Chapter XXIV

CEMETERIES.

What had been said in this chapter completes the record of all our churches in Montana. But as in the eyes of Catholicity resting places for the dead are no less necessary and no less

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sacred than places of worship for the living, it is but proper that we should add here also a word about our cemeteries.

The cemetery owned by the Helena Church and that as well belonging to the church of St. Francis Xavier, Missoula, have already been referred to in our chronicle. Besides these two, the other Catholic communities that have cemeteries are the following: Billings, Boulder Valley, Lewistown, Livingston, Miles city, and Missouri Valley on the east side. On the west side: Anaconda, Butte and Frenchtown.

The churches of Benton and Deer Lodge, properly speaking, have no cemetery of their own, though grounds are reserved for them in the common town cemetery where in to bury their dead.

The plot for the Boulder Valley cemetery was donated b y Michael Quinn, as he had donated likewise the site for the church, while N. Oualette gave the ground for the Lewistown cemetery.

Two of these resting places for our faithful departed have been consecrated, the Boulder Valley cemetery and that of Miles City. But the former has since been desecrated by the interment therein of remains excluded by the church from hallowed ground. Hence the only consecrated cemetery in Montana is that of Miles City.

We now return to Helena to take up and bring to a close what there still remains of its history.