History: "Jesuits in Oregon", Parish Temporarily Administered by Jesuits ********************************************************************************* USGENWEB ARCHIVES(tm) NOTICE: ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/or/orfiles.htm ********************************************************************************* Transcribed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: W. David Samuelsen - April 2002 ************************************************************************ "Jesuits in Oregon" 1844-1959, Rev. Wilfred P. Schoenberg, S.J., published June 1959 by the The Oregon-Jesuit to commemorate the Centennial Year in Oregon. No copyright, not registered. Parishes Temporarily Administered by Jesuits Klamath Falls 1905-1916 Kiamath Falls, a small and beautiful city near the Oregon-California border, was first known as Linkville. It had its beginnings on the east bank of the Link River in 1866. At first, it consisted of a few dozen Americans, French Canadians, Germans, and half- and full-blood Indians, among whom was one practicing Catholic, a Jack Furber. After the Modoc Indian War of 1872-3, which occurred in that area, other Catholic families moved into Linkville and were attended by an old priest, Fr. Blanchard of Jacksonville, who made a buggy trip into Linkville once in 3 or 4 years. Prior to 1885, Archbishop Seghers also visited it several times. In 1893, when the name of the town was changed to Klamath Falls, it had a population of several thousand, only a small minority of whom were Catholics and a still smaller number practicing their Catholic Faith. Father Feusi Arrives After the establishment of the Baker Diocese, Bishop O Reilly lectured in Klamath Falls on two occasions, the first time in the Methodist Church. Impressed by the growing importance of the area, he assigned Fr. John Heinrich to be the first resident pastor of Klamath Falls in September, 1904. During the following year, when His Excellency returned to administer Confirmation, he found Fr. Heinrich so feeble from illness that he had to take him back to Baker for medical attention. Near the end of June in that same year, 1905, at the earnest request of the Bishop, the parish was taken over the by the Jesuits. Fr. Balthasar Feusi, S.J., was appointed to take charge. He arrived on June 30, the Feast of the Sacred Heart that year. This happy coincidence prompted Fr. Feusi to dedicate his church under the title of the Sacred Heart. New Church Fr. Feusi lost no time. Five days after his arrival, the new church was begun. All the material had been donated by local businessmen. It was completed and blessed on All Saints Day of the same year and dedicated by Bishop O Reilly on June 30, 1907. Meanwhile, Fr. Feusi had busied himself with systematic visits to the vanous outlying districts of Klamath and Lake Counties, preparing children for First Communion, rectifying marriages, saying Mass at farmhouses, and instructing the scattered members of his flock. In July, 1906, he started collecting money for the purchase of property at Lakeview. During that same month, a Protestant donated a reed organ to the church at Klamath at the request of his daughter, who had attended a convent school. The Sissters of the Precious Blood in Portland supplied the Klamath Falls church with altar linens and other furnishings, which made it possible for the pastor to carry on. He was very poor. On May 20, 1907, five boys and one girl made their First Communion. Fr. Feusi wrote sadly in his diary: "Not one father or mother of these children received the Sacraments with them! The work in this Congregation is truly discouraging." Father Feusi Admired Fr. Feusi was much liked, even greatly admired, by all with whom he came in contact irrespective of creed. Yet, they did not support him, nor did they heed his admonitions. Several times he implored his superiors to remove him from this disheartening work, and at length, his wishes were granted. On August 4, 1908, Fr. Tomkin, S.J., arrived to replace him. Fr. Charles Greenwood, S.J., arrived soon afterwards to assist Fr. Tomkin. Fr. Greenwood devoted most of his time to Lakeview and the more remote districts and made regular visits to Merrill, Fort Klamath, the Klamath Agency, and distant Paisley in the very center of Lake County. Fr John Cunningham, S.J., replaced Fr. Tomkin after 2 years. The former is remembered mostly for a colossal church bazaar which netted $900, a golden nest egg 'for starting a school. He is also remembered for building an addition to the church and for organizing a great St Patrick s Day program, which seemed to be the correct procedure for Catholic Action in those uncomplicated days. Fr. Greenwood, sorely needed elsewhere, was transferred Hence, Fr. Cunningham was obliged to cover the entire area himself. This was not so simple a matter as bazaars or benefit programs because he ordinarily had to come and go by horse and buggy. The horse, called "Nelly" by those who knew her well enough, had frequent workouts because her master was an active man. He added the town of Bonanza to Fr. Greenwood s list, a mere 25 miles from Klamath Falls, but Fort Klamath Was nearly 3 times as far in another direction. In order to earn her oats, Nelly sometimes had to pull the buggy all the way. A Busy Schedule An incomplete, list of Fr. Cunningham s new projects was given by his successor as follows: "Organized Sunday School and 'Altar Society on October 3 . . . subscription for the church bell on November 14. . . St. Cecelia s Choir on Nov. 21 . . . the Christmas Tree Festival on Dec. 12.. . the support of the pastor and church by pew rent and a monthly. fee from the wage earners on Jan. 16 . . . quarterly confessions for younger children on Feb. 15 .. . the Catholic Lyceum on April 10, and the Committee on Socials on the same day." He was busy, also, giving lectures on Mexico, education, etc., in schools, halls, theatres, and anywhere he could find a platform. He had the stable enlarged (perhaps for Nelly s. colt) and the surroundings, as 'well as the church, improved. He carried on long, tedious negotiations to secure sisters for hospital and school and bargained for land to establish a Catholic cemetery. Fortunately for his own sake, Fr. Cunningham was relieved from these burdens when Fr. William McMillan, S.J., was appointed to succeed him in July, 1911. The new pastor carried on in the footsteps of his predecessors, visiting the outlying districts as they had done, collecting money "for the school," and diligently teaching catechism so the Bishop would be pleased when he came for Confirmations. Fr. McMillan was the last of the Jesuit pastors in Kiamath Falls, for on Jan. 27, 1916, the parish was restored to the Bishop. Today it is a devout parish, not at all like the indifferent settlement of Fr. Feusi s time. Its magnificent brick church in adapted mission style, its fine parochial school, convent, and rectory are dramatic bits of evidence that the infants baptized in a frontier church and the children taught their catechism by Jesuits and confirmed by the first Bishop of Baker are now generous givers of the Church; and if they are that generous, they are good Christians as well. Corvallis 1907-1910 Corvallis, made famous by its State College and football teams, deserves fame for other reasons, and the most important of these are historical. It is a very ancient settlement by western standards, having been founded in 1849 by a staunch Pennsylvanian, Mr. Joseph C. Avery. Mr. Avery built a trading post with profits from his venture in golddigging on a site near the Mary s River mouth, where it enters the Willamette, and, for this reason, called it Marysville. This has a fine Catholic sound to it, even if Mr. Avery didn t realize it. In 1853, the Oregon Territorial Legislature changed the name of Marysville to Corvallis for reasons important then but so trivial now that no one seems to care. Mr. Avery did not mind the change at all because the legislature designated his town as the seat of the new Territorial University. When the governor vetoed this bit of political chicanery, Mr. Avery still, didn t mind because the legislature then proceeded to make Corvallis the Territorial Capital. It actually did serve as the capital for a few months - that is until a United States order declared the action illegal. The point in all this is that Marysville, alias Corvallis, was very much in the public eye, and Archbishop Blanchet, a member of the public in a very distinguished capacity, was keeping his own eye on developments there. In the year of the great hullaballoo, one of his priests, Fr. James Croke, said Mass in the vicinity for a few scattered Catholics. He reported great disgust with the general attitude of the natives in those parts. His remarks were, indeed, most uncomplimentary. This did not dissuade the Archbishop, who sent in Fr. Andre Poulin to build a church. Fr. Poulin started his begging on May 3,1860, right at home taking $100 from the amused Archbishop. He received another $300 from soldiers at Ft. Hoskins, 17 miles from Corvallis. Altogether, he got $1300 plus some wheat, a cow, and sundry other merchandise for the building of a church. On Feb. 17,1861, the church was finished and blessed by Archbishop Blanchet. When the Jesuits took over temporarily in 1907, it was already 46 years old and within 4 years of its golden jubilee. Fr. George Butler, was the first Jesuit pastor. He was assisted by Fr. Augustine Dimier, S.J., and that in itself is a remarkable development because priests were few, and Corvallis a town of a mere 1819 souls. After the first year, Fr. Butler divided his time between Beaverton and Corvallis, living at Beaverton during the week and at Corvallis on week ends. This, in effect, meant 