
survivors were condemned to slavery. The smallpox shortly after made its
appearance in the conquerors’ camp, and spread {178} rapidly from lodge
to lodge. The Black-Feet had suffered from this scourge a few years
previous, and thousands had fallen victims to it.
The Crows, therefore, interrogated their captives to know by what means
they had escaped death. A dark spirit of vengeance seized the latter;
they counselled cold baths as the only efficacious remedy, to stop the
progress of the disease. The sick immediately plunged into the water, and
mothers went to the river to bathe their little children. Some plunged
into their graves; others gave up their last sigh while endeavoring to
reach the shore—and disconsolate mothers returned to their cabins with
dead or expiring infants in their arms. Cries of despair succeeded to the
shouts of victory—desolation and mourning replaced the fanatic, barbarous
joy of the Crows. Death visited every tent of the victorious camp!
The tradition of man’s creation and future immortality exists among
most of the Indian tribes; I have had the opportunity of visiting and
questioning them on the subject. Those who live by fishery, suppose their
Heaven to be full of lakes and rivers, abounding in fish, whose enchanted
shores and verdant islands produce fruits of every kind.
{179} I encamped on the banks of two lakes to the east of the Rocky
Mountains, which the Black-Feet call the _lake of men_ and the _lake of
women_. According to their traditions, from the first of these issued
a band of young men, handsome and vigorous, but poor and naked. From
the second an equal number of ingenious and industrious young women,
who constructed and made themselves clothing. They lived a long time
separate and unknown to each other, until the great Manitou Wizakeschak,
or the old man, (still invoked by the Black-Feet,) visited them; he
taught them to slay animals in the chase, but they were yet ignorant of
the art of dressing skins. Wizakeschak conducted them to the dwelling
of the young women, who received their guests with dances and cries of
joy. Shoes, leggins, shirts, and robes, garnished with porcupine quills,
were presented them. Each young woman selected her guest, and presented
him with a dish of seeds and roots; the men, desiring to contribute to
the entertainment, sought the chase, and returned loaded with game. The
women liked the meat, and admired the strength, skill, and bravery of
the hunters. The men were equally delighted with the beauty of their
trappings, and admired the industry of the women. {180} Both parties
began to think they were necessary to each other, and Wizakeschak
presided at the solemn compact in which it was agreed that the men
should become the protectors of the women, and provide all necessaries
for their support: whilst all other family cares should devolve upon the
women.
The Black-Feet squaws often bitterly complain of the astonishing folly of
their mothers in accepting such a proposition; declaring, if the compact
were yet to be made, they would arrange it in a very different manner.
The Black-Foot heaven is a country composed of _sandy hills_, which they
call _Espatchekie_, whither the soul goes after death, and where they
will find again all the animals they have killed, and all the horses
they have stolen. The buffalo, hind, and stag, abound there. In speaking
of the departed, a Black-Foot never says, such a one is dead, but
_Espatchekie etape_—to the _Sand hills_ he is gone.
Fort Auguste, on the Saschatshawin, December 31st, 1846.
MONSEIGNEUR,—I arranged with the thirteen Black-Feet of whom I spoke in
my last, that {181} they should precede me among their people, to pave
the way, as it were, and prepare their minds to receive me.—Everything
seemed propitious, and accordingly, on the 31st of October, I took leave
of the friendly Mr. Harriot. I was accompanied by my interpreter, a young
Metif of the Cree nation, who had charge of the horses. Notwithstanding
his good resolutions, my interpreter did not long leave me in doubt of
his true character. The wolf cannot remain concealed beneath the sheep’s
clothing. He became sullen and peevish, always choosing to halt in those
places where the poor beasts of burden could find nothing to eat, after
their long day’s journey. The farther we penetrated into the desert, the
more and more sulky he became. It was impossible to draw from him a
single pleasant word, and his incoherent mutterings and allusions became
subjects of serious apprehension. Thus passed ten sorrowful days; my last
two nights had been nights of anxiety and watching; when fortunately, I
encountered a Canadian, on whom I prevailed to remain with me some time.
The following day my interpreter disappeared. Although my situation was
extremely precarious in this dangerous desert, without interpreter,
without guide, {182} yet I could not but feel relieved of a heavy burden
by the departure of this sullen and gloomy fellow. Had it not been for
my opportune meeting with the Canadian, it is probable I should not have
escaped his deep laid scheme against me.
Friends and travellers in the desert, beware of choosing for your guide,
or placing your dependence on a morose Metif, especially if he has been
for some time a resident among the savages; for such men usually possess
all the faults of the white man joined to the cunning of the Indian. I
determined to continue my route in search of a Canadian interpreter, whom
we understood was some distance in advance of us on the same road. For
eight successive days we wandered on in that labyrinth of valleys, but
in vain; although in the heart of their territory, neither the Canadian
nor the Black-Feet were to be found. Large marauding parties of the Crees
were beating the country at that time, and it appeared evident from the
tracks, that they had carried everything before them. It snowed without
intermission during four days;—our poor horses were nearly exhausted—my
wallet contained nothing but crumbs—the passage from the east to the
western {183} side of the mountains was become impracticable, and I had
no alternative, but to repair to one of the forts of the Hudson Bay
Company, and beg hospitality during the inclement season.
The entire region in the vicinity of the first eastern chain of the Rocky
Mountains, serving as their base for thirty or sixty miles, is extremely
fertile, abounding in forests, plains, prairies, lakes, streams, and
mineral springs. The rivers and streams are innumerable, and on every
side offer situations favorable for the construction of mills. The
northern and southern branches of the Sascatshawin water the district
I have traversed, for a distance of about three hundred miles. Forests
of pine, cypress, thorn, poplar and aspen trees, as well as others of
different kinds, occupy a large portion of it, covering the declivities
of the mountains, and banks of the rivers.
These, ordinarily, take their rise in the highest chains, whence they
issue in every direction like so many veins. The beds and sides of
these rivers are pebbly, and their courses rapid, but as they recede
from the mountains they widen, and the currents lose something of their
impetuosity. Their waters are usually very clear. In this climate wens
are not unfrequent. {184} The country would be capable of supporting a
large population, and the soil is favorable for the produce of barley,
corn, potatoes, and beans, which grow here as well as in the more
southern countries.
Are these vast and innumerable fields of hay forever destined to be
consumed by fire, or perish in the autumnal snows? How long shall these
superb forests be the haunts of wild beasts? And these inexhaustible
quarries, these abundant mines of coal, lead, sulphur, iron, copper, and
saltpetre—can it be that they are doomed to remain for ever inactive?
Not so—the day will come when some laboring hand will give them value:
a strong, active, and enterprising people are destined to fill this
spacious void.—The wild beasts will, ere long, give place to our domestic
animals; flocks and herds will graze in the beautiful meadows that
border the numberless mountains, hills, valleys, and plains of this
extensive region. A large portion of the surface of the country is
covered with artificial lakes, formed by the beavers. On our way, we had
frequently occasion to remark, with wonder and admiration, the extent and
height of their ingeniously constructed dams and solid lodges. These are
remains of the admirable {185} little republics, concerning which so many
wonders have justly been recorded. Not more than half a century ago, such
was the number of beavers in this region, that a good hunter could kill a
hundred in a month’s space.
I reached Fort Augustus or Edmondton towards the close of the year. Its
respectable Commandant, the worthy Mr. Rowan, received me with all the
tenderness of a father, and together with his inestimable family, showed
me every kindness and attention.[246] Never shall I have it in my power
to cancel the debt of gratitude I owe them.—May heaven protect and repay
them with its choice blessings; such is the most sincere prayer of a poor
priest, who will ever remember them.
I must await a more favorable moment for visiting the Black-Feet. The
skirmishing parties appear to be still scouring the country. The tidings
which reach us concerning them tell only of plunder and bloodshed.
Meanwhile, I have the honor of being, with profound respect and esteem,
Monseigneur, your very humble and obedient servant in Jesus Christ,
_P. J. [De] Smet, S. J._
No. XIV
A. M. D. G.
Fort Jasper, April 16th, 1846.
MONSEIGNEUR,—Fort Edmondton or Auguste is the great emporium of
the Hudson Bay Company in the districts of Upper Sascatshawin and
Athabasca:[247] Forts Jasper, Assiniboine, Little Slave Lake, on the
river Athabasca,[248] Forts des Montagnes, Pitt, Carrollton, Cumberland,
on the Sascatshawin, depend on it.[249] The respectable and worthy Mr.
Rowan, Governor of this immense district, unites, to all the amiable
and polite qualities of a perfect gentleman, those of a sincere and
hospitable friend; his goodness and paternal tenderness render him a true
patriarch amidst his charming and numerous family. He is esteemed and
venerated by all the surrounding tribes, and though advanced in age, he
possesses extraordinary activity.
The number of servants at Edmondton, including children, is about eighty.
They form a {187} well-regulated family. Besides a large garden, a
field of potatoes and wheat, belonging to the establishment, the lakes,
forests, and plains of the neighborhood furnish provisions in abundance.
On my arrival at the Fort, the ice-house contained thirty thousand white
fish, each weighing four pounds, and five hundred buffaloes, the ordinary
amount of the winter provisions. Such is the quantity of aquatic birds in
the season, that sportsmen often send to the Fort carts full of fowls.
Eggs are picked up by thousands in the straw and reeds of the marshes.
The greater number of those employed being Catholics, I found sufficient
occupation. Every morning I catechized the children, and gave an
instruction; in the evening, after the labors of the day, I recited the
prayers for the honorable Commander and his servants. I must acknowledge,
to the credit of the inhabitants of Edmondton, that their assiduity and
attention to religious duties, and the kindness and respectful regard
evinced for me, were a source of great consolation during my sojourn of
two months among them. May God, who has granted them so liberally and
plentifully the dews of the earth, enrich them likewise with those of
Heaven; {188} such is the most sincere wish and prayer of a friend who
will never forget them.
