Pierre-Jean De Smet

Lore & Background

De Smet was born in Dendermonde, Belgium, in 1801 and entered the Petit Séminaire at Mechelen at age nineteen. He came to the United States with eleven other Belgian Jesuits in 1821, intending to become a missionary to Native Americans. He began his novitiate at White Marsh near Baltimore, Maryland, and was later transferred to Florissant, Missouri, to complete his theological studies and learn Native American languages. He brought six enslaved African Americans with him and was ordained a priest on 23 September 1827. He helped found St. Regis Seminary, where he had his first contacts with indigenous students, and later served as treasurer at the College of St. Louis. He became a US citizen on 23 September 1833, but returned to Flanders that year due to health problems, not returning to St. Louis until 1837.

In 1838 and 1839, De Smet helped establish St. Joseph's Mission in what is now Council Bluffs, Iowa, among the Potawatomi. He was appalled by the murders and brutality resulting from the whiskey trade. He assisted Joseph Nicollet in mapping the Upper Midwest and produced the first detailed map of the upper Missouri River valley system, showing Indian villages and the wreck of the steamboat Pirate. In 1840, after meeting a Salish delegation at Council Bluffs, he journeyed to Salish territory, offering the first Mass in Wyoming on 5 July 1840. He baptized 350 people and returned east to raise funds. In 1841, he returned with two priests and three friars to found St. Mary's Mission in the Bitterroot Valley. He later recruited more workers in France and returned to the Pacific Northwest via Cape Horn in 1844.

One of De Smet's longest explorations began in August 1845 in the region west of the Rockies. He traveled from Lake Pend Oreille through the Kootenay River Valley, across Sinclair Pass, and over the Great Divide into Rupert's Land. He reached Rocky Mountain House and spent the winter of 1845–1846 at Fort Edmonton. In spring 1846, he returned westward via the York Factory Express route, crossing the Great Divide by Athabaska Pass and eventually reaching Fort Vancouver. During these years, he established St. Mary's Mission in present-day Stevensville, Montana, and the mission that became the Sacred Heart Mission to the Coeur d'Alene in present-day Cataldo, Idaho.

Reader's Guide

Pierre-Jean De Smet's significance lies in his extensive missionary work among Native American peoples in the mid-19th century, covering an estimated 180,000 miles. He is most notably remembered as the 'Friend of Sitting Bull' for his role in persuading the Sioux war chief to negotiate the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie. His mapping skills produced the first detailed map of the upper Missouri River valley, which included cultural features such as Indian villages and the wreck of the steamboat Pirate. De Smet founded several missions, including St. Joseph's Mission in Iowa, St. Mary's Mission in Montana, and the Sacred Heart Mission in Idaho. His legacy is also marked by his appeal for financial aid to settle Native Americans into agricultural villages, a plan he believed necessary for their permanent good. However, his work is also tied to the broader context of European colonization and the displacement of Native peoples, as he brought enslaved African Americans to Missouri and sought to change traditional Salish nomadic habits. His travels and interactions with numerous tribes, including the Salish, Pend d'Oreilles, Cree, Chippewa, and Blackfoot, left a lasting imprint on the history of Catholic missions in North America.

Did You Know?

• De Smet brought six enslaved African Americans with him when he moved to Florissant, Missouri, in 1823.
• He produced the first detailed map of the upper Missouri River valley system, showing the wreck of the steamboat Pirate.
• He was known as 'De Grote Zwartrok' ('The Great Black Skirt') by Native Americans.
• He persuaded Sitting Bull to participate in negotiations for the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie.