Cataldo Mission, Idaho

Steven Dutch, Professor Emeritus, Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay


The visitor center
Below: a dugout canoe.
Close-up of interesting weathering.
Left: the bell.

Below: front views.
Stone at entrance. Showing plumose fracturing. Because geology.
Portico.

Unlike a lot of missions, this one was entirely peaceful. The Nez Perce and Flathead tribes had heard of the white man's "Book of Heaven" and invited the missionaries to come explain it to them.

The church was built 1850-53 and is the oldest standing building in Idaho. It was built of timber with wattle-and-daub walls and no nails, and was built by the Indians so they would feel a sense of ownership. Even though the Indians were becoming familiar with white men, this must have been something they had never envisioned.
Views of the interior.
 Below: the priests' residence.
Views unside the priests' residence.
 
 
Below: hand-hewn floorboards.
Priests' chapel.

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Created 18 December 2020, Last Update