I visited Lake St. Anne, the ordinary residence of Messrs. Thibault and
Bourassa; the latter gentleman was absent. The distance from the fort to
the lake is about fifty miles. I mentioned this interesting mission in my
preceding letters, and I will now say a word relative to the country.—The
surface of this region is flat for the most part, undulating in some
places—diversified with forests and meadows, and lakes teeming with fish.
In Lake St. Anne alone were caught, last autumn, more than seventy
thousand white fish, the most delicious of the kind; they are taken with
the line at every season of the year.
Notwithstanding the rigor and duration of the winter in this northern
region, the earth in general appears fertile; vegetation is so forward
in the spring and summer, that potatoes, wheat and barley, together with
other vegetables of Canada, come to maturity. Lake Saint Anne forms
one of a chain of lakes; I counted eleven of them, which flow into the
Sascatshawin by the small river Esturgeons, or _Sturgeon_. Innumerable
republics of beavers formerly existed there; each lake, each marsh, each
river, {189} bears, even to this day, proofs of their labors. What I here
say of beavers is applicable to almost all the Hudson territory. When
the reindeer, buffalo, and moose abounded, the Crees were then peaceful
possessors;—animals have disappeared, and with them the ancient lords of
the country. Scarcely do we meet with a solitary hut—but now and then the
tracks of some large animal. Seventeen families of Metifs, descendants of
English Canadians and savages, have assembled and settled around their
missionaries. The Crees have gained the buffalo plains, and they contend
for them with the Black-Feet, whose mortal foes they have become.
In proportion as the rigors of winter began to give place to the cheering
dawn of spring, simultaneously did my pulse beat to approach near the
mountain, there to await a favorable opportunity to cross it, so that I
might arrive as early as possible at the mission of St. Ignatius.
The 12th of March, I bade farewell to the respectable Rowan family,
and to all the servants of the Fort. I was accompanied by three brave
Metifs, whom Mr. Thibault was so kind as to procure me. At this season,
the whole country lies buried in snow, and voyages are {190} made in
sledges drawn by dogs. Our provisions and baggage were conveyed in two
of these sledges; the third, drawn by four dogs, was reserved for me. I
found this mode of travelling quite a novelty; and on the glittering ice
of the rivers and lakes, it was particularly convenient and agreeable.
The third day we encamped near Lake de l’Aigle Noir, which abounds in
white fish; on the sixth, we arrived at Fort Assiniboine,[250] built in a
meadow on the river Athabasca, where it is two hundred and thirty-three
fathoms broad, which breadth it seems to preserve more or less until it
leaves the Rocky Mountains, its current is extremely rapid. In the spring
it can be descended in three days from Fort Jasper to Fort Assiniboine,
a distance of more than three hundred miles. With our sledges we were
nine days accomplishing the journey. The bed of the river is studded
with islands, which, by their various positions and features, render the
prospect very agreeable. Its shores are covered with thick forests of
pine intersecting rocks and high hills which embellish and give a touch
of the picturesque to the general monotony of the desert.
The principal branches are the Pembina, which measures four hundred and
sixty-four {191} feet across—the river des Avirons, one hundred and
twenty-eight feet; the river Des Gens Libres, the branch McCloud, and
river Baptist Berland, are about eighty fathoms wide at their mouth. The
rivers Du Vieux, du Milieu, des Prairies, and des Roches, form beautiful
currents.[251] Lake Jasper, eight miles in length, is situated at the
base of the first great mountain chain. The fort of the same name,
and the second lake, are twenty miles higher, and in the heart of the
mountains.[252] The rivers Violin and Medicine on the southern side, and
the Assiniboine on the northern, must be crossed to arrive there,[253]
and to reach the height of land at the _du Committees Punch Bowl_, we
crossed the rivers Maline, Gens de Colets, Miette and Trou, which we
ascended to its source.[254] The river Medicine mingles its waters with
those of the Sascatshawin; the Assiniboine and Gens de Lolets with those
of the Boucane, a tributary of a la Paix.[255] The waters of the Miette,
have their source at the same height, with some branches of the river
Frazer, which crosses New Caledonia.[256]
Some years since, the valleys and high forests of Athabasca were
exclusively appropriated to the chase by the Assiniboines of the forests:
{192} the scarcity of game forced them to quit their land—since their
departure the animals have increased in an astonishing manner. In various
places on the river, we saw ravages of the beavers which I should have
taken for recent encampments of savages, so great a quantity of felled
trees was there. Many wandering families of the carrier tribe and
Achiganes or Sock Indians of New Caledonia,[257] compelled by hunger,
have quitted their country, traversed the last of the mountains, and
now cross the valleys of this region in quest of food. They nourish
themselves with roots, and whatever they can catch, many of them have
their teeth worn to the gums by the earth and sand they swallow with
their nourishment. In winter they fare well: for then the moose, elk and
reindeer are plentiful. The reindeer feed on a kind of white moss, and
the paunch is considered delicious when the food is half digested. By way
of a dainty morsel, the Indians pluck out the eyes of fish with the end
of the fingers and swallow them raw, likewise the tripes with their whole
contents, without further ceremony than placing them an instant on the
coals, from thence into the omnibus or general reservoir, without even
undergoing the operation of the jaws.
{193} The Montagnees Indians[258] inhabit the lower part of Athabasca,
also the great lake of this name.[259] The elk is very common, and the
reindeer are found in large bands; the chase of the latter is both easy
and singular. They regularly bend their course northward in autumn, and
return towards the south in the spring. The Indians know their usual
crossing-places over the lakes and rivers—and when the herd (often many
hundreds in number) are in the water, and approach the opposite shore,
the huntsmen leave their concealment, jump into their light canoes, and
yell with all their strength to make them return to the centre; there
they harass them, continually driving them from the shore, until the
poor animals become exhausted; then begins the work of carnage; they are
killed without difficulty by daggers and darts, and it rarely happens
that one effects his escape. They cover their huts and dress themselves
with the skins of the reindeer. Lakes and marshes being so numerous in
this country, swans, geese, bustards, and ducks of various species, come
hither in thousands during the spring and autumn. The savages travel
over these marshy places in _Rackets_ in quest of eggs, on which they
mostly subsist during this season. Often squares of {194} several acres
are found covered with nests. White fish, carp, trout, and unknown fish,
abound in all these lakes and rivers.
Two missionaries, a Father of the order of Oblats of Marseilles and a
Canadian priest, are on the way, with the intention of penetrating into
the interior of the country. The reception given to Mr. Thibault last
summer by the Montagnees, leaves little doubt of the happy results of
this praiseworthy and holy enterprise.[260] On the banks of the Jasper,
we met an old Iroquois called Louis Kwaragkwante, or the travelling sun,
accompanied by his family, thirty-six in number. He has been forty years
absent from his country, during which he has never seen a priest—has
dwelt in the forest of Athabasca on Peace river and subsisted by hunting
and fishing. The good old man was overwhelmed with joy, and the children
experienced a similar feeling with their father. I will give you the old
man’s words in English, on learning that I was a priest: “How glad I am
to have come here, for I have not seen a priest for many years. To-day I
behold a priest, as I did in my own country-my heart rejoices—wherever
you go I shall follow you with my children-all will hear the word of
prayer-all will have the happiness {195} to receive baptism.—Therefore
my heart rejoices and is happy.” The little Iroquois camp immediately
set out to follow me to Fort Jasper. Most of them know their prayers in
Iroquois. I remained fifteen days at the Fort, instructing them in the
duties of religion—after Mass, on Sunday, all were regenerated in the
waters of baptism, and seven marriages renewed and blessed. The number
of baptized amounted to forty-four; among whom was the lady of Mr.
Frazer, (Superintendent of the Fort), and four of his children and two
servants.[261]
I have the honor to be, with the most profound respect and high regard,
Monseigneur, your very humble and obedient servant in Jesus Christ,
_P. J. De Smet, S. J._
No. XV
A. M. D. G.
Foot of the Great Glaciere, at the Source of
the Athabasca, May 6th, 1846.
MONSEIGNEUR—Provisions becoming scarce at the Fort, at the moment when
we had with us a considerable number of Iroquois from the surrounding
country, who were resolved to remain until my departure, in order
to assist at the instructions, we should have found ourselves in an
embarrassing situation had not Mr. Frazer come to our relief, by
proposing that we should leave the Fort and accompany himself and family
to the Lake of Islands, where we could subsist partly on fish.[262] As
the distance was not great, we accepted this invitation, and set out to
the number of fifty-four persons, and twenty dogs. I count the latter,
because we were as much obliged to provide for them, as for ourselves. A
little note of the game killed by our hunters during the twenty-six days
of {197} our abode at this place, will perhaps afford you some interest;
at least, it will make you acquainted with the animals of the country,
and prove that the mountaineers of Athabasca are blessed with good
appetites. Animals killed—twelve moose deer, two reindeer, thirty large
mountain sheep or big horn, two porcupines, two hundred and ten hares,
one beaver, two muskrats, twenty-four bustards, one hundred and fifteen
ducks, twenty-one pheasants, one snipe, one eagle, one owl; add to this
from thirty to fifty fine white fish every day and twenty trout, and then
judge whether or not our people had reason to complain; yet we heard them
constantly saying; “How hard living is here? The country is miserably
poor—we are obliged to fast.”
As the time approached at which I was to leave my new children in Christ,
they earnestly begged leave to honor me, before my departure, with a
little ceremony to prove their attachment, and that their children might
always remember him who had first put them in the way of life. Each
one discharged his musket in the direction of the highest mountain, a
large rock jutting out in the form of a sugar loaf, and with three loud
hurrahs gave it my name. {198} This mountain is more than 14,000 feet
high, and is covered with perpetual snow.
On the 25th April, I bade farewell to my kind friend Mr. Frazer, and his
amiable children, who had treated me with every mark of attention and
kindness.
All the men in the camp insisted on honoring me with an escort, and
accompanied me a distance of ten miles. Here we separated, each one
affectionately pressed my hand—mutual good wishes were exchanged—tears
flowed on both sides—and I was left with my companions in one of those
wild ravines where nothing meets the eye, but ranges of gloomy mountains
rising on all sides, like so many impassable barriers.
