CHAPTER XI.

BUTTE, ST. PATRICK'S MISSION. ST. ROSE'S, DILLON.

Silver Bow County, of which Butte City with its surroundings in the principal part, was detached from the County of Deer Lodge in 1881. The name "Silver Bow," originated from the happy occurrence of several elements.

A few miles southwest of Butte a beautiful stream bent its course gracefully into the shape of an Indian bow. The silver of the name was derived from a double cause. One cloudy day in January, 1864, four miners who had reached a point near the creek, a short distance from Butte, were discussing what name should be given to the place. Just at this very moment the sun peeled through an opening in the clouds and glanced upon the curve waters of the little stream as they embraced in their graceful curve the spot below. That bow-shaped surface, lit up by the sun's smile, shone forth with a dazzling, silver-like brilliancy, and the four men had but to pronounce the name of nature's own coining. Thus, both the creek and new mining camp were called Silver Bow, whence also the name of the county.

As to the name, Butte," it was taken from the mound or butte north of the original town, and was first given to it in the fall of 1864, when, upon the discovery of rich placer diggings in the vicinity, the first mining district was organized.

Father J. Giorda visited Silver Bow, May 15, 1865. The record of his own hand of some baptism which he performed under that date in oppido Silver Bow, leaves no room to doubt of his having been there at this time. Father F. X. Kuppens in his manuscript notes before us, claims to have been the first priest who visited Butte. S he went thither on a hurried sick-call in the summer of the same year, 1865, it may be inferred from this that Father Giorda did not visit butte when passing through Silver Bow that year.

With the summer of 1866, both butte and Silver bow began to be attended from Deer Lodge up to Match, 1881, when, as

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will now appear, they were confined to the spiritual care of a resident priest, the Rev. Jas. J. Dols, who arrived on this field March 8, 1881.

The new Butte pastor was an athlete no less in moral than physical strength, and great indeed must be the obstacle which he could not brush aside or surmount in the discharge of his missionary calling. The Rev. J. J. Dols was born in Sittard, Holland, March 6, 1848. He studied Latin, partly in his native city and partly at Veert, then philosophy at St. Nicholas, Belgium, lastly divinity at both the American College and the University of Louvain. He received priestly orders in 1874 at Bruxelles at the hands of the Papal Nuncio, and in the same year he came to America as a missionary priest attached to the Archdiocese of Oregon. After spending a few weeks in Portland, Oregon, he was station for three years at McMinnville, Yamhill County, where he built the first church. He then labored four years at Gervais, when he came to Montana in the spring of 1881.

Butte offered a splendid field to the ability and energy of this valiant priest. One of his first cares was to secure living quarters. He bought a modest, comfortable residence, at a cost of $3,000, which was ready of occupancy before the close of the year.

In a mining community like butte, where accidents to limb and life were without number and almost a hourly occurrence, the need of a Sisters' Hospital was sorely felt. Steps were soon taken by Father Dols to supply this great want; he obtained a colony of Sisters of Charity from the Mother-House at Leavenworth, Kansas. The Hospital was named after St. James. The institution received its first patient on the opening day, November 15, 1881. Its capacity was soon taxed to its utmost, and by 1890 the premises were expanded to twice their first dimensions.

By 1882-83 the number of Catholics in butte had so increased, that the former church accommodations became utterly inadequate. Hence, in May, 1883, Father Dols, assisted by Father De Ryckere and Father F. Kelleher, laid the corner-stone of a new church edifice. It was ready for use by the end of the year, though its formal dedication did not take place till September 17, 1884. The new St. Patrick's is a neat brick structure on a stone

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foundation and with cut granite facings. Its cost was in the neighborhood of $18,000.

The field having become too large for one priest, the Ordinary sought to give Father Dols some help. But, unfortunately, the assistants ailed to assist and had soon to be dispensed with, their absence being preferable and more serviceable than their presence. Nor was this the only unpleasant experience of the Butte Church at this time. A small community opened there a school, but under auspices that were not favorable, their mission in consequence, proved an utter failure.

Considerable dissatisfaction with Father Dols arose among some of the Butte congregation about this date. At first, the discontent could scarcely be accounted for. Before long, however, unlooked for events revealed the cause, malevolence and evil tongues were shown to be at the bottom of it all.

That on one occasion by publicly disapproving the Holy See, for condemning the Plan of Campaign and "boycotting"; and again, later on, by upholding in opposition to the Ordinary, a clerical tramp, some few of the Butte Catholics have not shown the filial respect and docile submission due to ecclesiastical authority by loyal children of the Church, is a matter of history and much to be regretted. The blame, however, should be made to rest where it properly belongs, that is to say, with the insignificant few, and not to be laid at the door of all the members, of that excellent and edifying Catholic community.

