ST. PAUL’S MISSION COLLECTION
Historical Notes/Scope and Content

Photographs, photograph identification records, and related publications, primarily from St. Paul's Mission, Marty, South Dakota, which contains several photographs of the Yankton Indians, the Oblate Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, and Reverend Sylvester Eiseman, O.S.B., who founded the mission. Also included are a few images from other places visited by Reverend Eisenman, most of which were other Benedictine Indian missions in South and North Dakota, e.g. St. Michael's Mission, Fort Totten, Fort Totten Reservation, and St. Peter's Mission, Fort Yates, Standing Rock Reservation. (For brief histories on these missions, see Guides to Catholic-Related Records for the United States about Native Americans.)

 

Rev. Sylvester Eiseman, O.S.B., compiled the bulk of the photographs, many of which are illustrations in the books, Blackrobe for the Yankton Sioux: Fr. Sylvester Eisenman, O.S.B. (1891-1948) and 8th Landing: The Yankton Sioux Meet Lewis and Clark. The author, Mary Eiseman Carson, was a niece of Reverend Eiseman.

Gift from Mary Eiseman Carson, 1983 and 1989. Processed by Mark G. Thiel, 1990-1991.

Historical Note

1839-1840, 1866

Reverend Pierre-Jean de Smet, S.J., and Reverend Christian Hoecken, S.J., visited the Yankton Indians

1877

Reverend Martin Marty, O.S.B., visited the Yankton Indians

1884-1888

Diocesan priests visited the Yankton Indian Reservation from St. Vincent Church, Springfield, South Dakota

1911-1913

Reverend Henry J. Westropp, S.J., visited the Reservation from St. Francis Mission, St. Francis, South Dakota

1914-1916

Reverend Henry J. Westropp, S.J., established and administered St. Paul Mission, Ravinia, Yankton Reservation

1917-1921

Reverend Sylvester Eisenman, O.S.B., and the Benedictines attended St. Paul Mission, St. John Mission (Yankton), Greenwood, and St. Francis Solano Mission (Yankton), White Swan, from Immaculate Conception Mission, Stephan, South Dakota 

1921-1984

Benedictines (since 1954, Blue Cloud Abbey, Marvin, South Dakota) administered St. Paul Church

1924-1974 (then transferred to a community corporation)

Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People (Bensalem, Pennsylvania) staffed St. Paul School, in part to 1980s

1935 Reverend Sylvester Eisenman, O.S.B., founded the Oblate Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament at St. Paul’s

1935-1974 (then transferred to a community corporation)

Oblate Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament (Marty, South Dakota) staffed St. Paul School, in part, to 1980s

 

Historical Note from the Guides to Catholic-Related Records about Native Americans in the United States, entry M-215.

 

Series 1-2 Index

 

More Related Resources

  • Native America Collections: Checklist to Marquette special collections about native peoples of the Western Hemisphere.

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  • Guides to Catholic-Related Records about Native Americans in the United States: Over 1,000 repository entries in PDF format to help genealogists and historical researchers find the records they need on American Indians and Alaskan Natives. The entries provide contact information on the repositories, brief descriptions about the records, the Native groups served, and the associated Catholic organizations. Many of the entries include institutional chronologies to explain the history of the records.

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