USA > Kansas > Linn County > A centenary of Catholicity in Kansas, 1822-1922 ; the history of our cradle land (Miami and Linn Counties) ; Catholic Indian missions and missionaries of Kansas ; The pioneers on the prairies : notes on St. Mary's Mission, Sugar Creek, Linn County; Holy Trinity Church, Paola, Miami County; Holy Rosary Church, Wea; Immaculate Conception, B.V.M., Louisburg; St. Philip's Church, Osawatomie; Church of the Assumption, Edgerton, Johnson County; to which is added a short sketch of the Ursuline Academy at Paola; the diary of Father Hoecken, and old Indian records > Part 6
USA > Kansas > Miami County > A centenary of Catholicity in Kansas, 1822-1922 ; the history of our cradle land (Miami and Linn Counties) ; Catholic Indian missions and missionaries of Kansas ; The pioneers on the prairies : notes on St. Mary's Mission, Sugar Creek, Linn County; Holy Trinity Church, Paola, Miami County; Holy Rosary Church, Wea; Immaculate Conception, B.V.M., Louisburg; St. Philip's Church, Osawatomie; Church of the Assumption, Edgerton, Johnson County; to which is added a short sketch of the Ursuline Academy at Paola; the diary of Father Hoecken, and old Indian records > Part 6
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25
Another version of the origin of the name. Paola, is given in these words, "Paola founded in 1855, named after Pasquale di Paoli, the Corsican patriot who led his coun- trvmen against Genoa in 1755 and 1789." It is safe to say that the Indians never heard of the gentleman from Corsica.
A third and more plausible origin of the name is given by the venerable Jolin Chest- nut, who came to Osawatomie in 1854 and is now a citizen of Denver, Colorado. He states that Paola is called after a town on the west coast of Italy. It is true there is such a town on the coast of Calabria in southern Italy It is also true that there is a monastery and a hamlet connected with the great Church of St. Paul beyond the walls of Rome called Paola. but it would take no other than an Italian to suggest these obscure places as a name for a wigwam village on the plains of Kansas in the middle of the last century. That Italian was Paul Mary Ponziglione. S J. the great Indian missionary who came to these parts in 1851, and was especially beloved by the Peorias.
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His own namne suggested that of his patron. the Great Apostle of the Gentiles: hence Paola. He did not have to go to the wilds of Calabria for the suggestion; it was within his own heart.
The following excerpts are taken from the obituary notice of Father Paul as published in a Chicago Catholic Weekly :
"Father Paul Ponziglione has left a legacy of rare value and interest to the historical literature of the United States. It is made up of his letters, diaries, papers on Indian history and traditions and unpublished documents relating to the early missions and military posts of the frontier, all written during a forty years' scout on the plains from Fort Sill in Indian territory to Fremont's peak in Wyoming, in the days when history was making itself under ambush and at pony express speed.
"When it is all gathered up and put into shape, as some is already, there will be found not only reliable information pertaining to the various Indian tribes with whom the Jesuit father labored, but descriptive paragraphs full of a beauty and tenderness which show that he got well into the feel of the great plains and the sense of the mountains. For instance, when he started out from the Osage mission in Neosha county, Kas., at the time when the Fifth cavalry was in field, when Wallace, Dodge, Lyon, Leavenworth and Laramie were the pegs on which the ropes were knotted to loop in the Kiowas, Comanches, Chey- ennes and Arapahoes, Father Paul took up his blanket, haversack and chalice and calmly went forth alone on his pony, unarmed, through country that even Bill Comstock and Cody were wary of, and he wrote the following:
Went Out Alone.
"'I now turned my way toward Greenwood county. I had to travel some forty long miles, and night overtook me on a very large and high prairie divid- ing the waters of the Verdigris and Fall rivers. I had to put out on the green grass, which was plentiful and offered excellent food for my horse. The moon was most brilliant and the stars seemed to be invested with new brightness; no tree, no bush, no rock was in sight. Fortunately I had an iron pin and a long lariat with me; this enabled me to secure my horse for the night. All was silence around me, and I sat down to eat my supper, which consisted of some dry bread and fruits. I found both very good and by no means heavy on my stomach. My mind felt very light and free. Had I been a poet that would have been a good moment for inspiration. As I was rather fatigued I lay down wrapped in my blanket and passed as comfortable a night as if I had been lying on a feather bed.
