Landmarks of the Old Oregon County; History of Christian Missionaries and Nespurse Indians in Idaho

>> Hi again, I'm Mark Sparks. >> And I'm Jane Ferguson. Our search for landmarks from the history of the old Oregon country has brought us to the state of Idaho. >> We begin our story of the early missionaries to the northwest here at the Nez Perce National Park visitor center, which is located near the site of Idaho's first Christian mission. Not far from here, near the Clearwater River, Reverend Henry Spalding and his wife Eliza built a mission in the summer of 1838. >> It was to be a place where the Nez Perce people might come for schooling, religious teaching and training in farming. A place to learn the life ways of the white man. But it also became a place where the Nez Perce people would be asked to choose between their ancient tribal traditions and the missionaries new values. >> To help us better understand what the arrival of the first missionaries meant to the Nez Perce people, we wanted you to meet a very special guest. >> Phil George is a Nez Perce Indian who is a member of the National Park Service staff here at the Nez

Perce National Historical Park Visitors Center at Spalding, Idaho. His tours and storytelling help bring the past to life. He is also an artist who celebrates his native heritage in his dancing and performances of his poetry. >> Hi Phil. >>Hi Phil. >> Hi Jane, hi Mark. >> Listening to your tours and stories it's clear that you have a great love and respect for the traditions and heritage of your tribal ancestors. >> Yes I do, and I'm not alone. This visitor center is dedicated to the history and spirit of the Nimiipuu. The early French fir trader called us Nez Perce, we call ourselves Nimiipuu which means "we people." The story of the Spalding mission is an important part of our history,

but that story is only one part. Because the missionaries and the Nez Perce looked at the world very differently, what had once been matters of tribal tradition became matters of personal choice. For my people those choices did not come easily. They are still not easy. >> The exhibits and displays here at the visitors center help us better understand and appreciate the heritage of the Nez Perce people, and the Indian world the Spaulding's and other missionaries encountered here in the Oregon country. >> Your poems are also a very special part of the exhibits here. I understand that you perform them too. Would you be willing to perform one of your poems for us? >> I would be very happy to. The title of this poem is "Battle won is lost." They said "you are no longer a lad." I nodded. They said "come, enter the council lodge." I

sat. They said "our lands are at stake." I scowled. They said "prepare red war symbols." I painted. They said "our lands are at stake." I scowled. They said "prepare red war symbols." I painted. They said "you'll see friends die."

I cringed. They said "desperate warriors fight best." I charged. They said "to die is glorious." They lied. [beeping] >> This was the land of the Nez Perce people for thousands of years. Why did the Rev. Henry Spalding and his wife Eliza leave the comforts of life in the

east to brave the hardships of traveling cross-country to come here? What made them risk everything for a chance to start a mission among the Nez Perce? It began with Lewis and Clark. In the fall of 1805, Lewis and Clark traveled along the Clearwater River near here on their way to the Pacific Ocean. The Nez Perce welcomed them warmly. And as a sign of friendship Lewis and Clark gave them a peace medal. The Nez Perce promised the American explorers friendship and help in the years to come. From other Indians, and their early contacts with explorers and adventurers, the tribes of the Northwest received their first impressions of the prayers, services and customs of the Christian religions. In 1831, four Indians journeyed sixteen

hundred miles to St. Louis Missouri to speak with the man they called Great Father William Clark. They wanted to know more about the white man's religion. In the fall of 1805 Lewis and Clark traveled along the Clearwater river near here on their way to the Pacific Ocean. The Nez Perce welcomed them warmly. And as a sign of friendship Lewis and Clark gave them a peace medal. The Nez Perce promised the American explorers friendship and help in the years to come From other Indians, and their early contacts with explorers and adventurers, the tribes of the Northwest received their first impressions of the prayers, services and customs of the Christian religions. >> In 1833, a religious newspaper in New York carried a story about the four

Indians, and their desire to learn about Christianity. That story became a call to Christian missionaries, traveling teachers, to journey west and work among the native tribes. The first of these was Jason Lee, a Methodist minister who traveled with a fir trapping party to Fort Vancouver in 1834. thirty four. There, Hudson's Bay chief factor Dr. McLoughlin convinced Lee to start a mission in the Willamette Valley. It became the first religious settlement in the old Oregon country. In 1841, Lee moved his mission further south, to a settlement that eventually became the city of Salem. >> Two years after Jason Lee began his work in the Willamette Valley, another group of

missionaries headed west. This group included the Reverend Henry Spalding and Dr. Marcus Whitman. And with them with their wives, Eliza Spalding and Narcissa Whitman, the first white women to travel across the Rocky Mountains to the west. After reaching Fort Vancouver, the Whitman's in the Spaldings split up. The Whitmans chose a site on the Walla Walla river, in what is now Washington, for their mission. There, in a meadow called Waiilatpu, "the place of the rye grass," they settled among the Cayuse Indians. In addition to their religious teachings, Narcissa Whitman started a school where she taught english and signing, while her husband Marcus tended to the sick. >> Meanwhile, here in Idaho, about two miles from where I'm standing, Henry and Eliza

