GUIDE TO CATHOLIC RECORDS ABOUT NATIVE AMERICANS IN THE U.S.
Volume 3: Western United States
Montana: MT-22

Catholic Church. Diocese of Helena. Archives
515 North Ewing Street
P.O. Box 1729
Helena, MT: 59624

Phone: 406-389-7066

 

Hours: See website (Offices and Ministries)

Access: See website (Offices and Ministries: Archives: Accessing Archival Records)

Copying facilities: Yes

 

History: The Vicariate Apostolate of Nebraska was erected for Montana east of the Cascade Mountains and Wyoming, 1857-1884, and the Vicariate Apostolate of Idaho and Montana was erected for Idaho south of the 46th parallel and Montana west of the Cascade Mountains, 1858-1868. The Vicariate Apostolate of Idaho and Montana was expanded, 1868, to include all of Idaho and the Diocese of Helena was erected for all of present-day Montana, 1884. The Helena Diocese reported 9,000 baptized Native American Catholics, 1900, and the dioceses of Helena and Great Falls-Billings reported 7,000 and 12,000 respectively, 1999. Helena and its predecessors have administered the following Native missions, parishes, and schools in Montana:

1841-1891 (no longer Native)	St. Mary Mission and Academy (Salish), Stevensville/ Bitterroot Valley
1847-1853 (closed?)	St. Michael Chapel (Salish)
1859-1917 (closed)	St. Peter Mission (Assiniboine, Atsina, Crow, Siksika), Cascade/ Fort Shaw
1854 (relocated)-present	St. Ignatius Mission (Kalispel, Kootenai, Salish), St. Ignatius, Flathead Reservation
1864-1962 (closed)	St Ignatius School (Kootenai, Salish), St. Ignatius, Flathead Reservation
1864-ca. 1880 (closed)	Dolores Mission (Kalispel)
1864-ca. 1880 (closed)	St. Louis Mission (Kalispel) [Montana?]
1865-1866	Cootenay/ Courtenay’s Mission (Kootenai)
1884-present (Helena, 1884-1904)	St. Labre School (Cheyenne, Crow), Ashland
1884-present (Helena, 1884-1904)	St. Paul Mission (Atsina, Assiniboine, Métis), Hays, Fort Belknap Reservation
1884-1931 (closed)	Holy Family Church (Siksika), Browning, Blackfoot Reservation
1887-present (Helena, 1887-1904)	St. Francis Xavier Mission (Crow), St. Xavier, Crow Reservation
1887-1933 (closed) (Helena, 1887-1904)	St. Francis Xavier School (Crow), St. Xavier, Crow Reservation
1889-present	St. John Berchman Mission (Salish), Jocko/ Arlee/ Jocko Valley, Flathead Reservation
1889-1897 (closed)	St. John Berchman School (Salish), Jocko/ Arlee/ Jocko Valley, Flathead Reservation
1890-1932 (closed)	Holy Family School (Siksika), Browning/ Birch Creek, Blackfeet Reservation
1890-present (Helena, 1890-1904)	St. Charles Mission (Crow), Pryor, Crow Reservation
1890-1898 (Helena, 1890-1904)	St. Charles Mission School (Crow) Pryor, Crow Reservation
1891-present	St. Anne/ St. Peter Claver Church (Siksika), Heart Butte, Blackfeet Reservation
1904-present	Church of the Little Flower (Siksika), Browning, Blackfeet Reservation
1910-present	Immaculate Conception Mission (Kootenai, Salish), Polson, Flathead Reservation
1911-present	Sacred Heart Mission (Kootenai, Salish), Ronan, Flathead Reservation
1912-1940 (closed)	St. Michael Church (Siksika), Browning, Blackfeet Reservation
1940-present	St. Joseph Mission (Kootenai, Salish), Charlo, Flathead Reservation
1941-present	Sacred Heart Mission (Salish), Arlee, Flathead Reservation
1954-present	St. Mary Mission (Siksika), Babb, Blackfeet Reservation

  

Holdings of Catholic records about Native Americans: 

Inclusive dates: 1877-ongoing

Volume: Ca. 3 cubic feet 

Description: 9 series include Native Catholic records:

 

/1 Bishops’ Papers

Inclusive dates: ca. 1883-ca. 1932 

Volume: Ca. .3 cubic foot

Description: Includes papers to 1962; unprocessed thereafter and not included: 

A. Bishop Jean-Baptiste Brondel (1841-1903), 1883-1903, approximately 25% of 1.4 cubic feet

B. Bishop John Patrick Carroll (1864-1925), 1904-1925, few items possible within 1.5 cubic feet

C. Bishop George Joseph Finnigan (1885-1932), Bishop, 1927-1932, few items within .4 cubic foot; includes address at St. Michael Mission, Browning, 1928

 

/2 Sacramental Records

Inclusive dates: 1877-ongoing

Volume: Ca. 10% of 1 volume and 52 reels of microfilm 

Description: Arranged alphabetically by parish location and there under by name; includes baptisms, first communions, confirmations, marriages, and burials for Native and non-Native parishes with attended Native missions and stations or at least a few Native entries; Siksika sacramental records

compiled by Robert C. Gilham, 2001, as the online Blackfeet Family History database, http://members.shaw.ca/blackfeet.

