Spring is Coming!
Cataldo Mission, Idaho
Wonderful Jaunt in Northeastern Idaho!
This old mission was built at the request of the Indian Tribes in the mid 1800’s. Due to increasing violence between native tribes with the advent of horses and firearms, the native Americans in the Coeur d’Alene area of what is now Idaho, were told by a fellow native that the best protection against defeat and slaughter was the Great Spirit which could only be administered by the white man in black robes. They sent messengers all the way to St. Louis, Missouri to beg the Jesuits there to send out a priest that could protect them from their enemies.
Sensitive to their plight, Father DeSmet went to St. Maries, Idaho, and built the first mission there. Moving northeast, he then traveled to the area now known as Cataldo and, working with the native tribes there, began construction on the Sacred Heart Mission. It took many years and much hard work, but by the mid 1850’s it was finished. Father DeSmet worked hard to provide a beautiful church in which to worship God. He cut out tin decorations and candle holders himself from old tin cans, and he also did much of the artwork adorning the cathedral. The ceilings were stained with huckleberry juice to look like the sky!
The old mission saw many priests come and go, and many native Americans were converted to Christianity there. The parish house was a hub for business, prayer, and travelers. It housed a chapel within its walls which was easier to heat in the winter than the large mission proper. After several fires, reconstruction, and even years of abandonment and disrepair, the Old Mission was refurbished in the 1960’s and declared a National Monument. What a wonderful piece of our American Christian heritage!
11/26/2016
West Yellowstone National Park!
10/08/2016
Fall Hiking and Huckleberries!
9/25/2016
The 4th of July in Glacier Country
7/4/16
Summer and Homemade Ice Cream!
6/28/16
Riding the Hiawatha Bike Trail~
6/16
I chose to celebrate some time off ‘call’ to go to Silverwood Theme Park, and to ride the epic Hiawatha Bike Trail on the Idaho/Montana border. This railroad was built in the early 1900’s and finally fell into disuse in 1980, and was reopened as a bike trail in 1998. It saddens me that the rails in our country prevailed less than a century, had to claim bankruptcy after so much money and effort to build them was expended, and then fell into disrepair and disuse at a time when other countries have expanded on their railway systems into viable and ‘green’ traveling options. While the only way for us to enjoy this historical ingenuity which passes through phenomenal scenery is to get on our bicycle and explore a bit of it. I look forward to the day when the rails will be unearthed and refurbished and can become the luxurious ride they once were.
The 15 mile ride was a bit long for my 7 year old, but he was a trooper. Since the ride is downhill the whole way, I merely had to roll downhill on my Schwinn, but my son had to work a bit harder since he is so much smaller. The tunnels are amazing feats of engineering and get very dark in the middle, like a cavern. They are very cool and jackets are necessary for the longest one, The Taft Tunnel. The trestle bridges over mountain chasms are awesome as well, and my favorite story of the train trail here is that in the fire of 1910 (likely caused by a locomotive engine), railroad workers loaded up hundreds of citizens who lived in the then booming mountain hollows and rushed them to safety through burning flames into the train tunnels to avoid the fire. They were so successful that history reports only losing one casualty in this area during this fire, of a man who panicked and tried to jump to safety from one train to another during the evacuation.
~~~
I love camping! I just started camping again in a tent and I love everything about it. My favorite destination is Glacier National Park, but I hope to camp in all the national, and many of the state, parks in my future. Here is a collage of my Memorial Day camping trip~
~Song of Mary~ 