Spalding built a log house with the help of the Nez Perce people. It was the winter of 1836 and that first house would serve both as their home and mission. But before long, the Spaulding's chose to move to a new location here, near the mouth of Lapwai creek on the Clearwater River. Why did they move? Because it was so hot and the mosquitoes were so bad. Today, very little evidence of this mission still remains to be seen. But the mosquitoes are still here. Reverend Spalding gave the Nez Perce seeds and hoes and taught them to plant gardens and orchards. Meanwhile, his wife Eliza printed her own alphabet books and began a school. Only a few hearthstones from the fireplaces mark where the Spaulding house once stood. From here, the reverend made plans for additions to the mission, including a church, a school, a grist mill and a sawmill. At first the Nez Perce were more than happy to help with the work. But soon, many began to resent Rev. Spalding's strict

demands. He not only wanted to change how they lived, he wanted to change how they thought, and looked at the world. Some Nez Perce would follow their Christian teachings, but others would not. Nez Perce support for the mission continued to decline, and in 1847 the mission closed because of the threat of violence. [beep] >> But even working with what they thought were the best of intentions...[inaudible] Today, the site of the Spalding mission here in the Nez Perce National Historical Park is

preserved as a tribute to the first Christian school and church in Idaho. It also marks a turning point in the history of the Nez Perce people, and serves as a reminder of the many sacrifices, both by Indians and missionaries, that paved the way for the settling of the northwest. >> The deep valleys of northern Idaho were once home to several tribes who shared with the Nez Perce a reverence for the land. For centuries their lives follow the patterns of the seasons. One of these tribes was the Coeur D'Alenes, who lived near the large lake that now bears their name. From a neighboring tribe in Montana they heard about the mysterious and magical black robes. This was what they called Catholic priests

who wore black gowns as symbols of their faith. Just as the Nez Perce had invited missionaries to come among them to teach their religion, the Coeur D'Alene people requested that the black robes come to their land. Their call was also answered. In 1842, one of those black robes, Father Nicholas Point, established the Sacred Heart Mission among the Coeur D'Alene people, just south of Lake Coeur D'Alene. However floodwaters forced him to move the mission site to this hill overlooking the Coeur D'Alene River, about 20 miles east of the lake. >> A temporary chapel made of cedar bark was used while the work of opening fields and building a barn and mill got underway. But from the beginning, there were plans for building a

more magnificent church. A church the Coeur D'Alenes would call "The House of the Great Spirit." Father Anthony Ravalli, the man who designed and built the Sacred Heart Mission, sailed to the Oregon country from his homeland in faraway Italy in 1844. He spent that first winter at St. Paul's mission in the Willamette Valley. Four years later, after traveling many miles, he began plans for the Coeur D'Alenes Mission of the Sacred Heart. Father Ravalli found the Coeur D'Alene people willing and eager to work on his great project.

It is said their harshest punishment was not being allowed to take part in the work. >> The Coeur D'Alene people shared father Ravalli's dream of building this mission. And these giant pillars are especially amazing when you consider that father Ravalli and his workers had only a handful of tools to work with. What back breaking work it was. Stones for the foundation had to be carried from a half mile away. Some of the timbers were brought from more than a mile away. Clay from water and filling had to be applied by hand. And ropes for pulling the giant timbers into place had to be made from plant fibers. >> The walls were made by boring holes in the beams and sticking willow saplings in them. Wild

grass was woven over these, and then covered over with mud from the river bank. Here you can still see some of the original hand prints from the workers who built the mission. [music plays] About three hundred twenty Coeur D'Alene men and women worked long hours to complete the work, with no more pay than one bowl of mush given out each day. >> But there was another kind of pay. They had the satisfaction of knowing they had helped create a great building. A building that is still a source of pride to the Coeur D'Alene people. >> It was to be their mission. That was very important. And there are special touches that remind us of that fact. There were no pews, no benches. For it was the custom of the

Coeur D'Alenes to sit on the floor for services. >> And up above, the Coeur D'Alenes thought the ceiling should be the same color as the sky. So they painted the wood blue with the juice of huckleberries. Whoa. Whoa. >> Father Ravalli, and other early missionaries, had to put all their talents to use. For being a missionary back then also meant being a pioneer. A pioneer who could also be a

schoolteacher, a doctor and a farmer. >> Imagine traveling into this valley in 1853, the year the mission was completed, and seeing this giant building. There was nothing like it in all of the Oregon country. >> The Coeur D'Alene people had every reason to be proud of their achievement. Today, the Sacred Heart Mission has been preserved as the oldest building in the state of Idaho. >> But perhaps more importantly, it still stands as an enduring memorial to what was possible in this land back when missionaries and Native Americans first agreed to work together toward a common goal. >> The Sacred Heart Mission became part of an Idaho State Historical Park in 1975. Its visitors center offers slide presentations, displays, living history tours and other events. The Old Mission State Park is open March through November. >> The missions begun in the Willamette Valley at St. Paul and Salem played a big part in

encouraging the American settlement there. >> And the missions started by the Spaldings, the Whitmans and the Catholic priests here in Idaho became stopping places for settlers coming west. >> News and letters about the work of the missionaries encouraged other pioneers to follow them to the Oregon country. >> Whether they intended to or not, the missionaries played their part in making possible the movement of more and more settlers following the Oregon Trail to new homes in the Pacific Northwest. >> And we shouldn't forget that these pioneer missionaries were also the last to see the Native American tribes living as they had for hundreds of years, not yet aware of the difficult changes that were soon to come. [beeping] >> And he told them "take

care of your past, take care. You, you, you take Care of your past.Your past. Our past. Their past. Take care of your past. "Take care."