Origins of the Superior Diocese: An early history of Catholicism in northern Wisconsin

Editor's note: This is the first of a four-part series on the origins of the Superior Diocese. The series is an excerpt from the upcoming book, "Our Journey Through Faith: A History of the Diocese of Superior," written by former Catholic Herald editor Sam Lucero. The history book, written to commemorate the centennial of the diocese, will be available in parishes later this year.

Long before Pope Pius X established the Diocese of Superior in 1905, Catholic missionaries had forged a dynamic presence along the lakeshores and riverbanks of northern Wisconsin. In fact, French Jesuit missionaries were among the first Europeans to trek through the wilderness, by canoe and snowshoe, seeking to introduce the Christian faith to Native Americans who inhabited the fertile land.

While approximately 20,000 Native Americans lived in the present-day Wisconsin for several thousand years before the French arrived here, the written history of the area did not begin until the mid-17th century.

Following a trail blazed by another 17th century French Catholic explorer, Jean Nicolet, considered to be the first white man to set foot on Wisconsin soil, Jesuit Fr. Rene Menard was the first missionary to preach the Gospel in Wisconsin.

First missionary arrives in 1661

This chapter in Wisconsin history is even more significant to Catholics in northern Wisconsin, because Menard's journeys took place in their back yard -- on the shores of Lake Superior. Although his time here was short, the French missionary cleared the path for fellow Jesuits who followed him.

Menard had previously ministered at the Ottawa Mission on Georgian Bay in Canada, known at the time as New France. It was here that he became fluent in the Ojibway, Ottawa and Huron dialects. The priest was already in his mid-50s when he decided to venture into uncharted mission territories. On Aug. 28, 1660, Menard set out on the arduous journey from Three Rivers, a major French trading post and fortified port in Quebec that was the starting point for 17th century explorers and missionaries. Seven French traders and several Indians joined him. Knowing with certainty the dangers ahead, he wrote to a friend on the morning of his departure: "I write you probably the last word and I desire it to be the seal of our friendship to eternity. In three or four months, you may put me into the memento of the dead, considering the manner of living of these people, and my age and weak constitution."

Menard arrived at Keweenaw Bay on the south shore of Lake Superior, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on Oct. 15. Here, the priest found a band of Ottawas and spent the winter. Some historical accounts have Menard venturing in the spring of 1661 to Chequamegan Bay. ("Here the missionary was now received with respect, he baptized a few Indians and administered the sacraments to the French," wrote Norbertine Fr. Leo Rummel in his "History of the Catholic Church in Wisconsin" published by the Wisconsin Council Knights of Columbus in 1976.) Other accounts state that he remained at Keweenaw Bay until receiving an invitation to visit the Hurons at the headwaters of the Black River.

What is certain is that Menard did accept the invitation to venture inland. He set forth on his last great undertaking on July 13, 1661, but never completed the journey. Somewhere in the wilderness (near Perkinstown in Taylor County, the late church historian Fr. Louis Charron speculated) Menard was separated from his group after making a portage near the headwaters of the Black River, never to be heard from again. His fate and the circumstances surrounding his disappearance were never determined.

"By some it is believed that the old priest was murdered by the Indians," wrote C.H. Crownhart, a former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, in his series, "North Wisconsin in History and Romance: No. 6 -- Fr. Rene Menard," published in the Superior Telegram June 5, 1920. "Others with better reason believe that he died of exhaustion and starvation. ... So perished the first 'black gown' to brave the wilds of North Wisconsin to carry the Gospel to the (Hurons) that were in hiding from the wrath of the cruel and merciless Iroquois."

In 1923, the Knights of Columbus secured land 10 miles north of Merrill and erected a monument to Menard. Some Merrill historians believe this is where Menard's life ended. The monument reads: "Sailed for Quebec in March 1640, lost hereabouts July 1661, while enroute to Huron Village to baptize Indian refugees." In honor of the missionary priest, the Holy Cross Sisters of Merrill operated a junior college from 1968 to 1974 bearing Menard's name.

Next week: Fr. Claude Allouez establishes Holy Ghost mission.

< Local Archives

© Superior Catholic Herald, 2005