Upper Athabasca is, unquestionably, the most elevated part of North
America. All its mountains are prodigious, and their rocky and snow-capt
summits seem to lose themselves in the clouds. At this season, immense
masses of snow often become loosened and roll down the mountains’ sides
with a terrific noise, that resounds throughout these quiet solitudes
like distant thunder—so irresistible is the velocity of their descent,
that they frequently carry with them enormous fragments of rock, and
force a {199} passage through the dense forests which cover the base of
the mountain. At each hour, the noise of ten avalanches descending at
once, breaks upon the ear; on every side we see them precipitated with a
frightful rapidity.
From these mountains, the majestic river of the north, the upper branch
of the Sascatshawin, the two great forks of the McKenzie, the Athabasca
and Peace rivers, the Columbia, and Frazer at the west, derive the
greater part of their waters.
In the neighborhood of the Miette river, we fell in with one of those
poor families of Porteurs or “Itoaten,” of New Caledonia, of whom I
spoke to you in a former letter; they saw us from the summit of the
mountain that overlooks the valley through which we were passing, and
perceiving we were whites, hastened down to meet us. They appeared
overjoyed at seeing us, particularly when they discovered that I was a
Black-gown; they crowded around me, and begged me to baptize them with
an earnestness that affected me to tears, though I was able to grant
this favor to only two of their smallest children, the others required
instruction, but there was no interpreter. I exhorted them to return soon
to their own country, where they {200} would find a Black-gown (Father
Nobili) who would instruct them. They made the sign of the cross, recited
some prayers in their own language, and sang several hymns with great
apparent devotion. The condition of these people seemed very wretched;
they had no clothes but a few rags and some pieces of skins, and yet,
notwithstanding their extreme poverty, they laid at my feet the mountain
sheep they had just killed.
The history of a poor young woman, one of their number, deserves to be
recorded, as it affords a lively picture of the dangers and afflictions
to which these unfortunate people are often exposed. When she was about
fifteen years of age, her father, mother, and brothers, together with
another family of her nation, were surprised in the wood by a party
of Assiniboine warriors, and massacred without mercy. At the time of
this horrid scene, the young girl was in another part of the forest
with her two sisters, both younger than herself; they succeeded in
concealing themselves, and thus escaped falling into the hands of the
assassins. The hapless orphan wandered about the desert for two years,
without meeting any human being, subsisting on roots, wild fruits, and
porcupines. {201} In winter she sheltered herself in the abandoned den
of a bear. The sisters left her at the end of the first year, since which
they have never been heard of. At length, after three years, she was
fortunately found by a good Canadian, who took her home, provided her
with comfortable food and clothing, and six months after restored her to
her tribe.
We resumed our journey the following day, and arrived about nightfall on
the banks of the Athabaska, at the spot called the “Great Crossing.” Here
we deviated from the course of that river, and entered the valley de la
Fourche du Trou.[263]
As we approached the highlands the snow became much deeper. On the 1st
of May, we reached the great Bature, which has all the appearance of a
lake just drained of its waters. Here we pitched our tent to await the
arrival of the people from Columbia, who always pass by this route on the
way to Canada and York Factory. Not far from the place of our encampment,
we found a new object of surprise and admiration. An immense mountain of
pure ice, 1,500 feet high, enclosed between two enormous rocks. So great
is the transparency of this beautiful ice, that we can easily distinguish
{202} objects in it to the depth of more than six feet. One would say, by
its appearance, that in some sudden and extraordinary swell of the river,
immense icebergs had been forced between these rocks, and had there piled
themselves on one another, so as to form this magnificent glacier. What
gives some color of probability to this conjecture is, that on the other
side of the glacier, there is a large lake of considerable elevation.
From the base of this gigantic iceberg, the river Trou takes its rise.
The people of Columbia have just arrived. I must therefore take this
present opportunity, the only one I shall have for a long time, of
sending you my letters, and before closing this, permit me again to
recommend myself and all my missions to your holy sacrifices and fervent
prayers.[264]
Meantime, I have the honor to be, with the most sincere respect and
esteem, Monseigneur, your very humble and obedient servant in Jesus
Christ,
_P. J. De Smet, S. J._
No. XVI
A. M. D. G.
Boat Encampment on the Columbia, May 10th, 1846.
VERY REV. AND DEAR FATHER PROVINCIAL:—By my last letter to the
distinguished Prelate of New-York, in which I gave my different
missionary excursions during 1845-46 among several tribes of the Rocky
Mountains, you have learned that I had arrived at the base of the Great
Glacier, the source of the river _du Trou_, which is a tributary of
the Athabaska, or Elk river. I will now give to your reverence the
continuation of my arduous and difficult journey across the main chain
of the Rocky Mountains, and down the Columbia, on my return to my dear
brethren in Oregon.
Towards the evening of the 6th of May, we discovered, at the distance
of about three miles, the approach of two men in snow shoes, who soon
joined us. They proved to be the forerunners {204} of the English Company
which, in the spring of each year, go from Fort Vancouver to York
Factory, situated at the mouth of the river Nelson, near the fifty-eighth
degree north latitude.[265] In the morning my little train was early
ready; we proceeded, and after a march of eight miles we fell in with the
gentlemen of the Hudson Bay Company. The time of our reunion was short,
but interesting and joyful. The great melting of the snow had already
begun, and we were obliged to be on the alert to cross in due time, the
now swelling rapids and rivers. The news between travellers, who meet
in the mountains is quickly conveyed to one another. The leaders of the
company were my old friends, Mr. Ermatinger, of the Honorable Hudson
Bay Company,[266] and two distinguished officers of the English army,
Captains Ward and Vavasseur, whom I had the honor of entertaining last
year at the Great Kalispel lake. Capt. Ward is the gentleman who had the
kindness to take charge of my letters for the States and for Europe.
Fifteen Indians of the Kettle-Fall tribe accompanied him. Many of them
had scaled the mountains with one hundred and fifty pounds weight upon
their backs. The worthy Capt. {205} Ward spoke many things in praise of
them. He admired their honesty and civility, and above all, their sincere
piety and great regularity in their religious duties; every morning and
evening, they were seen retiring a short distance from the camp, to sing
one or two hymns, and join in common prayer. “I hope,” added the Captain,
“I shall never forget the example, which these poor, but good savages,
have given me. During the time that they were with me, I was much struck
by their becoming deportment, and I have never seen more sincere piety
than they exhibited.”
The gentlemen of the English Company were now at the end of their chief
difficulties and troubles. They gladly threw away their snow shoes to
take horses for four days; at Fort Jasper they were to enter skiffs, to
go to Fort Assiniboine, on the river Athabasca. For myself, I had to try
the snow shoes for the first time in my life; by means of them, I had to
ascend those frightful ramparts, the barriers of snow, which separate the
Atlantic world from the Pacific Ocean. I have, in my previous letters,
already told you, that this is probably the most elevated point of the
Rocky Mountains, where five great rivers derive their sources, {206}
viz.: the north-branch of the Sascatshawin, flowing into Lake Winnepeg,
the Athabasca and Peace rivers, uniting and flowing into Great Slave
Lake, which is discharged into the Northern Ocean, by the Mackenzie, the
most solitary of rivers. From the bosom of these mountains the Columbia
and Frazer rivers derive water from a thousand fountains and streams.
We had now seventy miles to travel in snow shoes, in order to reach
the boat encampment on the banks of the Columbia. We proposed to
accomplish this in two days and a half. The most worthy and excellent
Messrs. Rowan and Harriot, whose kindness at the Rocky Mountain House
and Fort Augustus I shall ever acknowledge, were of opinion, that it
was absolutely impossible for me to accomplish the journey, on account
of my heavy mould, and they wished to dissuade me from attempting it.
However, I thought I could remedy the inconvenience of my surplus stock,
by a vigorous fast of thirty days, which I cheerfully underwent. I found
myself much lighter indeed, and started off somewhat encouraged, over
snow sixteen feet deep. We went in single file—alternately ascending and
descending—sometimes across plains piled up with avalanches—sometimes
{207} over lakes and rapids buried deeply under the snow—now, on the side
of a deep mountain—then across a forest of cypress trees, of which we
could only see the tops. I cannot tell you the number of my summersets.
I continually found myself embarrassed by my snow shoes, or entangled in
some branch of a tree. When falling, I spread my arms before me, as one
naturally would do, to break the violence of the fall; and upon deep snow
the danger is not great,—though I was often half buried, when I required
the assistance of my companions, which was always tendered with great
kindness and good humor.
We made thirty miles the first day, and then made preparations to
encamp. Some pine trees were cut down and stripped of their branches,
and these being laid on the snow, furnished us with a bed, whilst a
fire was lighted on a floor of green logs. To sleep thus—under the
beautiful canopy of the starry heavens—in the midst of lofty and steep
mountains—among sweet murmuring rills and roaring torrents—may appear
strange to you, and to all lovers of rooms, rendered comfortable by
stoves and feathers; but you may think differently after having come and
breathed the pure air of the {208} mountains, where in return, coughs
and colds are unknown. Come and make the trial, and you will say that it
is easy to forget the fatigues of a long march, and find contentment and
joy even upon the spread branches of pines, on which, after the Indian
fashion, we extended ourselves and slept, wrapped up in buffalo robes.
The next morning we commenced the descent of what is called the Great
Western Slope. This took us five hours. The whole slope is covered with
gigantic cedars, and with pine trees of different species. Wo to the
man, who happens to have a heavy body, or to make a false step. I say
this from experience; for many times I found myself twenty or thirty feet
from the point of my departure—happy indeed if, in the fall, I did not
violently strike my head against the trunk of some great tree.
At the foot of the mountain an obstacle of a new kind presented itself.
All the barriers of snow, the innumerable banks, which had stopped the
water of the streams, lakes, and torrents, were broken up during the
night, and swelled considerably the Great Portage river.[267] It meanders
so remarkably in this straight valley, down which we travelled for a day
and a half, {209} that we were compelled to cross the said river not less
than forty times, with the water frequently up to our shoulders. So great
is its impetuosity, that we were obliged mutually to support ourselves,
to prevent being carried away by the current. We marched in our wet
clothes during the rest of our sad route. The long soaking, joined to
my great fatigue, swelled my limbs. All the nails of my feet came off,
and the blood stained my moccasins or Indian shoes. Four times I found
my strength gone, and I should certainly have perished in that frightful
region, if the courage and strength of my companions had not roused and
aided me in my distress.