A. Browning, Blackfoot Reservation, Church of the Little Flower, 1926-ongoing; Siksika baptismal and marriage entries compiled and translated by Robert C. Gilham, 2001; includes Babb, St. Mary Mission and Birch Creek, Birch Creek Mission

B. Browning, Sacred Heart Mission, 1926-ongoing

C. Browning, St. Michael Mission, 1912-1957; Siksika baptismal and marriage entries compiled and translated by Robert C. Gilham, 2001

D. Cascade/ Fort Shaw, St. Peter Mission, 1855-1905; includes 1 baptismal volume, 1859-1879; Siksika Indian to 1879; Siksika baptismal entries compiled and translated by Robert C. Gilham, 2001

E. Cut Bank, St. Margaret Mary Church, 1914-ongoing

F. Helena, Cathedral of St. Helena, 1864-ongoing

G. Helena, St. Joseph’s Orphanage, 1905-1963

H. Heart Butte/ Browning, Holy Family Mission, 1877-1931; Siksika baptismal and marriage entries compiled and translated by Robert C. Gilham, 2001

I. Heart Butte (Little Badger), St. Anne Church/ St. Peter Claver Church, 1891-ongoing

J. Missoula, Christ the King Church, 1865-ongoing

K. Polson, Immaculate Conception Church, 1923-ongoing

L. Ronan, Sacred Heart Church, 1919-ongoing; includes Charlo, St. Joseph Mission, 1918-1945

M. St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius Mission, 1874-ongoing; includes Arlee, Sacred Heart Mission and Jocko, St. John Berchman Mission

N. Stevensville/ Bitter Root Valley, St. Mary and St. Ignatius Missions, 1877-1937

 

/3 Photographs

Inclusive dates: 1941, 1944, undated (since 19th century)

Volume: Approximately 150 prints processed; oversize unprocessed and excluded

Description: Arranged alphabetically by location of parishes and there under by name; re: church buildings, clergy and/ or women religious with Native parishioners, and special events  

A. Browning, Church of the Little Flower, 1948, undated; re: includes 1948 ordination of Reverend John J. Brown, S.J. [Jesuits] (Siksika)

B. Heart Butte (Browning), Holy Family Mission, undated

C. St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius Mission, 1944, undated; re: includes 1944 centennial celebration

D. Stevensville, St. Mary Mission, 1941, undated; re: includes 1941 centennial celebration

 

/4 Scrapbooks 

Inclusive dates: 1938-1953, undated

Volume: 2 volumes 

Description: Clippings, pamphlets, and photographs; includes Atsina, Crow, Salish, Siksika, and Yakima Indians and special events at Holy Family, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Xavier, St. Ignatius, St. Labre, St. Mary, St. Paul, and St. Peter Missions. 

 

/5 Video Recordings

Inclusive dates: 2004 

Volume: 1 DVD disc

Description: St. Ignatius Mission, St. Ignatius. 

 

/6 Parish Records

Inclusive dates: 1930s-ongoing

Volume: Ca. 1 cubic foot

Description: Arranged alphabetically by parish location and there under by name; includes correspondence, annual reports, and commemorative books for Native parishes and/or attended Native missions and stations; records after 1975 are unprocessed and not included:  

A. Browning, St. Michael Church and Church of the Little Flower, .2 cubic foot

B. Heart Butte/ Browning, Holy Family Mission and Badger, St. Anne/ St. Peter Claver Church, .2 cubic foot

C. Polson, Immaculate Conception Church, .1 cubic foot

D. Ronan, Sacred Heart Church with Charlo, St. Joseph Mission, .1 cubic foot

E. St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius Mission with Arlee, Sacred Heart Mission and Jocko, St. John Berchman Mission, .1 cubic foot

F. Stevensville, St. Mary Mission, .2 cubic foot; includes 1941 centennial celebration

 

/7 Personnel Files

Inclusive dates: 1866-ongoing 

Volume: Several folders

Description: 1 folder/person arranged alphabetically; includes diocesan and religious clergy but not all religious clergy are included.   

 

/8 Religious Community Files 

Inclusive dates: 1864-ongoing 

Volume: Approximately .6 cubic foot  

Description: 

A. Christian Brothers, Irish Province, 1923-ongoing, .1 cubic foot

B. Dominican Sisters, undated, .05 cubic foot

C. Jesuits, Oregon Province, 1970-ongoing, .1 cubic foot

D. Premonstratensians, De Pere, Wisconsin, 1914-ongoing, .05 cubic foot

E. Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, 1869-ongoing, .2 cubic foot

F. Sisters of Charity of Providence, Seattle, Washington, 1864-ongoing, .05 cubic foot

G. Ursulines, 1884-ongoing, .1 cubic foot

 

/9 Diocesan Newspapers 

Inclusive dates: 1897-ongoing  

Volume: Several articles 

Description: The following diocesan newspapers have included articles on Native Americans and Catholic evangelization in the diocese: The Montana Catholic, 1897-1900s, The Catholic Bulletin, 1921-1932, The Register, 19321972, The WestMont Word, 1972-1985, and The Montana Catholic, 1985-ongoing, the latter of which has been archived online, 2004-ongoing.     

 

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.

new2006/rev2020