A Visual Reconstruction of the First Mass in Wyoming

[Michie]

On July 5, 1840, the Flemish Jesuit Pierre-Jean De Smet offered Mass atop a bluff near present-day Daniel, WY. Assembled to witness the ritual was an immense crowd of fur trappers and Indigenous peoples who had convened for the annual trade rendezvous held nearby. The memorable scene marked the first public celebration of the Mass in what is today Wyoming.


De Smet had arrived at the rendezvous to evaluate the prospect of establishing missions in the area. Up to this point, the 39-year-old’s experience as a Jesuit had been characterized by chronic illness, discouragement, and failure. His 1840 journey to the Rocky Mountains, however, launched a transformative phase of his career, one that would catapult him to fame as the century’s foremost missionary to the North American Indians as well as an energetic diplomat, intrepid explorer, pioneering cartographer, and popular author who would leave a lasting mark on the history of the American West.


In a letter, De Smet described the pivotal events of July 5 like this:

I had the privilege of celebrating, to the great joy of all, a Mass which the character of those assisting and the majesty of the wilderness combined to render solemn. The altar was erected on an elevation surrounded by branches of trees and garlands of flowers. It was a spectacle truly moving to the heart of a missionary to see this immense family composed of so many different tribes bowing down with equal humility before the Divine Host. The Canadians intoned hymns in French and Latin, the Indians chanted songs in their own mother tongue; all distinctions, all rivalries of peoples, were obliterated before a unanimous sentiment, that of Christian piety. Oh! it was truly a Catholic ceremony. This place has since been called la Prairie de la Messe. (Translated from Annales de la Propagation de la Foi, vol. 13 (1841), 488.)

Continued below.

Guest Article: A Visual Reconstruction of the First Mass in Wyoming

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[RileyG]

Wyoming is a beautiful state! Haven't visited in roughly 16+ years!

Thanks for posting!