We saw May-poles all along the old encampments of the Portage. Each
traveller who passes there for the first time, selects his own. A young
Canadian, with much kindness, dedicated one to me, which was at least one
hundred and twenty feet in height, and which reared its lofty head above
all the neighboring trees. Did I deserve it? He stripped it of all its
branches, only leaving at the top a little crown; at the bottom my name
and the date of the transit were written. Moose, reindeer, and mountain
goats are frequently found in this region.
{210} We next passed through a thick and mountainous forest, where hoary
pines lay prostrate by thousands—and where many a giant tree, in its
full vigor, had been levelled to the ground by the raging tempest. On
issuing from the forest, an extensive marsh presented itself, through
which we had to plod, up to the knees in mud and water; this trouble was
trifling compared to the past, and we were still more encouraged at the
sight of a beautiful and verdant plain, where four reindeer were seen
carousing, bouncing, and jumping in the midst of plenty. No doubt they,
as well as ourselves, had issued forth from the snowy and icy cliffs, and
felt light-hearted and joyful at the delightful prospect of mountain and
plain at this season of the year. On approaching, a dozen guns were at
once levelled against the innocent and timid creatures. I was pleased to
observe, by the wonderful rapidity with which they used their legs, that
no one had injured their noble and beautiful frames.
Towards the middle of the day we arrived at the Boat Encampment, on the
bank of the Columbia, at the mouth of the Portage river.[268] Those who
have passed the Rocky Mountains at fifty three degrees of north latitude,
during {211} the great melting of the snows, know whether or not we merit
the title of good travellers. It required all my strength to accomplish
it, and I confess that I would not dare undertake it again.
After so many labors and dangers, we deserved a repast. Happily, we found
at the encampment all the ingredients that were necessary for a feast—a
bag of flour, a large ham, part of a reindeer, cheese, sugar, and tea in
abundance, which the gentlemen of the English Company had charitably left
behind. While some were employed refitting the barge, others prepared
the dinner; and in about an hour we found ourselves snugly seated and
stretched out around the kettles and roasts, laughing and joking about
the summersets on the mountains, and the accidents on the Portage. I
need not tell you, that they described me as the most clumsy and awkward
traveller in the band.
Three beautiful rivers unite at this place: the Columbia, coming from the
south-east—the Portage river, from the north-east, and the Canoe river
from the north-west. We were surrounded by a great number of magnificent
mountains, covered with perpetual snow, and rising from twelve to sixteen
thousand feet {212} above the level of the ocean. The Hooker and the
Brown are the highest, the latter measuring sixteen thousand feet.[269]
Very Rev. and dear Father Provincial, your humble brother in Jesus Christ,
_P. J. De Smet, S. J._
No. XVII
A. M. D. G.
St. Paul’s Station, near Colville, May 29th, 1846.
VERY REV. AND DEAR FATHER PROVINCIAL—The Columbia at the Boat Encampment
is 3,600 feet above the level of the sea. Having finished our meal, we
launched the barge and rapidly descended the river, which was now swollen
many feet above its usual level. Did not more serious avocations call him
away, an admirer of Nature would willingly linger in a region like this.
The volcanic and basaltic islands—the range of picturesque mountains,
whose bases came to bathe in the river, whilst their summits seemed to
be struggling, in the giant efforts of the avalanche, to throw off the
winding-sheet of winter, in order to give place to the new and beautiful
verdure of the month of May, with its smiling and varied flowers—the
thousand fountains which we could at one view behold, {214} leaping out
with soothing music from the shelves of perpendicular rocks bordering the
river—all lent their aid to increase the beauty of the scenery of Nature,
which, in this region of the Columbia, seems to have put forth all her
energy to display her grandeur and magnificence.
After some hours of descent we came to Martin’s rapid, where a Canadian,
so called, together with his son, found a watery grave. Its roar is
deafening, and the agitation of the water resembles that of a raging
sea-storm. The whole bed of the river is here strewed with immense
fragments of rocks. Guided by an expert Iroquois pilot, and aided with
ten oars, the boat darted over its boisterous surface, dancing-like and
leaping from wave to wave, with the rapidity of lightning.
At sunset we were at the Dalle of the Dead. (_Dalle_ is an old French
word, meaning a trough, and the name is given by the Canadian voyageurs
to all contracted running waters, hemmed in by walls of rocks.) Here,
in 1838, twelve unfortunate travellers were buried in the river.[270]
The waters are compressed between a range of perpendicular rocks,
presenting innumerable crags, fissures and cliffs, through which the
Columbia leaps with irresistible impetuosity, {215} forming, as it dashes
along, frightful whirlpools, where every passing object is swallowed and
disappears. By means of two long ropes we dropped down our boat through
the Dalle, and encamped for the night at its outlet.
On the 11th we continued our route at early dawn—the mountain scenery was
hidden from our view wrapped up in dense mist and fog, which were seen
ascending in dense pillars, adding to the forming clouds above, till the
whole sky was overcast. Occasionally, as if to break upon the unusual
monotony, would a fallow or reindeer be observed on the margin of the
stream, or peeping with uplifted ears from a thicket, as the strange
sound of oars, or the Canadian song, came stealing louder and louder upon
them in their quiet abode:—off they bounded, affrighted at the sight
of men, so hateful, it appears, to the wild and timid creatures of the
forest. In the evening we encamped at the entrance of the Upper Lake.
This beautiful sheet of crystalline water, whilst the rising sun was
tinting the tops of a thousand hills around, came most refreshing to the
eye. It is about thirty miles long, by four or five wide. Its borders are
embellished by overhanging precipices and majestic peaks, {216} which,
rearing their white heads above the clouds, look down like venerable
monarchs of the desert upon the great forests of pines and cedar
surrounding the lake. The two highest peaks are called St. Peter and St.
Paul.
Twenty Indian families, belonging to the station of St. Peter, were found
encamped on the borders of the lake. I gladly accepted their invitation
to visit them. It was the meeting of a father with his children, after
ten months of absence and dangers. I dare say the joy was mutually
sincere. The greater part of the tribe had been converted during the past
year, at Kettle Falls. These families were absent at that time. I passed,
therefore, several days among them, to instruct them in the duties and
practices of religion. They then received baptism, with all the marks of
sincere piety and gratitude. Gregory, the name of their chief, who had
not ceased to exhort his people by word and example, had the happiness to
receive baptism in 1838, from the hands of the Rev. Mr., now Archbishop,
Blanchet. The worthy and respectable chief was now at the height of his
joy, in seeing at last all his children brought under the standard of
Jesus Christ. The tribe of these lake Indians are a part of the Kettle
{217} Fall nation. They are very poor, and subsist principally on fish
and wild roots. As soon as we shall have more means at our disposal, we
will supply them with implements of husbandry and with various seeds and
roots, which I have no doubt, will thrive well in their country; this
will be a great assistance to these destitute people. The second lake is
about six miles distant from the first. It is of about the same length,
but less wide. We passed under a perpendicular rock, where we beheld an
innumerable number of arrows sticking out of the fissures. The Indians,
when they ascend the lake, have a custom of lodging each an arrow into
these crevices. The origin and cause of the custom is unknown to me.[271]
The mouth of the river McGilvray or Flat-Bow, is near the outlet of the
Lower Lakes. It presents a beautiful situation for the establishment of
a future Reduction or Mission, and I have already marked out a site for
the construction of a church. About twenty miles lower, we passed the
Flat-Head or Clark’s river, which contributes largely to the Columbia.
These two beautiful rivers derive a great portion of their waters from
the same chain of the Rocky Mountains, from which a great number of the
{218} forks of the south branch of the Sascatshawin and of the Missouri
are supplied. For a distance of about thirty miles from their junction
with the Columbia, are they obstructed by insurmountable falls and
rapids. Among the many lakes connected with the Flat-Head river, three
are very conspicuous, and measure from thirty to forty miles in length,
and from four to six in width. The Flat-Head lake receives a broad and
beautiful stream, extending upwards of a hundred miles in a north-western
direction, through a most delightful valley, and is supplied by
considerable torrents, coming from a great cluster of mountains,
connected immediately with the main chain, in which a great number of
lakes lie imbedded. Clark’s fork passed through Lake Kalispel.[272] Lake
Roothaan is situated in the Pend-d’oreille and Flat-Bow mountains, and
discharges itself by the Black-gown river into the Clark, twenty miles
below Kalispel Lake.[273] The St. Mary’s, or Bitter-root river, from
the south-east, is the greatest tributary of Clark’s fork, and the chief
residence of the Flat-Heads. All these waters contain an abundance of
fish, especially trout. The geography of the head of Clark’s Fork, is
little known, as appears from the maps, the south-east {219} branch or
the Saint Mary’s river being only a small tributary compared to the
main stream, coming from the north-west, and passing through the great
Flat-Head lake.
Our barge was in great danger in the Dalle, some miles above
Colville.[274] I had left it, to go on foot, to avoid the dangerous
passage. The young boatman, notwithstanding my remonstrances, thought
they could pass in safety. A whirlpool suddenly arrested their course,
and threatened to bury them beneath its angry waters. Their redoubled
efforts proved ineffectual—I saw them borne on with an irresistible force
to the engulfing centre—the bow of the boat descended already into the
abyss and filled! I was on my knees upon the rock which overhung this
frightful spectacle, surrounded by several Indians—we implored the aid
of Heaven in favor of our poor comrades—they seemed to be evidently
lost—when the whirlpool filled, and threw them from its bosom, as it
reluctantly yielded up the prey which it had so tenaciously held. We all
gave heartfelt thanks to Almighty God for having delivered them from a
danger so imminent.
From the outlet of the Lower Lake of the Columbia to Fort Colville, the
aspect of the {220} country is highly picturesque and interesting. The
whole section, on both sides of the river, is well supplied with rivulets
and streams. The soil is rather light, but it affords fine grazing; the
mountains are not high—the forests are open—the bottom lands present here
and there beautiful groves—the surface of the soil yields an abundant and
luxuriant grass.
Towards the end of the month of May I arrived at Fort Colville. I found
the nation of Shuyelphi or Kettle Fall already baptized by the Rev.
Father Hoecken, who had continued to instruct them after my departure in
the month of August of last year. They had built, to my great surprise, a
small frame church, so much the more beautiful and agreeable to my eyes,
as being their first attempt at architecture, and the exclusive work of
the Indians. With a laudable pride they conducted me, as in triumph, to
the humble and new temple of the Lord, and in favor of that good people,
and for their perseverance in the faith, I there offered the august
Sacrifice of the Altar.
The arrival of the good Father Nobili at Colville filled us with great
joy and consolation. He had made missionary excursions over the greatest
portion of New Caledonia. Everywhere {221} the Indian tribes received him
with open arms, and took great care to bring their little children to be
baptized. I add to this an extract from his letter, which will give you
an outline of his journey and the number of baptisms he performed. Having
made a retreat of eight days in the Reduction of St. Ignatius, and after
a month of repose and preparation for a second expedition, he returned
with renewed zeal and fervor to his dear Caledonians, accompanied
by several laborers, and supplied with a dozen horses, loaded with
implements of agriculture and carpentry.
As a token of my sincere gratitude, and to let you know that we have
friends and benefactors in Oregon, I must here state to your Reverence,
that Father Nobili and myself were most hospitably entertained during
our stay at Fort Colville. The kindness of the Honorable Mr. Lewes and
family I shall never forget.[275] The attention shown Father Nobili,
in the trading posts of New Caledonia is beyond all praise. Truly and
deservedly has Commodore Wilkes stated,[276] “That the liberality and
hospitality of all the gentlemen of the Honorable Hudson Bay Company are
proverbial.” Indeed, we experience this and participate of it on all
occasions.
{222} I remain, with profound respect and esteem, Very Rev. and dear
Father, your humble and obedient servant,
_P. J. De Smet, S. J._
No. XVIII
A. M. D. G.
EXTRACT FROM FATHER NOBILI’S LETTER
Fort Colville, June 1st, 1846.
REV. FATHER,—While I remained at Fort Vancouver, I baptized upwards of
sixty persons, during a dangerous sickness which raged in the country.
The majority of those who received baptism, died with all the marks of
sincere conversion. On the 27th of July, I baptized nine children at
Fort Okinagane[277]—the children of the chief of the Sioushwaps were of
the number. He appeared full of joy at seeing a _Black-gown_ direct his
course towards their country. On the 29th I left Okinagane, and followed
the company. Every night I prayed with the whites and Indians. On the
road three old men came to me, and earnestly begged me to “_take pity on
them, and prepare them for heaven_!” Having instructed them in the duties
and principles of religion, and the necessity of baptism, I administered
to them, and to forty-six {224} children of the same tribe, what seemed
to be the height of their desires, the holy Sacrament of regeneration.
On the 11th of August, a tribe of Indians, residing about the Upper Lake
on Thompson’s River, came to meet me.[278] They exhibited towards me all
the marks of sincere and filial attachment. They followed me several
days to hear my instructions, and _only departed_ after having exacted
a promise that I would return in the course of the following autumn or
winter, and make known to them the glad tidings of salvation.
At the Fort of the Sioushwaps, I received a visit from all the chiefs,
who congratulated me on my happy arrival amongst them.[279] They raised a
great cabin to serve as a church, and as a place to teach them during my
stay. I baptized twelve of their children. I was obliged, when the Salmon
fishing commenced, to separate for some months from these dear Indians,
and continue my route to New Caledonia.
I arrived at Fort Alexandria on the 25th.[280] All the tribes I met
manifested towards me the same emotions of joy and friendship. To my
surprise I found at the Fort a frame church. I returned in the fall and
remained there a month, {225} engaged in all the exercises of our holy
ministry. The Canadians performed their religious duties—I joined several
in marriage, and administered to many the Holy Communion. Twenty-four
children and forty-seven adults received baptism.
On the 2d of September, I ascended the river Frazer, and after a
dangerous trip, arrived, on the 12th, at Fort George;[281] where the
same joy and affection on the part of the Indians attended me. Fifty
Indians had come down from the Rocky Mountains, and patiently awaited my
arrival for nineteen days, in order to have the consolation of witnessing
the ceremony of baptism. I baptized twelve of their children, and
twenty-seven others, of whom six were adults advanced in age. I performed
there the ceremonies of the planting of the Cross.
On the 14th, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, I ascended
the river Nesqually, and on the 24th, arrived at the Fort of Lake
Stuart.[282] I spent eleven days in giving instructions to the Indians,
and had the happiness of abolishing the custom of burning the dead, and
that of inflicting torments upon the bodies of the surviving wives or
husbands. They solemnly renounced all their juggling and idolatries.
{226} Their great medicine-hall, where they used to practise their
superstitious rites, was changed into a church. It was blessed and
dedicated to God under the patronage of St. Francis Xavier.[283] The
planting of the Cross was solemnly performed with all the ceremonies
proper to such occasions. Sixteen children and five old men received
baptism.
The 24th Oct., I visited the village of the Chilcotins.[284] This mission
lasted twelve days, during which time I baptized eighteen children and
twenty-four adults, and performed eight marriages. I blessed here the
first cemetery, and buried, with all the ceremonies of the ritual, an
Indian woman, the first converted to Christianity. I next visited two
other villages of the same tribe—in the first I baptized twenty persons,
of whom three were adults. In the second, two chiefs with thirty of their
nation received baptism, and two were united in matrimony. Polygamy
prevailed everywhere, and everywhere I succeeded in abolishing it. In a
neighboring tribe I baptized fifty-seven persons, of whom thirty-one were
adults. I also celebrated nine marriages.
After my return to the Sioushwaps, I baptized forty-one persons, of
whom eleven were adults. I visited five more villages among the {227}
neighboring tribes, amongst whom I baptized about two hundred persons. I
performed the ceremony of the planting of the Cross, in eight different
places, and founded four frame churches which were constructed by the
savages.
On an average, each village or tribe consists of about two hundred souls.
In the neighborhood of Fort Alexandria the number
of souls amounts to 1255
About Fort George, 343
In the neighborhood of Frazer’s Lake, 258
” ” Stuart’s Lake, 211
” ” McLeod’s Lake, 80
” ” Fort Babine, 1190
” ” Bear Lake,[285] 801
----
Total number of souls, 4138
Population on Thompson’s river, or on the land of the Sioushwaps or
Atnass.[286]
The number of Sioushwaps, so called, is 583
” of Okinaganes, 685
Population on the North Branch, 525
” on Lake Superior, 322
” at the Fountain of Frazer Lake, 1127
Number of Knife Indians, 1530
----
Total number of souls, 4772
I remain, reverend Father, yours, &c.,
_J. Nobili, S. J._
No. XIX
A. M. D. G.
Fort Walla-Walla, July 18th, 1846.
VERY REV. AND DEAR FATHER PROVINCIAL,—I accepted the kind offer of Mr.
Lewes, and took my seat in one of the barges of the Hudson Bay Company,
on its way to Fort Vancouver. We stopped at Fort Okinagane, where I
administered baptism to forty-three persons, chiefly children. Our
passage was very pleasant and agreeable. I have little to add to what
I have already stated in my preceding letters of last year, respecting
our residence at Saint Francis Xavier’s, and the other Catholic
establishments in the Willamette Valley and vicinity. St. James’ Church
at Vancouver, St. John’s in Oregon City, St. Mary’s at the Convent, and
St. Francis Xavier’s chapel have all been opened for divine service. The
new church among the Canadians, and Cathedral, were fast progressing. The
number of children in the Sisters’ school {229} had greatly increased,
and a change for the better already taken place among the little metis
girls confided to their care. Sister Loyola, the Superior, appeared
delighted with their present conduct. Two Protestant families, among
the most respectable in Oregon, Dr. Long and lady and Judge Burnet and
family, were received into the bosom of the Catholic Church, in Oregon
City.[287] Archbishop Blanchet and companions were anxiously expected;
may the Lord speed them, and grant them a happy passage on the boisterous
ocean—a route which, it appears, they have selected in order to reach
their destined new homes. O, how large is the vineyard!—the Island of
Vancouver alone contains upwards of twenty thousand Indians, ready to
receive our missionaries—and an extensive field awaits the laborers,
among the numerous nations of the north-west coast. The visits paid
to these various tribes, by the _Black-gowns_, and the affection and
kindness with which they are received by the Indians, leave little doubt
of the ultimate success of their holy enterprise.
In order to return to the upper Missions, I started in the beginning
of July, from Fort Vancouver, two days after the brigade of the Hudson
Bay Company had left it. An accident {230} by the way, fortunately
not attended with more serious consequences, here occurred to me. A
powder-horn exploded near me accidentally, scorching me severely, and
completely stripping the skin from my nose, cheeks and lips—leaving me
to all appearance, after all my travels, a raw-faced mountaineer. I
procured an Indian canoe, well-mounted, and soon found myself during a
thunder storm, in the great gap of the Cascade Mountains, through which
the mighty Columbia winds its way. The sublime and the romantic appear
to have made a grand effort for a magnificent display in this spot. On
both sides of the stream perpendicular walls of rock rise in majestic
boldness—small rills and rivulets, innumerable crystalline streams pursue
their way; murmuring down on the steep declivities, they rush and leap
from cascade to cascade, after a thousand gambols, adding, at last, their
foaming tribute to the turbulent and powerful stream. The imposing mass
of waters has here forced its way between a chain of volcanic, towering
mountains, advancing headlong with an irresistible impetuosity, over
rocky reefs, and prostrate ruins, for a distance of about four miles;
forming the dangerous, and indeed the last remarkable obstruction—the
{231} great cascades of the Columbia. There is an interesting, and very
plausible Indian account of the formation of these far-famed cascades, on
which so much has been said and written, so many conjectures regarding
earth-slides, sinks, or swells, caused by subterraneous volcanic agents.