'there were now one and one-half Jesuits attached to Corvallis. If this was an uncomfortable arrangement, it was soon remedied; for Fr. Dimier was transferred to the mission on the Siletz Reservation, where he then had his own woes to pray over. Fr. Henry Gabriel, S.J., replaced Fr~ Butler, and, though a large man, Fr. Gabriel could be considered only a single Jesuit. Thus, Corvallis was back to normal one flock and one shepherd. Fr. Gabriel spent one year with the flock. Then it was restored to the Archbishop. Fr. Charles Smith, famous for his work with the Catholic Truth Society, became the new pastor in the summer of 1910, just in time to prepare for the church s golden jubilee. Old Mr. Avery lived his life and is long since dead in his grave, but Corvallis has retained at least one memento of his passage. Perhaps it is where he would least expect it - in the Catholic Church. The church I is still called St. Mary s, a title that goes back to the grand old days when some people still called Corvallis "Marysville." Beaverton 1907-1911 In the spring of 1907, Beaverton 'was a small town of several hundred people, mostly of German extraction. It lay 10 miles west of Portland in the center of one of the most fertile valleys in Oregon. Beavertonians raised hops among other things, talked German at least part of the time, and went to and from Portland in an electric commuter train, operated by the Oregon Electric Company. Life, as you can see, was all very wholesome and simple. The first Catholic church for these simple folk was located near Beaverton at a place called Cedar Mills. This church was begun in 1878, and was blessed on Oct. 22, 1884, under the title of St. Anthony. Four years after the blessing, a school was also built and blessed. The Doniinican Sisters, who were in charge of it, faithfully drummed the 3 "R s" into 75 little heads there every school day. In 1899, the Sisters of Mercy took over the school; then they did the drumming. By this time, there were more little heads, however, and a new convent had to be built so the sisters could get away from it all once in a while. In 1903, there were enough Catholics at Beaverton to arrange for a special Mass for them each Sunday, so the priest from Cedar Mills made this one of his regular "missions." This is the way matters stood on May 10, 1907, when the Jesuits took it over. First Jesuit Fr. Joseph Tomkin, S.J., was the first Jesuit pastor. He found about 300 Catholics in his parish, scattered over an area of about a 5-mile radius. Within his parish and under his care, there was, also, a very fine orphanage for 115 boys, commonly referred to as "the Home," and a diocesan congregation of sisters numbering 60 members. After 15 months of back-breaking labors and hardships, Fr. Tomkin, who did nothing by halves, was relieved of his burden at Beaverton, and Fr. William Deeney, S.J., was assigned to take his place. Fr. Deeney, an Irishman, was also a man who got things done. Full of zeal and enterprise, he decided the church at Beaverton was inadequate which it was so he started land- hunting and a "building fund." A new parishioner donated a half-acre of land, the piece where the church now stands. To build up the fund, Fr. Deeney petitioned dear old St. Patrick, the saint who, today at least, summons up visions of entertainment and cheer. Father Deeney had a "Benefit Entertainment with "Portland Talent" on March 17, 1909, a rather bold venture with so many Germans around. If he made any money that night, after treating his imported talent to a midnight snack, you may be sure it was the quality of the show and not the predisposed high spirits of his patrons. Money for the fund was not easy to come by, and Fr. Deeney was having more than ordinary troubles in this way. Since he made many trips on the electric train to and from Portland often 2 a day the Archbishop instructed him to apply for a pass to save expenses. The railroad declined to honor the Archbishop s request, explaining that the church at Beaverton had an income and, therefore, Fr. Deeney had to pay. The Archbishop s secretary, Fr. Thompson, retorted that Fr. Deeney was also chaplain at the orphanage. He further stated that a diocesan regulation required an institution, to provide a buggy and feed for horses for the priest who came to say Mass, but how was Fr. Deeney to ask for this from the poor orphans? The Oregon Electric Company wanted everyone to know that they liked the orphans and did not feel like forcing the orphanage to provide Fr. Deeney with a buggy and feed for - his horse. In short, Fr. Deeney got the pass. He saved it, too, like a trophy. It is among the Beaverton papers in the Oregon Province Archives. When he first came to Beaverton, Fr. Deeney complained about the lack of fervor in his parish. In his report to superiors about a year later, he wrote that there was considerable improvement