"'At the dawn of day I was up, and, seeing that all was right about my horse, I thanked God for it, and having taken iny breakfast, which was as frugal as the preceding supper, I was again on my way about sunrise, traveling along through the interminable prairies.'"
IN THE MOUNTAINS.
Some idea of the life of a Jesuit missionary may be gotten from the fol- lowing extract from one of his letters written from St. Stephen's mission in Lander, Wyo.
"The weather in Rawlins was very cold and the surrounding mountains cov- ered with snow showed to great advantage under the blue canopy of heaven. Here I had to stop one day to secure a place in the stage, which during the season takes only two passengers at a time. Fortunately through the assistance of Rev. Father James Ryan, the parish priest of that town, I succeeded in get- ting room for myself and baggage. My only companion happened to be a gen- tleman of old acquaintance who keeps a large store at Fort Washakie, thirty miles west of this mission. And lucky was I in meeting him, for he, being an old settler and used to traveling over these mountains, was well provided with
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THE HISTORY OF OUR CRADLE LAND
buffalo robes and blankets, so we had plenty of coverings to make ourselves comfortable. Had I not met with this good man I would have suffered a good deal, for, supposing that the stage company would supply passengers with such wrappings and blankets as are indispensable to travelers during winter, I had nothing with me but my overcoat and a comforter around my neck.
"In the best of spirits we left Rawlins on the 13th of April at 8 o'clock a. m., the only thing that gave us uneasiness being the thought of what kind of weather we would have on the coming night, during which we would have to pass through the highest part of Sweetwater mountains, traveling for a length of some seventy-five miles, now on a sled and again on a common lumber wagonl. This is the most difficult part of the journey between Rawlins and St. Stephen's mission, a distance of 175 miles. What makes the crossing of these moun- tains not only difficult but dangerous is the sudden rising of wirdstorms carry- ing immense volumes of snow, which, being drifted against wagons or trains, will sometimes cover them and fasten them to the ground, so as to render it impossible to move them any further. An instance of this kind took place but a few days before we reached Rawlins. Two freighters' outfits, one belong- ing to Fort Washakie above mentioned and another belonging to our mission, were both snowed in, and all the teamsters could do was to unhitch their teams and run for their lives to the nearest station. Every year somebody perishes in such storms. This year we lament two cowboys, who were lost in one of these storms. You see, therefore, that we had reason to be a little uneasy about what might happen to us. But He who tempers the wind to the shorn lamb did also take care of us, and though the mountain zephyrs that were kissing us at intervals all along the way were rather cold, yet we could not complain, and, taking all in all, our condition was by no means as bad as it might have been.
"At noon we reached the second postal station from Rawlins, a place call- ed Bull Creek, and on alighting were told by our driver that dinner was ready. But please, said we, show us the place, for we do not see any sign of a house. To our inquiries he answered by pointing out with his whip a poor dilapidated cabin, covered with snow from the ground to the roof, the entrance to which was through a large cut made in the snow, which stood up frozen on both sides like walls. We went in through this gap and to our surprise found a good dinner.
ONE SEAT FOR THREE.
"Here we left the stage. All our baggage was well secured on a sled, which was nothing else than an old wagon-box fastened upon two beams. On this primitive kind of conveyance there was only one seat for two persons. Resigned to our lot and trying to make ourselves as comfortable as we could, we took possession of the seat and were fixing our blankets around us, when, lo! the driver, a tall, corpulent, jolly fellow, informed us that he was going to share the seat with us, and so saying, he wedged himself in between us, and whooping like a wild Indian, he started his horses at a full gallop. To say that it was a most insufferable kind of traveling would never convey the real idea of the situation. We thought our life would be squeezed out of us during that mem- orable night, such was the position under which we were. The night was one well suited to astronomical observations, for without a telescope one could see millions of most brilliant stars moving through their orbits. The wind, which generally rages very high, left us that night alone, and the temperature was very mild. So we went on from peak to peak, changing horses every fifteen miles. At last, after crossing the highest pitch of the Sweetwater range, we saw the morning star peeping out of the far horizon, and glowing like a distant electric light. By the time we reached the summit of Beaver mountain we saw the day dawning in all its majesty. Its appearance robbed the stars of their majesty. and one after another they dwindled out of sight. To our great consolation the light was now rapidly increasing; for we needed daylight in
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order to see our way in descending the mountain. Our descent, thanks be to God, was safe. It was sunrise when we arrived at a postal station at the foot of Beaver mountain, thirty miles from Lander. Here, taking a stage again we were more comfortable, and succeeded in getting a good sleep-as good, I mean, as the circumstances would allow.