In December, 1885, the Rev. L. S. Tremblay, from Frenchtown, went to butte and filled for about a year the place of Father Dols, who was permitted to take a much needed rest ina protracted visit to his native country. Hard work, no less than the noxious mineral fumes of that smoky city, impaired Father Tremblay's health, however, and he was called to Helena for a change. He thence, returned to his former Mission of Frenchtown, while the Rev. H. J. van de Ven was now given charge of the Butte congregation.

The Rev. H. J. van de Ven is a Hollander, born at Hertogenbosch, October 3, 1856. He studied Latin in the diocesan Seminary, St. Michael's Seminary, at Haaren, and was raided to the priesthood in the Cathedral of his native place, June 11, 1881, by the Rt. Rev. A. Godschalk. In November of that same year he

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was appointed Curate at Allen, whence in October, 1883, he was transferred to St. Odenrode. He remained there up to May 1, 1886, when he entered the American College at Louvain. Here he devoted himself for several months to the study of English, and then sailed for America, arriving at Helena, Montana, September 7, 1886, whence, shortly before Christmas, he was appointed to St. Patrick's, Butte, a charge he held and creditably filled for years.

About the middle of September, 1888, he was given an assistant in the Rev. Victor van den Broeck, who remained on the Butte Mission about three years. Father van den Broeck is a native of Halle, Belgium, where he was born October 16, 1863. He studied Latin and philosophy at Mechlin, after which he entered the American College at Louvain, where he made his theological course and where, June 4, 1887, he received his ordination to the priesthood. Upon his arrival in Montana, in the early part of September of the same year, he became on of the assistant clergy at the Helena Cathedral, and attended Great Falls, White Sulphur Springs, three Forks, the Gallatin and Jefferson Valleys, as well as other outlying stations. While here in Butte he visited for a time the Catholic settlements in Beaverhead and Madison counties, Laurin, Virginia, Dillon and other places. We shall meet again with this young and zealous missionary priest at Miles City, where, early in September, 1891, he succeeded Father Cyril Pauwelyn who had been transferred to the Butte Mission.

A diminutive personality, but possessed withal of considerable activity, has won for Father Pauwelyn the complimentary sobriquet of "Ecclesiastical Beaver." He was born at Poelcapelle, West Flanders, Belgium, April 25, 1863. After his humanities made at Ypres, he studied philosophy at Roulers, and then theology, partly in the Seminary of Bruges, and partly in the American College at Louvain. He left Europe for the United States in company with the Rt. Rev. Bishop Junger, who was then returning from Rome, and arrived in Helena the latter part of September, 1885.

Father Pauwelyn was still a Deacon at the time. He received his priestly orders at Helena from the Rt. Rev. Bishop Brondel on the 29^th of the following November, and he has, thus, the

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privilege of being the first priest of the Helena Diocese to be ordained in the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and in Montana.

Soon after his ordination, Father Pauwelyn entered upon the duties of active missionary life, and attended for about two years all the principal settlements along the Northern Pacific Railroad to the east of Helena as far as the Dakota boundary, and also some of the outlying settlements and camps in this vicinity. In October, 1887, he was assigned to Miles City, where he remained up to September, 1891, when he as transferred to Butte.

Keeping pace with the growth of this phenomenal mining city, substantial improvements were made at this period both in the pastoral residence and in the Sisters' Hospital at a considerable outlay of money. While the priests' house was remodeled and rendered more conformable and complete in its appointments, the Sisters enlarged St. James' Hospital to more than twice its former capacity, making it an up-to-date institution in every respect.

But what reflects most credit on Father van de Ven is St. Patrick's Parochial School, a priceless boon for the Catholic youth of Butte. It is a large imposing pile and truly fills a crying want, as may be inferred from the large attendance of pupils, who number at this writing about four hundred.

It is rarely, however, that any substantial good can be accomplished without some difficulty and trouble, and the building of St. Patrick's Parochial School proved no exception.

Its erection had been authorized and encouraged by the Ordinary, but its proportions were to be on a much smaller scale, owing to his dread lest any of the churches under his care should run into debts. On the other hand, both the local pastor and the leading Catholics of the place realized the need of larger school accommodations than were sanctioned by the Bishop, and, besides, the members of the Butte Congregation seemed willing and ready to bear all the cost.