“Our grandfathers,” said an Indian to me, “remember the time when the
waters passed here quietly, and without obstruction, under a long range
of towering and projecting rocks, which, unable to bear their weight
any longer, crumbled down, thus stopping up and raising the bed of the
river; here it overflowed the great forests of cedar and pine, which are
still to be seen above the cascades.” Indeed, the traveller beholds with
astonishment, a great number of huge trunks of trees, still standing
upright in water about twenty feet deep. No person, in my opinion, can
form a just idea of the cause that produced these remarkable changes,
without admitting the Indian narrative.
My baggage was soon conveyed to the upper end of the portage. The
distance from the cascades to the dalles is about forty-five miles, and
is without any obstacle. The mountain scenery on both sides of the river,
with its {232} clusters of shrubs, cedars and pines, is truly delightful,
heightened occasionally by the sight of the snow-capped Mounts Hood and
St. Helena. A favorable breeze made us unfurl two blankets for the want
of sails, and as we were gliding rapidly up the stream, we observed
several islands of volcanic formation, where the Indians deposit their
dead on scaffolds, or in little huts made of pieces of split cedar,
frequently covered with mats and boards; great care is taken to hinder
birds of prey, or the rapacious wolves, with their hyena stomachs and
plundering propensities, from breaking in upon the abode of the dead.
The third day we arrived at the great dalles. Indians flock thither
from different quarters of the interior, to attend, at this season of
the year, to the salmon fisheries. This is their glorious time for
rejoicing, gambling, and feasting; the long lent is passed; they have at
last assembled in the midst of abundance—all that the eye can see, or
the nose smell, is fish, and nothing but fish. Piles of them are lying
everywhere on the rocks, the Indian huts abound with them, and the dogs
are dragging and fighting over the offal in all directions. Not less
than eight hundred Indians were present on this occasion. {233} One who
has seen them five years ago, poor and almost naked, and who beholds
them now, discovers with a peculiar feeling of humor and delight, the
entire change in their external appearance, a complete metamorphosis,
as Ovid would say. Their dresses are of the most grotesque character,
regardless alike of their appropriateness to sex or condition of life. A
masquerade character, as we understand it, will at least exhibit unity
of design; but this Indian masquerade sets all unities at defiance. A
stout, swarthy Indian, steps proudly by you, apparently conscious of
the dignity conferred on him by his new acquisitions—a roundabout much
too small for him, a pair of tights with straps, with an intervening
space showing the absence of linen, form his body dress, while an old
fashioned lady’s night-cap with large frills, and if he be rich enough,
a sailor’s glazed cap carefully balanced above it, constitute his head
dress; a pair, and sometimes half a pair of brogans, complete the
ludicrous appearance of this Indian dandy. Some appear parading thro’
the camp in the full dress of a wagoner, others in a mixture composed
of the sailor’s, the wagoner’s, and the lawyer’s, arranged according to
fancy; but the favorite article of ornamental {234} dress appears to be
the night-cap with its large frills; some again with only one article
of dress. I have seen an old Indian showing off a pair of boots to the
best advantage, as they formed the only article of his wardrobe then on
his person. Indian squaws are seen attired in long calico gowns, little
improved by the copious addition of fish oil, with which the taste or
negligence of the present owners besmeared them; occasionally, if they
can afford it, to this is superadded a vest, a flannel or great-coat.
The dalles at present, form a kind of masquerading thoroughfare, where
emigrants and Indians meet, it appears, for the purpose of affording
mutual aid. When the Oregon emigrants arrive here, they are generally in
want of provisions, horses, canoes, and guides—these wants the Indians
supply, receiving in exchange the old travelling clothes of the doctors,
lawyers, farmers, Germans, Frenchmen, Spaniards, &c., that pass through
the dalles on their westward route. Hence the motley collection of pants,
coats, boots, of every form and size, comforters, caps and hats of every
fashion.
Here I overtook Messrs. Lewes and Manson,[288] who kindly offered me a
place in one of the barges of the Company, which I gladly accepted—the
transportation of their boats and goods {235} had taken up a whole
day. From the great dalles to the upper sources of the Columbia, great
care and attention are to be had in its navigation, for it presents a
constant succession of rapids, falls, cascades, and dalles. Men of great
experience, are here employed as pilots, and notwithstanding their skill
and precaution, no river probably on the globe, frequented as much,
could tell of more disastrous accidents.
At the dalles you enter a barren region, where drift wood is brought into
every encampment by the Indians, for which they gladly receive a piece of
tobacco in return. In the absence of the savages, the tombs of the dead
are sometimes shamefully pillaged by civilized _Christian_ travellers,
taking away the very boards that cover the dead bodies, and thus leave
them the prey of vultures and crows.
Indians linger on the Columbia as long as a salmon can be caught.
Unconscious of the approaching winter, they do not lay in sufficient
stock of provisions, and till late in the fall they may be seen picking
up the dead and dying fishes which float in great numbers on the surface.
In the immediate neighborhood of a camp the air is infected with the
scent of {236} salmon in a state of putrefaction; they are suspended on
trees, or on scaffolds, and to this unwholesome and detestable food has
the improvident Indian recourse, when the days of his long lent commence.
You can scarcely form an idea of the deplorable condition of the poor
petty tribes, scattered along the banks of the Columbia, of which the
numbers visibly diminish from year to year. Imagine their dwellings, a
few poor huts, constructed of rush, bark, bushes, or of pine branches,
sometimes covered with skins or rags—around these miserable habitations
lie scattered in profusion the bones of animals, and the offal of fishes
of every tribe, amidst accumulated filth of every description. In the
interior, you find roots piled up in a corner, skins hanging from cross
poles, and fish boiling over the fire, a few dying embers; an axe to cut
wood being seldom found among them. The whole stock of kitchen utensils,
drinking vessels, dishes, etc., are comprised in something like a
fish-kettle, made of osier, and besmeared with gum—to boil this kettle
stones are heated red hot and thrown into it. But the mess cooked in this
way, can you guess what it is? No, not in twenty trials—it is impossible
to divine what {237} the ingredients are that compose this outlandish
soup!
But to pass from the _material_ to the _personal_; what strange figures!
faces thickly covered with grease and dirt—heads that have never felt a
comb—hands! but such hands! a veritable pair of “jack of all trades,”
fulfilling in rapid succession, the varied functions of the comb, the
pocket-handkerchief, the knife, fork, and spoon—while eating, the process
is loudly indicated by the crackling and discordant sounds that issue
from the nose, mouth, throat, etc., a sight, the bare recollection of
which is enough to sicken any person. Thus you can form some idea of
their personal miseries—miseries, alas! that faintly image another
species infinitely more saddening; for what shall I say in attempting to
describe their moral condition? There prevails among the greater part of
them, a kind of superstitious idolatry, (called medicine or juggling),
that pays homage to the vilest animals; a degeneracy of morals which
knows no stronger tie in conjugal obligations, than the caprice of the
moment—a vehement, inordinate passion for gambling, that is prolonged to
the time of repose—a laziness which nothing can induce them to shake off
but the love of play, {238} or the pressing claim of hunger—they are in
fine, addicted to the vilest habits of gluttony, dissimulation, etc. Such
is the wretched condition of the poor savage tribes, along the Columbia.
But amidst all this misery, there is fortunately one redeeming feature, a
constant desire to discover some power superior to man; this disposition
renders them attentive to the least word that seems to convey the
slightest knowledge of a Supreme Being, and hence the facility with which
they believe anything that at all resembles the Word of God.
Very reverend and dear Father, your humble and obedient servant,
_P. J. De Smet, S. J._
No. XX
A. M. D. G.
St. Ignatius, near the Kalispel Bay, July 26th, 1846.
VERY REV. AND DEAR FATHER PROVINCIAL,—The eighth day after my departure
from Fort Vancouver, I landed safely at Walla Walla, with the goods
destined for the different missions. In a few days all was ready,
and having thanked the good and kind-hearted Mr. McBride,[289] the
Superintendent of the Fort, who had rendered me every assistance in his
power, we soon found ourselves on the way to the mountains leading a band
of pack mules and horses over a sandy dry plain, covered with bunch grass
and wormwood. We made about sixteen miles and encamped for the night, in
a beautiful little meadow, watered by the Walla Walla river, where we
found abundance of grass for our animals—these were soon unloaded and
left free to graze {240} at leisure; we next made a fire, put on the
camp-kettle, stretched the bed, consisting of a buffalo-robe, and smoked
together the friendly Indian pipe, whilst supper was preparing. We found
ourselves at home and perfectly at ease in less than a quarter of an
hour. The evening was clear and beautiful—not a cloud—our sleep, sound
and refreshing, prepared us for an early start at dawn of day. We had a
day’s march, with pack animals, over an undulating plain, before we could
reach the crossing of the Nez-percé or Lewis fork,[290] whose source is
in the angle of the Rocky and Snowy Mountains, between the 42d and 44th
degrees, near the sources of the western Rio Colorado, the Platte, the
Yellow Stone, and the Missouri rivers: its western course till it reaches
the Blue Mountains, and hence its northern direction till it joins the
Columbia, together with its principal tributaries, are sufficiently known
to you, and have been amply described already.
We found about a dozen Indian lodges called the Palooses, a portion of
the Sapetan or Nez-percé tribe.[291] We procured from the Indians here
some fresh salmon, for which we made them ample return in powder and
lead. But as the grass was withered and scanty, and the {241} pilfering
dispositions of these Indians rather doubtful, we resolved on proceeding
eight or ten miles farther, and encamped late in the evening on the
Pavilion river.[292] The Nez-percé and Spokane plain is at least a
thousand feet elevated above the bed of the river. It is dry, stony,
undulating, covered with bunch and nutritious grass, with prickly pear
and wormwood. The basaltic and volcanic formations which extend through
the whole of this region, are really wonderful. We frequently passed
ponds and small lakes embedded between walls of basaltic rocks—immense
ranges of dark shining pillars, as if forced from the bosom of the plain,
extend for some miles, resembling, not unfrequently, forts and ancient
ruined cities and castles. We encamped several times near small but
beautiful lakes, where ducks and geese, with their young broods, were
swimming in great numbers. The Indians frequent these regions in search
of the bitter and camash roots, very abundant here. In every one of their
old encampments we observed great quantities of prairie-turtle shells,
a proof of their being numerous and serving as food for the savages.
