Customer Reviews

Father Peter John De Smet: Jesuit in the West (Oklahoma Western Biographies)

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This is a solid, serviceable biography of the great Jesuit missionary of the West. Carriker recounts and evaluates the full life of the man, paying particular attention to De Smet's role as an intermediary between Indians and whites. De Smet was fearless, energetic, and fair - traits that won the respect of just about all who knew him.

De Smet was born in Belgium in 1801, came to the US at the age of 20, entered a Jesuit order near Baltimore, and was ordained in 1827 in St. Louis. After a four-year return to Europe, in 1838 his wish to become a missionary to the Indians was granted. Two years later he went to the Flathead country in the northern Rockies via the outward bound supply caravan from St. Louis, attending the 1840 Green River rendezvous. For the next several years he spent months traversing the Rockies, administering to the spiritual needs of the Indians, followed by journeys back to Europe to promote his work (he made over a dozen trips across the ocean to Europe). In 1845 he helped the Blackfeet and Flathead Indians reach a peace agreement, and (according to legend, probably not 100% true) met Brigham Young near Council Bluffs and convinced him of the benefits of settling near the Great Salt Lake. In 1851, he was at the great Fort Laramie council held on Horse Creek, helping to negotiate between the various Indian tribes present. Although De Smet was on hand at a number of peace councils, his greatest accomplishment regarding Indian affairs might have been in the summer of 1868 when he personally met Sitting Bull and got him to accept the Fort Laramie treaty. He died in St. Louis in 1873 of Bright's disease.

De Smet authored four books, the first, LETTERS AND SKETCHES: WITH A NARRATIVE OF A YEAR'S RESIDENCE AMONG THE INDIAN TRIBES OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, was published in 1843 and was his most popular book, going through numerous editions and many different translations in Europe. He was able to raise money for his missions with all his books. One of the most traveled men in the pre-Civil War West (over 180,000 miles), De Smet loved the rugged life of wilderness adventure. Only as an administrator did his talents falter. As a friend to the Indian he was supreme, and he was universally admired.

Carriker's biography is thorough and scholarly (the annotated footnotes are excellent), but not academically dull. He gives a full picture of the man and his work, and the book is a pleasure to read. Highly recommended.