in this regard. In fact, the parish had begun to buzz with so much activity that Fr Deeney said he needed an assistant Fr. George Butler, S.J., pastor in Corvallis, where things were much quieter, was instructed to make his residence at Beaverton and to attend Corvallis from this place on week ends. When this was not enough help to cope with all the spiritual excitement, other Jesuits from the Provincial s residence in Portland hurried out to Beaverton, via the electric railroad, to do their part. The arrangement did not last long because the Jesuits restored the parish to the Archbishop on August 13, 1911. Fr. Deeney, putting the finishing touches to the "Day Book," wrote: "Beaverton parish was returned to the Archdiocese on Aug. 13, 1911. The pastor handed over an account of the parish to Msgr. Rauw, V.G. The new pastor appointed is Rev. T. J. Daum, formerly pastor at Roy, Oregon." When the Jesuits left, little did they dream that they would be back someday to build their Portland boys high school within a gentleman s stroll of their old church at Beaverton. Lakeview 1907-1913 Near the north end of Goose Lake, which extends south into the State of California, the town of Lakeview lies along Thomas Creek. It is the county seat of Lake County and the center of a vast range land, best known by cowhands and sheep-herders. Lakeview is not so ancient as Jacksonville or even Klamath Falls. was founded as late as 1876 on the old Bullard Cattle Ranch. Only 4 years later, a Catholic officer from Fort Klamath, directing a detail of 30 men and a supply train toward Lakeview, overtook a tall, slender man dressed in dark clothes. He was on foot and carrying on his back a bundle of provisions and clothes. The officer greeted the stranger and asked him for his name and destination. "Seghers," was his reply, and he was bound for Lakeview. When asked if, perchance, he was related to the Archbishop of that name, the stranger answered that he was the Archbishop. Only with great difficulty did the officer, persuade His Grace to accept a horse to carry him for the remainder of his journey. Remaining with the soldiers during their stay in Lakeview, the Archbishop celebrated Mass for them and for others each morning. This is the first record of the Church s history in Lakeview. Archbishop Seghers made several journeys into the area, usually on foot. Later, Fr. Blanchard came from Jacksonville, via Klamath, in his buggy, drawn by a span of horses. After his death, other priests visited it on rare occasions, coming either from Klamath Falls or Burns, which is much farther north. When the Jesuits took over Klamath Falls, they assumed responsibility for Lakeview, also. Fr. Feusi first visited it in August, 1905, traveling the more than 100 miles distance from Klamath in a public conveyance called "the Stage." He found many Irishmen there from County Cork, and nearly all of them were sheepherders in the adjoining range country. Some of these were very anxious to see a priest; others did not practice their religion at all; and a few belonged to forbidden secret societies. Fr. Feusi mustered the few he could find in town into the old courthouse, and there he shrived them and said Mass to refresh their souls. During the following year, on June 24, Fr. Feusi baptized the daughter of well-to-do Protestants, a Miss Snelling, who had been educated in a sisters school. She agreed to start a Sunday school for Catholic children and kept her bargain very well. The Bishop wanted a resident priest in Lakeview, but he had no one to send there. There was also the very practical difficulty of subsistence because the sheepherders were poor. They were usually on the range with their flocks, and the priest could not expect more than a half-dozen of them for Sunday Mass. Fr. Feusi presented these objections to the Bishop, who understood very well, but he still wanted a resident priest in Lakeview. Money Drive for Church In July, 1906, Fr. Feusi started a money drive or, as they said in those days, "opened a subscription" for the purchase of land for a church. After a year, he had gathered a total of $1380 largely with the help of Mrs. W. K. Barry, who knew how to coax it from the sheepherders. Bishop O Reilly accompanied Fr. Feusi to Lakeview in July that year and confirmed 2 children in the town hall. He also delivered the Fourth-of-July oration in the town a solid indication by contemporary standards that the church was beginning to acquire social standing. The time he decided, was opportune for a resident pastor. Prevailing upon the Jesuit Provincial for another priest, he was given Fr. Achilles Vasta, S.J., for the task. Fr.Vasta arrived in Lakeview in early September, 1907, and, using the $1380 from the bank, purchased a lot and a 2-story house on Slash Street. He took up residence in the lower rooms and converted the upstairs into a chapel. This was Lakeview