Near Grand Marais in Cook County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
St. Francis Xavier Church
— The Wild North in Northeast Minnesota —
Photographed By McGhiever, September 23, 2017
1. St. Francis Xavier Church Marker
Inscription.
St. Francis Xavier Church. . From the 1700s until the early 1900s, itinerant missionaries braved extreme hardships to minister sporadically to North Shore settlers. In 1855, Jesuit missionaries from Fort Williams, Ontario, served Chippewa City, an Ojibwe community of about 100 families located near this site. The Jesuits conducted monthly services in residents' homes until St. Francis Xavier Church was established by Father Joseph Specht in 1895. To raise money for construction, local women held basket socials. Enticed by home-baked foods, area lumberjacks bid heavily on the handmade birch bark baskets. The small clapboard church became both a religious and social center for the community., Jesuit priests served Chippewa City until 1905 when Benedictines from St. John's Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota, became responsible for this territory. They, like the Jesuits, made only monthly visits until 1933, when Father Oswald Johannes became the resident pastor. For a time, he alternated Sunday services between this church and the newly-constructed St. John the Baptist Church in Grand Marais. A declining congregation forced St. Francis Xavier Church, the last remaining building in Chippewa City, to close in 1936. Its religious functions were transferred to the Grand Marais church. Although empty for decades, this church remains an important example of the state's 19th century Indian missions. It was restored in 1970-1974.,
National Register of Historic Places.
From the 1700s until the early 1900s, itinerant missionaries braved extreme hardships to minister sporadically to North Shore settlers. In 1855, Jesuit missionaries from Fort Williams, Ontario, served Chippewa City, an Ojibwe community of about 100 families located near this site. The Jesuits conducted monthly services in residents' homes until St. Francis Xavier Church was established by Father Joseph Specht in 1895. To raise money for construction, local women held basket socials. Enticed by home-baked foods, area lumberjacks bid heavily on the handmade birch bark baskets. The small clapboard church became both a religious and social center for the community.
Jesuit priests served Chippewa City until 1905 when Benedictines from St. John's Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota, became responsible for this territory. They, like the Jesuits, made only monthly visits until 1933, when Father Oswald Johannes became the resident pastor. For a time, he alternated Sunday services between this church and the newly-constructed St. John the Baptist Church in Grand Marais. A declining congregation forced St. Francis Xavier Church, the last remaining building in Chippewa City, to close in 1936. Its religious functions were transferred to the Grand Marais church. Although empty for decades, this church remains an important example of the state's
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19th century Indian missions. It was restored in 1970-1974.
National Register of Historic Places
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Churches & Religion • Native Americans. A significant historical year for this entry is 1895.
Location. 47° 45.488′ N, 90° 18.692′ W. Marker is near Grand Marais, Minnesota, in Cook County. Marker is on State Highway 61 east of Old Shore Road, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1382 Minnesota Highway 61, Grand Marais MN 55604, United States of America. Touch for directions.
2. St. Francis Xavier Church & Marker, from the east
Photographed By McGhiever, September 23, 2017
3. St. Francis Xavier Church
July 25, 2022
4. St. Francis Xavier Church
Credits. This page was last revised on August 6, 2022. It was originally submitted on June 24, 2022, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 141 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos:1. submitted on June 24, 2022, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. 2. submitted on August 5, 2022. 3. submitted on June 24, 2022, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. 4. submitted on August 5, 2022. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.