Upon these representatives, the Bishop relaxed his former

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restrictions and left the matter to a great extent in the hands of the Pastor and the Building Committee. Structure and furnishings cost in the neighboring of $75,000, about half of which amount was met by subscriptions, donations, fairs and like resources. There remained on the school an indebtedness of some $40,000, no light burden, for sure, but yet bearable under actual conditions. For, considering the good prospects of the mines, the number of Catholics, as well as their prosperity, the Genealogybug2005 t could be discharged within a very reasonable time.

But, somehow, the Bishop appeared to be left, at least partly, in the dark about the total cost of the school and furnishings, and felt decidedly displeased when the amount due on the institution came to his knowledge. The same may be said of a large portion of the Butte congregation, who freely expressed their surprise and dissatisfaction over the matter. Statements had been made to them seemingly at variance with the facts, or if the statements were correct, they could hardly have been more misunderstood.

Be this as it may, the financial state of the school became generally known just when the Pastor had gone on a leave of absence to visit his people in the old country, and Father P. Desire, of St. Paul's' Church, Anaconda, had been designated as his successor at St. Patrick's

On becoming aware of the heavy Genealogybug2005 t hanging over the school, Father Desire felt perplexed, and hesitated considerably about accepting the new appointment. It was during this interval that bishop Brondel conceived the idea of inviting to Butte the Redemptorist Fathers, feeling it too heavy a responsibility upon his soul to leave so many of his flock without proper spiritual care. No sooner, however, had Father Desire consented to assume charge of St. Patrick's than the project of bringing in the Religious was dropped by the Ordinary.

But as he still worried over the Genealogybug2005 t, Bishop Brondel thought it advisable to have the Hon. T. H. Carter confer with our Butte people on the subject. There was a good reason to hope that Mr. Carter's suggestions, while practical and conducive to the end in view, would also be received even more readily than if coming directly from the Ordinary himself, as just at this time some few of the Butte congregation did not appear to be so well dis-

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dosed toward their chief Pastor as they ought to have been. Mr. Carter, however, was then in politics, and his opponents looked upon his going to Butte on the occasion as a move to boost political aspirations, which was enough to render his mission pretty much of a failure.

The Pastor was silenced, perhaps somewhat too hastily, for overstepping directions and not placing matters clearly before his ecclesiastical superior. Charles of misappropriation of funds in connection with the building of the school were also preferred against him, which, however, were all disproved by proper receipts and vouchers.

The final result of the unpleasant and regrettable incident was the loss to the Helena Diocese of the service of a zealous, popular and efficient worker, who now passed to labor in another field.

The new Parochial School has been confided to the Sisters of Leavenworth, who are ably conducting it. the one in charge and the head of the teaching staff is Sister Loretto, who will be remembered as one of the pioneer Sisters that came to Helena in the fall of 1869. After teaching for a time at St. Vincent's Academy, this city, she was put in charge of St. John's Hospital, where she won the esteem and respect of all our people. In 1875 she was recalled to Kansas, whence she returned to Montana, having been appointed to conduct St. Patrick's School in Butte.

Butte's Catholic population is reckoned today at nine thousand, and here is the number of baptisms and marriage recorded in St. Patrick's Church during the last three years.:

With this we close the narrative of both the Butte church and the Deer Lodge Mission, the latter, as we have seen, being the parent of the former. And not of the former only, but also of many other churches sprung up in this section of western Montana. Which is indeed no small honor for Deer Lodge and no small credit for Father De Ryckere, its founder.

Upon his return from Europe, in September, 1886, Father

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J. J. Dols took the spiritual charge of the Catholics in Beaverhead and Madison counties, to which field he had been assigned previous to his journey abroad.

At first he made his residence in Laurin, where he built a little house, costing $1,000. Later on, he constructed a small brick church, with a small annex in the rear for a rectory at Dillon, a new town and the seat of Beaverhead County. The funds for the structure were supplied by the generous contributions of the people of the two counties, irrespective of creed. As a matter of fact, non-Catholic contributors to the work were in the majority. The new church edifice was blessed and dedicated August 19, 1887, under the name and patronage of St. Rose of Lima, an American Saint.

Father Dols labored in this field with zeal and success four yeas, the home of Catholics and non-Catholics alike being open to him.

The Helena diocese at this date has as yet too few priests to provide for the spiritual wants of the whole community whose numbers were everywhere on the increase. Northern Montana, especially, had now a larger percentage of Catholics than the country attended from Dillon. Hence in February, 1891, Father Dols was transferred to Great Falls, and the Dillon district had to be visited first from Butte, then from Deer Lodge, and lastly from Granite.