"As I stepped out of the stage I found myself in the midst of many old friends whom I had not seen for three years. So I had to go through a reg- ular gantlet of handshaking, and had to answer the welcomes and compliments of those good-hearted people. I found the mission considerably improved since I left it three years ago. So also did I find the country improved, though not very much. The best of all improvements that have been made is the tele- graph, which now unites Lander with the rest of the world. Our community here consists of Frank Ignatius Panken, a superior, and myself. We have also living with us a secular priest, Rev. Frank Scollen, who has been for many years a missionary among the Indians of Canada as well as the Rocky mountains. We have also a young man acting as servant and farmer. In our house, which is the same old frame house I fixed up when I first came here, we have thus far neither chapel, kitchen nor refectory, but go to say Mass and take our meals at the convent. This is a magnificent brick building built by Friar F. X. Kuppend. I can assure you that it stands at a canonical distance from our house, for there is about one mile between the two, which distance we have to walk three times a day, besides the extra calls which in an Indian miis- rion like this are frequent. Now these daily excursions are quite a feat, espe- cially when the mercury falls 30 degrees below zero and when the ground hap- pens to be covered with four or five inches of snow or with a thick layer of mud. Sidewalks being a refinement not yet introduced in this part of the coun- try, it follows that our situation, taken at its best, is by no means convenient. But we console ourselves by considering that the kingdom of heaven is worth this and much more. However, if we view these excursions from a sanitary standpoint, we are bound to acknowledge that in the long run they will prove highly beneficial.
"On the feast of St. Gabriel we opened our school with eight children boarding with us and today we count twenty-nine boys and girls. The Arapahoes now show us more confidence and our prospects grow brighter day by day."
In after years Father Paul was appointed chaplain of the Bridewell of Chicago. In the city jail he had to minister to a new kind of savage- the "Hoodlums," a tribe that compared very unfavorably with his dear Osages, Peorias and Sioux, but he never despaired, for "where sin abounded the grace of God abounded the more."
On the 25th of March, 1898, he celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of his ordination to the holy priesthood at Chicago, and just two years later he passed to his eternal reward in the eighty-second year of his age. Thus ended the days of the last representative of the noble houses of Guerra and Ponziglione. All the wealth, the honors, the social dis- tinction, and everything that the heart of man craves, were but the "fleeting shadow" in his eyes. In preference to the life of an Italian nobleman he chose the humble, vet nobler life, of a Jesuit missionary among the American Indians. His work for the moral and religions wel- fare of this country, and especially for the State of Kansas, is deserving of a prominent place in the pages of American history. He was a great missionary, a nobleman in the Church of Christ, and his life-work is a true type of what Christ, through His Church, has done for humanity.
THE RIGHT REV. JOHN BAPTIST MIEGE, S.J.
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RIGHT REVEREND JOHN BAPTIST MIEGE, S. J., First Bishop of Kansas.
Written for the Kansas State Historical Society by James A. McGonigle, of Leavenworth.
JOHN BAPTIST MIEGE was born in 1815, the youngest son of a wealthy and pious family of the parish of Chevron in upper Savoy. At an early age he was committed to the care of his brother, the director of the episcopal seminary of Montiers. At this time he manifested literary and religious qualities of the highest kind.
He completed his literary studies at nineteen. At first he desired to enter the army, but at his brother's suggestion he spent two more years at the seminary, in the study of philosophy, and after this his purpose was changed. On the 23d of October, 1836, he was admitted into the Society of Jesus by Rev. Father Puty, rector of the novitiate at Milan.
During the very first years of his spiritual life, spent under Father Francis Pellico, he gave evidence of his strong purpose and energy of soul. Broadest charity, profound humility, unflinching spirit of dis- cipline and ardent devotion to his institute evidenced his vigor of ehar- acter. Charity to his fellows was one of his very strongest characteris- tics, and one of his favorite themes for thought and discourse.
He pronounced his first vows on October 15, 1838, spent two years in literary studies, and was transferred to the boarding-school at Milan, where he was entrusted with the office of chief disciplinarian. Thence, in 1843, he was removed to Chambery where his genial disposition and the wide sympathy of his heart gave him a large influence over the students. In September, 1844, owing to promise of future eminence, he was sent to Rome to be instructed by eminent masters. His talents were extensive and varied, but his bent of mind seemed to incline him especial- ly to the most able solution of moral questions.