s first Catholic Church. Here, Fr. Vasta ". . . baptized 2 girls, gave First Communion to 4 children, per-formed a mixed marriage, and administered the pledge to several." For a parish covering 8,000 square miles, this was not a prosperous beginning; and, though the pastor accomplished much more than this historian s account indicates, superiors decided that not e n o u g h could be done to justify a resident priest. Fr. Vasta was recalled for other work in the summer of 1908. For a time, Fathers Greenwood and Tomkin visited Lakeview from Klamath Falls. At first, they were not warmly received. Fr. Tomkin, after his first visit, modestly wrote in the Klamath Diary: "The people here, Catholic and Protestant alike, loved Fr. Feusi and looked upon me as an intruder." Despite this initial hostility, Fr. Tomkin was able to report that 40 persons attended his Sunday Mass and that 10 or 12 came on weekdays. He prepared 12 children for their First Communion. On August 27, 1909, the Lakeview parish received another pastor, an Irishman "like the boys." This was Fr. Michael O Malley, S.J., whose brogue was still thick enough to make the "boys" feel like weeping when they heard him. Some of them quickly gathered a purse of $151 and presented it to him as a grand gesture of welcome. Fr. O Malley, young and very zealous, eagerly covered his immense parish regularly, visiting all the little settlements like Adel and Plush and every camp of sheepherders from the California border to the middle of Oregon. At Adel. he said Mass in Cronin s house. He also said Mass at Warner Lake, Paisley, McCormack s Ranch, Drews Gap, and elsewhere. Usually, "a couple of the boys" drove him about and spread their cheer with him. In his first 8 months, Fr. O Malley counted 179 persons who attended the Sacraments. New Church The size and incovenience of the church on Slash was a problem. Fr. O Malley was determined to build a new one in brick, and he was equally determined that it be dedicated to St. Patrick "to please the boys" not to mention himself. Since the lot on Slash was unsuitable for a large building its substratum was marsh a new lot had to be secured, and this was no simple matter. Many of the property owners were still hostile to the Church and, by conspiracy, all boosted their sale prices so high the church could not afford to buy. After long delays, a lot on Center Street was finally acquired for the absurd price of $2,000. The erection of the church was begun before Fr. O Malley s departure in September, 1911, and was completed by his successor, Fr. Mathias Schmitt, S.J. It was dedicated by Bishop O Reilly on July 14, 1912, "in the presence of 75 people, mostly native-born Irish." Fr. Schmitt remained in Lakeview for 2 years and was succeeded by Fr. Paul Kern, S.J., the last Jesuit pastor. On Nov. 3, 1913, Fr. Michael Murphy of the diocesan clergy, who had been acting Rector of the Cathedral in Baker, arrived to take over the parish, and Fr. Kern withdrew to take on another assignment. While Fr. Schmitt was still pastor of Lakeview, he wrote to his superior: "I love my work in Lakeview. The people are very devoted and attached to the priest." This, however, is what you would expect from the Irish, who are famous the world over for their devotion to the priest. It also shows how much proggress the church of Lakeview made under the guidance of the Jesuits. Ashland 1909 - 1912 The history of the church at Ashland is closely tied in with that of Jacksonville, where the pioneer Catholic church of southern Oregon was built in 1858. Periodically priests from Jacksonville celebrated Mass for a few Catholics in the home of Mr. H. Judge in Ashland. The idea of building a church for Catholics in this strongly Methodist center seems to have been entertained as early as 1875, when Arch bishop Blanchet provided $200 the purchase of a building lot.Twelve years later, through the efforts of 3 devout laymen and Fr. Noel of the diocesan clergy, a small frame church was built on Sixth and "C" Streets. During that same year, on May 23, Archbishop Gross vis- ited Ashland and conferred Confirmation on a small group in this church. The first resident pastor was Fr. Peter Beutgen. Fr. Beutgen built a~small rectory next to the church, and this concluded the building program. For several years following these developments, there was a succession of pastors. Then the parish again became a mission. Father Mackin s Arrival On Aug. 17, 1909, Jesuits took charge of Ashland. Fr. Charles Mackin, S.J., on that day was appointed pastor. Five days later, after securing a suitable notebook from L. P. ORR S Drugstore for announcement book, he stood in the pulpit of Our Lady of the Rosary Church and read the following nouncement: "A meeting of all the members of the congregation who wish to see a Catholic community in Ashland is requested after the 10 o clock Mass today. The