GUIDE TO CATHOLIC RECORDS ABOUT NATIVE AMERICANS IN THE U.S.
Volume 2: Midwest United States
Minnesota: MN-9

Catholic Church. Diocese of Duluth. Archives
Pastoral Center
2830 East Fourth Street
Duluth, MN 55812

Phone: 218-724-9111

 

Open: See website (About: Archives)

Access: See website (About: Archives)

Copying facilities: Yes

 

History: The Diocese of Duluth was established from territory in the Vicariate Apostolate of Northern Minnesota, 1889. Duluth was divided into the Crookston and Duluth dioceses, 1909. In 1900, Duluth reported no baptized Native American Catholics, and in 1999, the National Council of Catholic Bishops estimated 952 and 1,020 respectively for Duluth and Crookston. In the Duluth Diocese, the following missions and parishes have ministered to Ojibwa Indians in Minnesota:

1865-present (Duluth, 1889-1909)	Holy Rosary Mission, Grand Portage Reservation, Grand Portage
1873-present (Duluth, 1889-1909)	St. Benedict Church, White Earth Reservation, White Earth
1879-present (Duluth, 1889-1909)	St. Mary Mission, Red Lake Reservation, Red Lake
1880-present (Duluth, 1889-present)	Holy Family Church, Fond du Lac Reservation, Cloquet
1894-ca. 1950s (no longer Native)	St. John/ St. Francis Xavier Church, near Grand Portage Reservation, Grand Marais
1895-ca. 1940 (no longer Native) (Duluth, 1895-1909)	St. Michael Church, White Earth Reservation, Mahnomen
1895-present (Duluth, 1895-1909)	St. Joseph Mission, White Earth Reservation, Beaulieu
1896-1964 (closed) (Duluth, 1896-1909)	Sacred Heart Mission, Leech Lake Reservation, Onigum/ Leech Lake
1901-1908 (closed)	Purest Heart of Mary Mission, near White Earth Reservation, Rosebud
1903-present (Duluth, 1903-1909)	St. Theodore Mission, near White Earth Reservation, Ponsford
1906-present	St. Joseph Mission, Leech Lake Reservation, Ball Club
1908-1917 (no longer Native) (Duluth, 1908-1909)	Assumption Mission, White Earth Reservation, Callaway
1912-1980s (closed)	St. Patrick Mission, Fond du Lac Reservation, Brookston
1917-present	Immaculate Conception Mission, Nett Lake Reservation, Nett Lake
1926-1952 (closed)	St. Catherine Mission, Leech Lake Reservation, Cass Lake
1926-1952 (closed)	St. Joseph Mission, Mission Corner
1926-present	St. Ann Mission, Leech Lake Reservation, Bena
1933-1940 (closed)	St. Francis Xavier Mission, Chippewa Village
1947-present	Ss. Mary and Joseph Mission, Fond du Lac Reservation, Sawyer
1948-present	St. Catherine Mission, Leech Lake Reservation, Squaw Lake
1963-present	Sacred Heart Mission, Leech Lake Reservation, Federal Dam

 

Holdings of Catholic records about Native Americans:

Inclusive dates: 1880-ongoing, undated

Volume: At least 1 cubic foot

Description: 4 series include Native Catholic records. A Marquette University archivist reviewed the records, 1980, prior to the establishedment of he Diocese of Crookston Archives. Consequently, the records are arranged by record type.

 

/1 Parish Files

Inclusive dates: 1921-ongoing 

Volume: At least .3 cubic foot 

Description: Correspondence arranged alphabetically by parish location.

A. Ball Club, St. Joseph Church, 1934-ongoing, 2 folders: major correspondents include Rev. Denis Parnell, O.S.B., Rev. Athanase Fuchs, Bishop Thomas A. Welch, Bishop Francis J. Schenk, and Bishop Paul Anderson.