Pheasants or quails were very abundant—we daily killed what we wanted for
our meals.
{242} On the fifth day of our departure from Walla Walla, we reached
the Spokane river,[293] and found a good fording for our animals. You
will see with pleasure the chart I have made of the head waters of this
river, which, though beautiful and interesting, is yet, like all the
other rivers in Oregon, almost an unbroken succession of rapids, falls,
and cascades, and of course ill-adapted in its present condition to the
purposes of navigation. The two upper valleys of the Cœur d’Alene are
beautiful, and of a rich mould; they are watered by two deep forks,
running into the Cœur d’Alene lake, a fine sheet of water, of about
thirty miles in length by four or five broad, from which the river
Spokane derives its source. I called the two upper forks the St. Joseph’s
and the St. Ignatius. They are formed by innumerable torrents, descending
from the Pointed-Heart mountains, a chain of the Rocky Mountains.[294]
The two upper valleys are about sixty or eighty miles long, and four or
eight miles broad. I counted upwards of forty little lakes in them. The
whole neighborhood of the Spokane river affords very abundant grazing,
and in many sections is tolerably well timbered with pines of different
species.
{243} On leaving the river we ascended by a steep Indian path. A few
miles’ ride across a pine forest brings you to a beautiful valley,
leading to Colville, agreeably diversified by plains and forests, hemmed
in by high wooded mountains, and by huge picturesque rocks towering
their lofty heads over all the rest. Fountains and rivulets are here
very numerous. After about thirty miles, we arrived at the foot of the
Kalispel Mountain, in the neighborhood of St. Francis Regis, where
already about seventy metis or half-breeds have collected to settle
permanently. Several of them accompanied me across the mountain, the
height of which is about five thousand feet above the level of the plain.
Its access is very easy on the western side; on the eastern, the narrow
path winds its snake-like course through a steep and dense forest.—After
a march of about eight hours we arrived at the beautiful Kalispel Bay,
on the margin of lake De Boey, almost in sight of the _Reduction_ of St.
Ignatius.—My letter to Mrs. P.,[295] which I insert here will make you
acquainted with the whole history of that mission.
I remain, with the profoundest respect and {244} esteem, Very Rev. Father
Provincial, your humble and obedient servant,
_P. J. De Smet, S. J._
A. M. D. G.
St. Ignatius, July 25th, 1846.
MADAM,—I am, indeed, ashamed at not having been able sooner to answer the
letters which you had the kindness to write me on the 2d of September
and the 7th of December, 1844. They reached the Rocky Mountains only the
year after, while I was engaged in a distant mission among the Indians,
so that I received them only in the month of July, 1846. If it had
been in my power to forward you an answer before this moment, my heart
assures me that I would have done it without delay, for I must tell you
here, that the debt of gratitude which my poor Indians and myself owe
you is very great; and I felt impatient to inform you, that we have
already begun to pray for you, for your dear and amiable children, and
for your intentions. I have given directions to the Indians of these
different tribes, viz., the Flat-Heads, the Pends {245} d’Oreilles, and
the Cœur d’Alenes, to recite, every week, the Rosary for one of their
great benefactresses, meaning yourself. Now, you cannot but be aware,
that, among the Indians, the beads are recited in each family, so that I
am already assured, and I have the consolation of saying to you, that
many thousand pairs of beads have already been offered up to God and his
august mother for you. Those good Indians—those children of the forest—so
dear to my heart, will continue to display their gratitude till I tell
them to cease, and that will not be very soon. What confidence have I not
in the prayers of those Indians, whose merit is known only to God! Oh!
if it is true that the prayer of him who possesses the innocence, the
simplicity, and the faith of a child, pierces the clouds—is all-powerful,
and is certainly heard—then be assured that in these new missions, in
which the finger of God has been so visibly manifested, these virtues
reign preeminently, and that the prayer of the Indian will also be heard
in your behalf! How happy should I be, my dear, excellent Madam, could
I give you to understand how great, how sweet, how enrapturing is their
devotion to the august mother of God! The name of Mary, which {246}
pronounced in the Indian language, is something so sweet and endearing,
delights and charms them. The hearts of these good children of the forest
melt, and seem to overflow, when they sing the praises of her whom they,
as well as we, call their mother. Oh! I feel confident, knowing, as I
do, their dispositions, that they have a distinguished place in the
heart of that Holy Virgin; and that, through the intercession of Mary,
invoked by so many fervent souls, you will obtain from God whatever you
ask; for I am too well acquainted with your piety to think that you would
ask anything that was not calculated to promote the glory of God, the
sanctification of your own soul, and that of your children.
Permit me, now, to say a few words concerning the Indians and myself,
since the time I had the honor of conversing with you in B⸺, in the
spring of 1843. On the 6th of November of the following year, the Rev.
Father A. Hoecken came to meet me, accompanied by several Indians of the
tribe of Pends d’Oreilles of the Bay, among whom I had determined, two
years before, to open a mission. They displayed every mark of friendship
and joy at my return among them; they conducted me in triumph to their
camp, {247} and received me there amidst volleys of musketry and the
sounding of trumpets. It would be impossible to describe the feelings of
my heart at thus meeting with the first band of my dear neophytes and
children in God, and to represent to you the real joy which animated
them on this occasion. How much had we not to communicate to each other!
I gave them some little and to them interesting details of the vast
countries through which I had travelled in order to promote the interest
and welfare of the Indians, since I bade them farewell, that is, within
fifteen months. I had crossed the great American desert, and passed
through so many warlike, nomadical nations, extending from the Pacific
Ocean to the frontier of the State of Missouri. I had travelled over
the United States from New Orleans to Boston—crossed the Atlantic—seen
a great part of Ireland and England—the whole of Belgium, Holland and
France. From Marseilles I had passed by Genoa, the city of palaces,
Leghorn, and Civitta Vecchia, to visit the Capital of the Christian
world. From Rome I had gone to Anvers, and then, sailing round Cape Horn,
touching at Chili and Peru, and having twice crossed the Equator, I had
at length disembarked {248} at Fort Vancouver, on the Columbia, and had
the happiness to embrace, on the 6th of November, my dear neophytes, who
had prayed so fervently for me, that, during all these long voyages, by
sea and land, passing through so many different climates, and at all
seasons of the year, I had not been troubled either by sickness or any
untoward accident. Glory to God for so special a protection, and a
thousand thanks to the good Indians who, from the moment of my departure
until my return, had not ceased to invoke, morning and evening, the
blessing and assistance of Heaven on its unworthy servant.
The details which the young missionary gave me respecting their present
dispositions, are too interesting to be here omitted; and I give them in
proof of the divine grace over the hearts of this well-disposed people.
All that I had recommended to them in the visits I paid them in 1841-42,
had been strictly complied with. “The first thing,” says Father Adrien
Hoecken in a letter home, “which struck me on my arrival among them,
was a truly brotherly love and perfect union, which animated the whole
tribe, and seemed to make {249} them but one family. They manifest great
love, obedience and respect for their chiefs, and what is still more
admirable, they all, as the chiefs themselves declare, speak and desire
but one and the same thing. These chiefs are as much the real fathers of
their people as is a good Superior the father of a religious community.
The chiefs among the Kalispels speak calmly, but never in vain; the
instant they intimate their wish to one of their followers, he sets to
work to accomplish it. Is any one involved in difficulties—is he in
want or sickness,—or does he wish to undertake a journey, whether long
or short—he consults his chief, and shapes his conduct in accordance
with the advice he receives. Even with regard to marriage, the Indians
consult their chiefs, who sanction, or postpone it, or disapprove of it,
according as they deem it conducive, or otherwise, to the happiness of
the parties. The chief, in quality of father, endeavors to provide for
the support of his people. It is he, consequently, who regulates hunting,
fishing, and the gathering of roots and fruit. All the game and fish
are brought to his lodge, and divided into as many shares as there are
families. The distribution is made with rigid impartiality. The old, the
infirm, the {250} widow, all receive their share equally with the hunter.
Is not this something like the return of the golden age—those happy times
when every thing was held in common and all had, as the apostle informs
us, but one heart and one soul? Complaints, murmurings and backbiting
are here unknown; blasphemy has never been uttered by an Indian: there
are not even words in his language to express it.” On the arrival of
the _Black-gown_, the great chiefs explained to him, with patriarchal
simplicity, their manner of life. “We are ignorant,” he added, “but now
that we have the happiness to have a _Black-gown_ among us, we will
listen to his voice and obey it; whatever changes he may deem necessary
to make, we will cheerfully submit.”
The _Black-gown_ confirmed and approved all the good practices and
customs he found established in this little corner of the world, where,
notwithstanding their poverty, the Indians all seemed contented and
happy. It is really affecting to hear them speak of the darkness in which
they had been buried; and to see them now exulting in the light of the
gospel, and the knowledge of the Christian virtues, which they cherish,
and by which their hearts seem to be inflamed. Their whole ambition
consists in listening {251} with docility to the word of God, and in
being able thoroughly to understand and recite their prayers. Piety is
what a young man seeks in her who is to be his future wife—and what a
young woman desires to find in him who is to become her husband. In their
leisure hours they surround, and, if I may be allowed the expression,
besiege their missionary. To the day they would add the night, if he
could bear the fatigue, in speaking of heavenly things. Pride and human
respect, are absolutely unknown to them. How often have we not seen
gray-headed old men and even chiefs, sit down by the side of children ten
or eleven years old, who would teach them their prayers, and explain to
them the figures of the _Catholic Ladder_, with all the gravity becoming
a teacher; and give to the explanation, for one or two hours, all the
attention of obedient pupils. In seasons of scarcity, when the fishing or
hunting has failed, or in other misfortunes, they manifest no signs of
impatience. They are quiet and resigned receiving them as punishments for
their sins; while their success they attribute to the bounty of God, and
render to Him all the glory of it.