pastor intends to visit every Catholic family. next week. Any help given to get acquainted will be highly appreciated." The new pastor s disappointment tamed with the meeting was the first of for many. Apparently, as often happens when a Catholic minority is left without adequate spiritual direction for a number of years, most had become indifferent. In writing to his superior in 1910, 'Fr. Mackin re ap vealed his sadness: "We have not much to tell . . . there have been scandals, so all we could do was an watch and pray. We are grateful we have been able to hold our own and. to make some advances. We have only 97 Catholics (out of 2643 people), including everyone in the parish. The hardest battle has been the monotony." The "monotony" is revealed in Fr. Mackin s announcement book. Sunday followed Sunday with the usual Rosaries and Benedictions and meetings of the Altar Society. There were collections for Catholic U., frequent exhortations to receive Holy Communion, and an occasional burst of impatience. "Remember," he said on the 10th Sunday after Pentecost, 1910, "the collection today is for heating the church during the year. There were complaints last year that the church was not heated. I did my best. If you want it heated properly, show it by the collection." The collection was not altogether successful, and on the next Sunday, Fr. Mackin contrived from the pulpit a masterpiece of understatement; "The collection for heating the church amounts to $27.50. If more "five s" instead of nickels and dimes were given, it would be all right." Perhaps it never occurred to Fr. Mackin that the 10th Sunday after Pentecost, coming in the heat of summer as it does, is scarcely a time to stimulate interest in heat. Whatever the case, the people of Ashland gradually came to respond to Fr. Mackin s exhortations. Their devotion and fervor revived with what now appears to be remarkable suddenness. They came to love their Irish "Sogarth Aroon," and he in turn came to be greatly attached to Ashland. "I want to spend my life there," he told one of his companions. " 'Tis a lovely spot." A year later, in July, 1912, he made his last entry in the announcement book, little suspecting that his last words, "Wednesday, Feast of St. Ignatius," were prophetic. On Wednesday, the Feast of St. Ignatius, 1912, full of affection and memories, Fr. Mackin bade Ashland goodbye. The parish was returned to the Archbishop. Siletz Mission 1909-1913 There is not much to say about Jesuit activity at Siletz. Like Ashland, it is a case of a one-Jesuit show, and it lasted only 4 years. The one Jesuit was Fr. Augustine Dimier, S.J., a kind, middle-aged Frenchman, who had already spent some five years in Indian missions in Montana and six years in parish work. His Siletz Mission territory extended from the Salmon River on the Pacific Ocean south to Cape Perpetua, about 50 miles, and includedsuch primitive elements as reservation Indians in a state of great - degeneration and such sophisticated ones as fashionable seaside resorts. Like other priests marooned on small islands and surrounded by indifference, Fr. Dimier was greatly discouraged with the results of his labors. In a letter to Fr. Cataldo, on Sept. 7, 1911, he complained about the hopelessness of his position: "I went from house to house, teaching children and grownups the elements of Christian doctrine. I did a good deal of that work in some families in the hope of drawing them to the church whither they very, very seldom came, but no results followed. So I give them up if Providence does not interpose miraculously in their favor." Fortunately for Fr. Dimier, there was other work to do among the whites who lived in resort towns like Newport. Judging by human standards, his greatest conquest took surprisingly enough, in one of his resort chapels. His little altar boy, a grade school student from Gonzaga in Spokane, came each summer with his family for a vacation the beach. This good lad was so inspired by Fr. Dimier s mission spirit that he chose to follow him as an Indian missionary. He has since achieved national fame for his defense of Indian rights. His name is Fr. Cornelius E. Byrne, S.J., and he is still carrying on in the spirit of Fr. Dimier at St. Ignatius Mission in Montana. In 1912, the Archbishop was able to supply one of his own priests for Siletz, so Fr. Dimier was transferred to St. Paul s Mission, Montana, among the Gros Ventres and Assiniboines. Since this mission was in a flourishing state, Fr. Dimier soon recovered from the spiritual loneliness and frustrations of Siletz; but he never forgot it. It had left its mark on him. At Siletz, his name was remembered by a few, forgotten by most. Of all Oregon Jesuit foundations, none has been so obscure as Siletz, and none has retained so slight a trace of the Jesuits. Ocean tides and sea mists seem to have wiped out all signs of their passage.