A Mission in the Wilderness

The Coeur d’Alene Mission of the Sacred Heart, often called Cataldo Mission or the Old Mission, is the oldest and one of the most important historic structures in the state of Idaho. The mission played a major role in the development of the Inland Northwest, not only as a spiritual center for the Coeur d’Alene Indians, but as a crossroads for settlers, miners, construction crews and the U.S. military.

According to the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, the history of the Old Mission was in the making in the early 1700s when a head chief by the name of Circling Raven had a vision that told about the coming of a new kind of medicine man wearing a black robe and carrying a cross. This prophecy was passed on to succeeding head chiefs and became an important element of the tribe’s spiritual tradition.

During the early 1800s groups of Iroquois Indians made their way into the Inland Northwest, possibly before the Lewis and Clark Expedition and David Thompson’s explorations in the area.

In fact David Thompson mentioned in his journals that he hired some of the Iroquois as guides. Between 1812 and 1830 a band of Iroquois visited the Flathead Indians in Montana. Some of the Iroquois were Catholic and it was from them that the Flatheads and eventually the Coeur d’Alenes would learn about the Catholic religion and the importance of having a “Black Robe” among them.

The desire to have a “Black Robe” became so strong in the Flathead Tribe that four expeditions were sent to St. Lewis between 1831 and 1839 to find the black robed missionaries. On the fourth expedition they met Father Jean De Smet in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He was so impressed with their strong desire for a black robe that he visited the Flatheads in 1840. As a result, St. Mary’s Mission was established. When the Coeur d’Alenes heard about Father De Smet’s visit to the Flatheads they were convinced that Circling Raven’s vision had come true. Father De Smet met with the Coeur d’Alenes and established the Mission of the Sacred Heart near the St. Joe River. However, flooding became a problem.

In 1846 the Mission of the Sacred Heart was moved to a high knoll overlooking the Coeur d’Alene River, a few miles east of the present city of Coeur d’Alene. Father Antonio Revalli designed and constructed the mission church with the help of two other priests and members of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. The main structure was up and in use by 1853. The mission was finally completed when Father Caruana had the inside and outside walls covered with clapboard.

With the building of the Mullan Road and the discovery of gold, many settlers eventually came into the region. When a reservation was established for the Coeur d’Alene Tribe the land around the mission church was not included. Another church was built in De Smet. It was constructed with a beautiful gothic design. After the new mission was built, the Old Mission was used very little, except for special occasions. In 1924 the Jesuit Order deeded the building to the Diocese of Boise. By that time the Old Mission was in very poor condition and was in need of major repair.

In 1925 Bishop Gorman of Boise appointed a committee to plan for the restoration of the old landmark. For the next two years various community groups from Spokane, Coeur d’Alene, Kellogg and Wallace raised funds for a complete restoration. On August 15, 1963, the National Park Service declared the Cataldo Mission a Registered National Historic Landmark. By the 1970s the mission was again in need of major repair. In 1974 the Idaho Bicentennial Commission took on the restoration of the mission as its first project. When the restoration was completed in 1975 the Cataldo Mission was designated a state park.

Today, the Cataldo Mission is one of the major tourist attractions in North Idaho. Thousands of people visit the Mission and participate in a variety of events that are held annually on the Mission grounds. One of the most important events is the Feast of Assumption, which is held every year on August 15 by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe.

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