He was ordained priest in 1847, and in 1848 completed his theological studies. This very year the houses of the society were closed by the revo- lutionists, and, among others, Father Miege sought refuge in France. During the journey thither he took advantage of a most successful dis- guise to play the role of protector of the exiles, and his influenee was such that he greatly contributed to make the journey rather pleasant than otherwise for the victims of the persecution.
In the midsummer of 1849, as the result of his long and earnest peti- tion, he set sail for the Indian mission of North America, and reached St. Louis in the fall. He was appointed pastor of the little church in St. Charles, Mo. His pastoral duty included the charge of the mission of the Portage.
Later he was removed to the house of probation at Florissant, Mo., where he taught moral theology. In 1851 he was sent to St. Louis Uni- versity, Missouri. In the fall of this year he was appointed to the vicari" ate apostolic of all the territory from Kansas river at its mouth north to the British possessions and from the Missouri river west to the Rocky
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THE HISTORY OF OUR CRADLE LAND
Mountains, being about 650 miles from south to north line and 600 from east to west: It required, however, the formal order of the Holy See to move him to accept the office. He was consecrated by Archbishop Ken- riek on the 25th of March, 1851, in St. Xavier's Church, St. Louis, re- ceiving the title of bishop of Messenia. He left St. Louis on the 11th of May following, and finally arrived at St. Mary's, territory of Kansas. HIere, in 1851, he built his first Catholic Church in Kansas, of hewn logs.
Here he began his life work as a missionary. The vast extent of his diocese rendered long and tedious journeys necessary, for he often visited its distant limits, traversing the then trackless wastes of Kansas, Ne- braska, Colorado, and the Indian Territory. He removed and estab- lished his See in Leavenworth in 1855, where he found seven Catholic families.
He commenced the erection of a church, size 24 by 40 feet. The in- crease in the Catholic population was so fast that in 1857 he created a larger church, it being 40 by 100 feet. In 1863 he erected a large episco- pal residence.
In 1859 Bishop Miege, with Brother John, crossed the plains in his own conveyance to Denver to establish the organization of the Catholic Church in Colorado. A trip at that time was hazardous, as the hostile Indians were constantly scalping those whom they might come across on the plains.
About 1858 he established a Catholic Church in Omaha, Neb. In 1858 he invited eight members of the Sisters of Charity of the state of Ten- nessee to establish their order here, which they did. From the basis of eight members in 1858, they now number about 500, having academies and hospitals in Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Montana, where they have taught and dispensed charities to thousands of people. There is no order of sisters in the Catholic world that has done so much good as they.
Bishop Miege commenced the excavation for the cathedral at Leav- enworth in the spring of 1864. The corner-stone was laid in September, 1864, and the cathedral was completed and dedicated December 8, 1868. The question is often asked: "Why did the bishop erect such a fine cathedral at Leavenworth?" The reason was this: At that time the contest was between Kansas City and Leavenworth as to which would be the great city on the banks of the Missouri river. In 1863, and for many years after that, Leavenworth was very prosperous and everything indi- cated that it would be the large city. Bishop Miege was a strong believer in the great future of Leavenworth, and showed his faith by erecting such a cathedral. Each city was striving to become an important railroad point. Kansas City secured it.
The bishop possessed an artistic and architectural mind, which the great work he accomplished shows. The architectural proportions of the cathedral are perfect. The sanctuary is the largest of any cathedral in this country. He often remarked that he wanted a large one, so that the
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largest ceremonies of the Church could be held with comfort. Bishop Miege secured the best fresco artist in the United States, Leon Pomrade. The figures in fresco are perfect, and even today the expressions and colors are good. The stained-glass figures show that they were made by a first-class artist, as the colors are as fresh and clear today as when executed, thirty-seven years ago. The cathedral is of the Romanesque style of architecture, and has no superior of that type in this country. The size of the cathedral is 94 feet front and 200 feet long and about 56 feet high to square of building. The towers, when completed, will be about 190 feet high.
After the dedication of the cathedral the prosperity of Leavenworth declined, which affected the financial support of the church. The indebt- edness of the cathedral at that time was about $100,000.
