Father DeSmet's Prairie Mass Site
Father DeSmet's Prairie Mass Site is located in Wyoming
Father DeSmet's Prairie Mass Site
Father DeSmet's Prairie Mass Site is located in the United States
Father DeSmet's Prairie Mass Site
Nearest cityDaniel, Wyoming
Coordinates42°52′10″N 110°2′29″W / 42.86944°N 110.04139°W / 42.86944; -110.04139
Arealess than one acre
NRHP reference No.70000676[1]
Added to NRHPApril 28, 1970

Father DeSmet's Prairie Mass Site, located about one mile east of Daniel, Wyoming, is the site of the first Catholic mass in Wyoming.[2] The mass was conducted on July 5, 1840, by Jesuit missionary Pierre-Jean De Smet. A congregation of 2,000 people, composed of Native Americans, trappers, and traders from the region, attended the service. A stone altar was constructed for the mass and a granite cross enclosed by a small chapel was later added to the altar site. The service was one of the earliest Christian religious ceremonies conducted in the Rocky Mountain region.[3] The Prairie Mass Site lies approximately at the confluence of the Green River and its tributary Horse Creek. A commemorative mass is celebrated on the 2nd Sunday after the 4th in July every year at 10:00 AM MST. Mass is facilitated by the parish Our Lady of Peace located in Pinedale, WY.

The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 28, 1970.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ↑ Official State Highway Map of Wyoming (Map). Wyoming Department of Transportation. 2014.
  3. ↑ Barnhart, Bill (December 19, 1969). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Father DeSmet's Prairie Mass Site". National Park Service. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
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