Apostle of the West – Rev. Peter John DeSmet
This article appeared in the Missoulian Centennial issue.
Apostle of the West
The Rev. Peter John DeSmet, often called the Apostle of the West, in bringing the word of God to the Salish Indians paved the way for white settlement of western Montana. He was born at Temonde, East Flanders, Belgium, Jan. 31, 1801, and died at St. Louis, Mo., in 1873. He received his formal education for the priesthood in Belgium colleges. He was attached to military forces at Ft. Leavenworth, Kan., when he accepted the hazardous challenge of spreading Christianity to the Indians in the West.