Favorite things about the Silver Valley: Old Mission State Park

CATALDO – At the western entrance to the Silver Valley sits the Mission of the Sacred Heart, the crown jewel of Old Mission State Park.  

While technically sitting in Kootenai County, Silver Valley residents have an attachment to the Mission beyond what most of their neighbors to the west experience. Mary Davis is one such resident.  

“The Mission has always been a favorite place of mine,” Davis said. “I went there on a school trip years ago. It's like you are stepping back in time. I have been there many times since. I just love the history.”  

Commonly referred to as the Cataldo Mission, Idaho’s oldest building is one that almost never was, had it not been for, of all things, seasonal flooding.  

In 1842, Jesuit missionaries, including Father Pierre-Jean De Smet, landed in the St. Joe region of Idaho and, along with two other priests, they decided to build a mission that would serve the local Native American tribes. However, the location they settled on, near the St. Joe River, was prone to extreme seasonal flooding, and after four years, they decided to find a new location. They would find the perfect spot a few miles north, atop a hill near the mouth of a valley, overlooking both the now-Coeur d’Alene River and hundreds of acres of swamps and farmland.  

Construction began on the Mission in 1850, with Father Antonio Ravalli, who decided that the church would mimic the cathedrals of his homeland of Italy. Ravalli’s plans, extravagant as they were, made the construction a challenge. He reportedly had 300 Natives from the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and two missionaries for his workforce, but had very little in terms of supplies. Present-day cities like Coeur d’Alene, Kellogg, and Spokane were either nonexistent or still in their infancy, so Ravalli resorted to using his surroundings for building materials and archaic construction methods like mortise and tenon for the joints and waddle and daub for the walls.  

In 1853, the Mission was completed, and for years it operated not only as a religious training ground for Natives living in the area but also as an important stop for people traveling along the recently completed Mullan Road. Cap. John Mullan used the Mission as a headquarters during various phases of the construction of the road.  

The Mission was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961, and five years later, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 1975, the decision was made to create Old Mission State Park, an 18-acre piece of land that included the Mission, parish house, two cemeteries, and now, an interactive visitor center that details the Mission’s bountiful history.  

Will Niska, the park ranger for Old Mission State Park, loves where he works and believes it to be the most in plain sight hidden gem in the area.  

“What I appreciate most about the Mission is you don’t have to be religious or a history buff to appreciate the building itself; it was truly a massive accomplishment to construct the building,” Niska said. “I also appreciate that it is a hidden gem that is not very hidden. Being directly off the interstate, you can step into the park and enjoy the scenery of the area and have some awesome wildlife viewing.”  

Niska is correct, you don’t have to be a history buff to enjoy the Mission, but it definitely doesn’t hurt. One of Niska’s favorite facts about the site is that, in the mid-19th century, the Mission was the location for negotiations for the peace treaty that ended the Northern Plateau War, a conflict between the region’s Native Americans and the U.S. Army.  

Maintenance and restoration work at the Mission is completed with regularity, but it must be done in a manner that replicates the historic architecture. This includes work done on the Mission’s massive pillars, the steps into the church, and the church’s cedar shake roofing. However, some modernizations have been made, including the construction of an elevator on the outside of the building and the installation of a fire suppression system.  

While the park draws a healthy number of tourists, including nearly 4,000 students last year, the Mission of the Sacred Heart remains a special a sacred place for members of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. According to Niska, hundreds of members of the tribe make a pilgrimage back to the Mission for the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This annual event draws on both the religious history of the Mission, while also keeping tribal traditions alive.