The usual place of residence of the Kalispels—that in which the
_Reduction of St. Ignatius_ is {252} now established—is an extensive
prairie, called the Bay of the Kalispels, thirty or forty miles above
the mouth of Clark or Flat-Head River. A beautiful grotto exists in the
neighborhood of the mission, which I have named the grotto of Manresa,
in honor of our Holy Founder. It is very large, and might, at a small
expense, be fitted up for a church. May the Indians gather in crowds into
this new Manresa, and after the example of their patron, St. Ignatius, be
penetrated with a feeling sense of heavenly things, and inflamed with the
love of God!
I shall always remember with pleasure the winter of 1844-45, which I
had the happiness of spending among these good Indians. The place for
wintering was well chosen, picturesque, agreeable, and convenient. The
camp was placed near a beautiful waterfall, caused by Clark river’s
being blocked up by an immense rock, through which the waters, forcing
narrow passages, precipitate themselves. A dense and interminable forest
protected us from the north winds, and a countless number of dead
trees standing on all sides, furnished us with abundant fuel for our
fires during the inclement season. We were encircled by ranges of lofty
mountains, whose snow-clad summits reflected {253} in the sun, their
brightness on all the surrounding country.
The place for wintering being determined, the first care of the Indians
was to erect the house of prayer. While the men cut down saplings, the
women brought bark and mats to cover them. In two days this humble
house of the Lord was completed—humble and poor indeed, but truly the
_house of prayer_, to which pure, simple, innocent souls repaired,
to offer to the Great Spirit their vows, and the tribute of their
affections. Here the missionaries continued with care and diligence,
their instructions preparatory to baptism. How consoling was it to see
ourselves surrounded by this fervent band, who had renounced the chase
of the buffalo—a pleasure so attracting to an Indian—and had come from
various parts of the country to place themselves under our direction, in
the well-founded hope of being speedily regenerated in the saving waters
of baptism. They had already learned their prayers, and all those things
which it was necessary they should practise. They applied with ardor to
become acquainted with the nature and obligations of the Sacrament of
regeneration, and the dispositions required for its worthy reception.
{254} The great festival of Christmas, the day on which the little band
was to be added to the number of the true children of God, will never
be effaced from the memory of our good Indians. The manner in which we
celebrated midnight mass, may give you an idea of our festival. The
signal for rising, which was to be given a few minutes before midnight,
was the firing of a pistol, announcing to the Indians that the house of
prayer would soon be open. This was followed by a general discharge of
guns, in honor of the birth of the Infant Saviour, and three hundred
voices rose spontaneously from the midst of the forest, and entoned in
the language of the Pends d’Oreilles, the beautiful canticle: “_Du Dieu
puissant tout annonce la gloire._”—“The Almighty’s glory all things
proclaim.” In a moment a multitude of adorers were seen wending their
way to the humble temple of the Lord—resembling indeed, the manger in
which the Messiah was born. On that night, which all at once became
bright as day, they experienced, I know not what, that which made
them exclaim aloud, “Oh God! I give Thee my heart.” Oh! I trust that
the happy impression which this unwonted spectacle made upon their
hearts, will never be effaced. Of {255} what was our little church of
the wilderness constructed? I have already told you—of posts fresh cut
in the woods, covered over with mats and bark; these were its only
materials. On the eve, the church was embellished with garlands and
wreaths of green boughs; forming, as it were, a frame for the images
which represent the affecting mysteries of Christmas night. The interior
was ornamented with pine branches. The altar was neatly decorated,
bespangled with stars of various brightness, and covered with a profusion
of ribbons—things exceedingly attractive to the eye of an Indian. At
midnight I celebrated a solemn Mass, the Indians sang several canticles
suitable to the occasion. That peace announced in the first verse of the
Angelic hymn—“The _Gloria_,—Peace on earth to men of good will,” was, I
venture to say, literally fulfilled to the Indians of the forest. A grand
banquet, according to Indian custom, followed the first Mass. Some choice
pieces of the animals slain in the chase had been set apart for the
occasion. I ordered half a sack of flour, and a large boiler of sweetened
coffee to be added. The union, the contentment, the joy, and charity,
which pervaded {256} the whole assembly, might well be compared to the
_agape_ of the primitive Christians.
After the second High Mass, all the adults, with the chiefs at their
head, presented themselves in the church to receive baptism, the
fulfilment of their longing desires. The old man and woman whom I
baptized two years before, were sponsors for all. The men were placed
on the one side, according to the custom of Paraguay, and the women
on the other. I was assisted during the ceremony, by Father Hoecken,
their worthy and zealous missionary. Everything was done in order and
with propriety. Permit me to repeat here that I should be delighted
could I but communicate to the zealous and fervent, those pleasurable
feelings—that overflowing of the heart, which one experiences on such
occasions. Here, indeed, the Indian missionary enjoys his greatest
consolations: here he obtains his strength, his courage, his zeal to
labor to bring men to the knowledge of the true God, in spite of the
poverty, the privations of every description, and the dangers with which
he has to contend. Yes, surely, even in this life is the promise of the
Saviour fulfilled with regard to him, “Ye shall receive {257} a hundred
fold.” The trifling things of the world he abandons, are nothing to be
compared with the blessings he finds in the wilderness. The priest does
not address in vain to the Indians, those beautiful words of the Roman
ritual; “Receive this white garment, etc.,” “Receive this burning taper,
etc.” He may be certain that the greater number of his catechumens will
wear that spotless garment—will preserve their baptismal innocence, to
the hour of their death. When I have afterwards asked them, if they have
not offended God? if their conscience does not reproach them with some
fault? how often have I received this touching and consoling answer:
“Oh, Father! in baptism I renounced sin, I try to avoid sin, the very
thought of offending God, frightens me!” The ceremonies of baptism were
closed by a second instruction, and by the distribution of beads which
the Indians are accustomed to say every evening in public.
About 3 o’clock in the afternoon, the solemn benediction of the blessed
sacrament was given for the first time, immediately after which, upwards
of fifty couples, many of whom were eighty years old, came forward to
renew before the Church, their marriage promises. I could not {258} help
shedding tears of joy at witnessing this truly primitive simplicity, and
the love and affection with which they pledged again their faith to each
other. The last instruction was then given, and thanks were returned to
God for all the blessings he had vouchsafed to shower upon them, on this
ever-memorable day. The recitation of prayers and the chanting of hymns
were heard in all the lodges of the camp, till the night was far advanced.
Fathers Mengarini and Serbinati, (the last-mentioned Father has since
died), had the consolation to see the whole tribe of the Flat-Heads,
among whom they had been laboring, approach the Holy Table on this
day. Twelve young Indians, taught by Father Mengarini, performed with
accuracy, several pieces of music during the midnight Mass. Fathers Point
and Joset had, also, the consolation of admitting for the first time,
nearly the entire tribe of the Cœur d’Alenes, on this auspicious day, to
the Holy Communion. Father Point has given the particulars of this first
communion in a letter, which has been published, and which you have, no
doubt, read with pleasure. The Christmas of 1844 was, therefore, a great
and glorious day in the Rocky Mountains.
{259} I will close this already lengthy letter with a few words more
concerning the Pends d’Oreilles of the Bay. Early in the spring of
1845, began to build upon the spot selected for the _Reduction_ of
St. Ignatius, and to open fields. On Ascension day of the same year,
Father Hoecken administered baptism to upwards of a hundred adults. At
my last visit, which I paid them in July last, they had already put up
fourteen log houses, besides a large barn, had the timber prepared for
a church, and had upwards of three hundred acres in grain, enclosed by
a substantial fence. The whole village, men, women, and children, had
worked most cheerfully. I counted thirty head of horned cattle—the squaws
had learned to milk the cows and to churn; they had a few hogs and some
domestic fowls. The number of Christians had doubled since Christmas,
1844.
A flour and saw mill, a few more ploughs, with other agricultural
implements, and carpenter’s tools, were much wanted in the village of St.
Ignatius. All is to be commenced among these poor, good Indians, and to
us they look for means and supplies, which we readily grant as far as we
are able. Already was an appeal made to the generous and charitable {260}
Christians, and it is consoling for me to say, that appeal found an echo
in the hearts of the friends of the Indians, which enabled us to enlarge
our missionary operations, and I may add, that the grateful prayer of
the Indians is daily ascending to the throne of the Almighty, to implore
the blessings of Heaven on their benefactors. In 1845 and ’46, several
stations were formed, and the extensive mission of New Caledonia was
commenced.
I remain, with profound respect and esteem, madam, your very humble and
obedient servant,
_P. J. De Smet, S. J._
No. XXI
A. M. D. G.
Valley of St. Mary’s, Aug. 10, 1846.
VERY REV. AND DEAR FATHER PROVINCIAL,—On the 27th July, I bade farewell
to Father Hoecken and his interesting little flock, consisting of about
five hundred Indians. I was accompanied by two Kalispels, and some
of the Cœur d’Alenes, who came to meet me. We had beautiful weather,
and a path remarkably free from those obstructions so annoying to
travellers in the mountains. Towards the middle of our day’s journey,
we reached a beautiful lake surrounded by hills, and a thick forest
of larch. I have named it the Lake de Nef, as a token of gratitude
towards one of the greatest benefactors of the mission. It discharges
itself through a narrow passage, forming a beautiful rapid, called the
Tournhout-torrent,[296] at the termination {262} of which it joins its
limpid waters to those of the river Spokane.
Next day the sun rose majestically, and everything gave promise of an
agreeable day, but these fine appearances were gradually lost behind a
thick bank of ominous clouds, which, shortly after overspreading the sky,
poured down such torrents of rain, that everything on us was drenched as
completely as if we had waded through a river. At the foot of the great
rapids, we crossed the river Spokane,[297] and continued our route over
an extensive plain, agreeably interspersed with thick groves of pine,
when towards sunset we encamped close by a refreshing fountain.