St. Joseph's Catholic Church

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 8, 2024

1. St. Joseph's Catholic Church Marker

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From the National Register Nomination prepared by Don J. Hibbard, 5/20/1977:
St. Joseph's is architecturally significant as a well-proportioned Gothic Revival parish church executed in stone. As Pocatello's oldest surviving church, it has special importance as a community landmark. It is also among the state's earliest surviving stone churches.
St. Joseph's is one of two Gothic-styled nineteenth-century stone churches to be found in Pocatello. They are of equal significance, as rare nineteenth century examples of

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 8, 2024

2. St. Joseph's Catholic Church Marker

The marker is mounted below the rightmost window on the east/front facade of the building.

Idaho churches rendered in stone. Pocatello was fortunate to have a nearby stone quarry at Fort Hall, from which to gather the stone. The city was the Union Pacific's major center in the state, serving as a machine shop and switching center. Thus, it was a major area of Catholicism in the state, due to the large immigrant labor population, much of which derived from southern Europe. In all likelihood the construction of St. Joseph's in stone prompted the Anglican Episcopals to follow suit.

Excerpt:  The St. Joseph's Catholic Church is a chapel and former parish in the "Old Town" of Pocatello, Idaho. Built in 1897, it is Pocatello's oldest surviving church and was deemed significant "a rare nineteenth century example" of an Idaho church built of stone. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

(By Brad

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 8, 2024

3. St. Joseph's Catholic Church (east/front elevation)

Bugger) Excerpt:  St. Joseph’s is the oldest standing and still-operating Catholic Church in Idaho, consecrated on Dec. 19, 1897. Excavation for the church began in 1896. Sandstone for the exterior walls was quarried on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation and was donated by the Department of the Interior, with the consent of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes.
The total cost of the construction and furnishing of the church was about $10,000. In a pattern that has been repeated through-out the history of St. Joseph’s by other patrons, Father Cyril used his connections and persuasiveness to obtain a significant donation from the local railroads, who were turning Pocatello into a major railroad hub around the turn of the century.
The impressive stained-glass windows for the church were created by Povey Brothers of Oregon, known as the best in their craft in the Pacific Northwest. The glass was imported from Europe and assembled in Portland.
In 1900, three bells from the Stuckstede Foundry in St. Louis arrived via the railroad. Named after the apostles Peter, James and John, each bell was tuned differently and weighed different amounts. Peter weighed

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 8, 2024

4. St. Joseph's Catholic Church

The construction date is inscribed below the tower window.

1,000 pounds; James, 800; and John, 500. Bishop Glorieux came to dedicate the bells, washing them with holy water, then anointing them with oil. The cost of the bells was $660. In 1905, the pipe organ was installed. Tells-Summerhof Organ Co. of Erie, Pennsylvania, manufactured it. A $1,000 gift from the Carnegie Foundation helped pay for the organ, with the remaining $1,200 raised by the women of the parish.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 8, 2024

5. St. Joseph's Catholic Church (southeast elevation)

From the National Register Nomination:  St. Joseph's is a parish church in the Gothic Revival style. The bulk of the structure is rusticated white sandstone quarried locally at the Fort Hall Indian Reservation. The clapboarded wooden frame open belfry is capped by an octagonal copper spire with a ball and cross finial. All ground level openings are framed with smooth-finished sandstone Gothic arches, contrasting with the rusticated walls. The second story windows are round: the gable window has a star-of-David motif, and the tower contains two wheel windows. The stained glass for these windows and the lancets came from Portland. The pews also came from Portland. The present altar and the stations of the cross were installed between 1919-1922. Also, at this time the steeple was covered with copper.