B. Bena, St. Ann Mission, 1921, 1935, 1947, 1958, 5 letters

C. Cass Lake, St. Charles Church and its Native missions and stations, 1930 ongoing, 1 folder: major correspondents include Rev. Severin Lauer and Bishop Thomas Welch

D. Cloquet, St. Theodore Church, 1928-ongoing, 2 folders: major correspondents include Rev. Thomas Borgerding, O.S.B., Rev. Francis Bernick, Rev. Benno Watrin, O.S.B., Rev. Jude Koll, Rev. Clement Burns, Abbott Alban Fruth, O.S.B., Bishop Thomas Welch, Bishop Francis Schenk, and Bishop Paul Anderson

E. Grand Marais, St. John the Baptist Church, 1933-ongoing, 2 folders: major correspondents include Rev. Oswald Johannes, Rev. Lawrence Schmidt, Rev. Ignatius Candrian, Rev. Henry Anderl, Bishop Thomas Welch, Bishop Francis Schenk, and Bishop Paul Anderson

F. Grand Portage, Holy Rosary Mission, 1930-ongoing, 2 folders: major correspondents include Rev. Oswald Johannes, Rev. Lawrence Schmidt, Rev. Ignatius Candrian, Rev. Henry Anderl, Bishop Thomas Welch, Bishop Francis Schenk, and Bishop Paul Anderson

G. Onigum, Sacred Heart Mission, 1921-1966, 1 folder: major correspondents include Rev. Felix Nelles, O.S.B., Rev. Benno Watrin, O.S.B., Rev. Maurice Hurrle, Rev. Humphrey Zdechlik, Rev. Osmund Jacobs and Bishop Thomas Welch

H. Orr, Holy Cross Church, 1967-ongoing, 1 folder: includes references to the Nett Lake Mission; major correspondents include Rev. Lawrence Antus, Rev. Raymond Kirtz and Bishop Paul Anderson

I. Sawyer, Ss. Mary and Joseph Mission, 1923-ongoing, 2 folders: major correspondents include Rev. Elias Lemire, Rev. Jude Koll and Bishop Thomas Welch

J. Squaw Lake, St. Catherine Mission, 1939, 1941, 1960-ongoing, 2 folders: major correspondents include Rev. J. Vincent Fitzgerald, Bishop Francis Schenk and Bishop Paul Anderson

 

/2 "Missions"

Inclusive dates: 1927-ongoing 

Volume: At least .1 cubic foot 

Description: Correspondence, re: primarily financial concerns; arranged alphabetically by subject or organization. 

A. "Indian and Negro Collection," 1927-ongoing, 3 folders: major correspondents include Bishop Thomas Welch, Bishop Francis Schenk, Bishop Paul Anderson and the Commission for Catholic Missions among the Colored People and the Indians

B. "Indian Mission-Nett Lake," 1930-1962, 1 folder: major correspondents include Leandre Gauthier, Rev. Emanuel Duplain, Rev. Edward Coleman and Bishop Thomas Welch

C. "Missions-v.Indian," 1935, 1943, 3 letters

 

/3 Financial and Statistical Reports

Inclusive dates: 1905-ongoing

Volume: At least .4 cubic foot

Description: Annual reports for each Native mission.

 

/4 Rev. Joseph Francis Buh Papers

Inclusive dates: 1880-1946, undated

Volume: .2 cubic foot

Description: 

A. "Personal items," 1880-1922, 1 folder:

1. Correspondence, 1880, 1891, 1907, 1911, 1917-1922, 22 letters

2. Citizenship papers

3. Last will and testament

B. Correspondence, re: Rev. Joseph Buh, 1916, 1929, 1933, 1938-1939, 1943, 1944-1946, 1 folder: correspondents include Mr. Gogola and Mr. Matt Pogorelc

C. Biography of Rev. Joseph Buh by Monsignor John L. Zaplotnik, undated, 29 pages typed

D. Photographs (most oversize), 1886, 1898, 1905, 1913, undated, 110 prints: Not all Native related

 

Unless otherwise noted, the repository on this page holds (or held) the records described here and they are not held at the Marquette University Archives.

new1984/rev2003-2019