Bishop Miege concluded a short time after the completion of the cathedral to make a trip to the South American states for the purpose of collecting funds to reduce the indebtedness. He was gone for a year or more, and solicited funds in all the states of South America, and suffered many privations and had many dangerous trips. He told me that in crossing the Andes mountains it was so dangerous that he was blindfolded, as also the mule he was riding, which was led by the guide. He returned to Leavenworth,. having been quite successful in his mis- sion. I am not quite positive, but I think he told me that he reduced the indebtedness about $50,000.
After reducing the debt, in 1874, with permission of the Holy See, he laid aside his dignity of bishop and retired to St. Louis University, St. Louis, Mo. Thence he withdrew to Woodstock College, Maryland, where he acted as spiritual adviser. In 1877 he was sent to Detroit, Mich., to open a college of the Society. Here he greatly endeared him- self to the people. In 1880 he retired once more to Woodstock.
In 1883 he was stricken with paralysis. He lingered in this state a year, and underwent many sufferings. He died July 20, 1884, with all the comforts of the Church.
His noble qualities were numerous, as a religionist, a priest, and a bishop. His virtue and genial disposition caused him to be regarded with confidence and affection by the young and with deepest veneration by the old. With the highest endowments of mind and character, he com- bined the most imperturbable modesty and humility. He had the rare gift of being able to adjust himself to humors and characters. But one of his finest characteristics was the depth of his sympathy, springing from a broad, warm, human heart.
There died a good bishop, a loyal Jesuit father, and one time a cola- borer of the great Jesuit, Father de Smet, in civilizing the Indians, who as a citizen of Kansas did more for its religious and material prosper- ity than any citizen of the state. The state of Kansas has a room in the capitol building at Topeka where the portraits of the distinguished men of Kansas are placed and cared for for all time to come. When the
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portrait of Bishop Miege shall be placed there it will represent the greatest of them all.
The territory of Kansas, by a law of the United States government, was thrown open to settlement in 1854, giving citizens the right to pre- empt 160 acres of land free of cost, under certain conditions. The white population in all that territory at that time, from the Kansas river, at its mouth, to the British possessions, and from the Missouri river to the Rocky Mountains, did not exceed 3000. At the end of fifty-two . years, in the same territory, there are about 3,000,000. The growth of the Catholic population in the same territory and the same time is about 400,000.
In 1855 there was one Catholic bishop and one See in all that terri- tory, with a population of 700 Catholics. At the end of fifty years there are nine bishops and nine Sees, each See having its cathedral, colleges, convents, parochial schools, orphan asylums, and hospitals. The char- acter and intelligence of the inhabitants in this territory cannot be excelled anywhere.
I have submitted only a few of the many good points of Bishop Miege. He laid a great many good foundations and left them to others who will follow to build the superstructure. He was a remarkably handsome man, with a commanding appearance, whose presence would attract attention. He possessed a fine mind, and was one of the most lovable of men. The most humble of his parishioners could always get his attention and be treated with the utmost courtesy and kindness.
I arrived in Leavenworth May 6, 1857, when I made the acquaint- ance of Bishop Miege, whose friendship was given to me, and which is one of the most pleasant memories of my life. My business association, consisting in the construction of the cathedral from the foundation to its entire completion, was mutually satisfactory. I had a strong affection for him when living, and his memory is cherished with great apprecia- ation.
I am indebted to Reverend Father Corbette, S. J., Detroit, Mich .. who was administrator of Leavenworth diocese during the absence of Bishop Miege in South America, for information of the early life of Bishop Miege. During Father Corbette's administration of the diocese he exercised great ability and sound judgment, and retired from his respon- sibility, having given satisfaction to the priests and people of the diocese.
PART III FOUNDATIONS LAID
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FOUNDATIONS LAID. The Dawn of a New Day.
The Jesuit Fathers, having now retired from Miami and Linn Coun- ties after the Indians were removed to the Oklahoma Indian Territory, the Right Reverend Bishop, John Baptist Miege, S. J., appointed other priests to minister to the scattered people along these border counties. Up to the year 1854, no white men were allowed to take up land-claims or homesteads in Kansas; it was exclusively an Indian country. Only government agents, traders, and Missionaries ever penetrated the vast and almost unknown region.
Henceforth a new order ensues and a transformation takes place in the short space of seven years such as the records of history furnish no parallel. It affected the whole nation and, indirectly, the entire civilized world by reason of the great war which followed. No less important were the social and economic changes which were wrought by the signing of the famous Kansas-Nebraska bill. About this time many able men came from the North and the South to reside in the new Territory. Political feuds were rife.
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