• 
 
 BV 
 
 5705 
 
 V3C6 
 
 Mesfoe Classics 
 
 === T H E = 
 
 Story 
 
 OF 
 
 Father 
 Van den 
 Broek 
 
Class IB V 
 
 Book_ L V^-C.4- 
 GopyrightN 
 
 COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 
 
Rev. TheO. J. Van den Broek 
 
5ty? ffiakestte Bstxta of lEngltHtj Skautnga 
 The Story of 
 
 Father Van den Broek, o. P. 
 
 A Study of Holland and the Story of 
 the Early Settlement of Wisconsin 
 
 CHICAGO 
 
 AINSWORTH & COMPANY 
 1907 
 

 Two Copies Received 
 
 APR 5 1907 
 
 /i Copyright Entry 
 
 OUSS A XXe„ No. 
 COPY B. 
 
 Copyright, 1907, 
 
 BY 
 
 Ainsworth & Company. 
 

 TO THE 
 
 Rt. Rev. Joseph J. Fox, D. D. 
 
 First Bishop, Born, Reared, and Consecrated 
 
 in Green Bay, 
 
 A. Descendant of One of the Honorable 
 
 Pioneers of Wisconsin, 
 
 This Little Book is Respectfully Dedicated by 
 
 the Author 
 
PREFACE 
 
 To perpetuate the memory and life long labors of a great 
 and noble man is the object of this little work. That Father 
 Van den Broek 's name should not be lost in oblivion, nor he, 
 like Moses, lie buried in an unknown grave, we think no 
 apology is necessary for presenting his biography to the 
 public. 
 
 The story of Father Van den Broek relates to the early 
 missionary work of the pioneer priests of the Central West 
 among the Indians'and first settlers in the Ohio Valley, and 
 the story of the settlement and growth of the "Catholic 
 church in the Fox River Valley. It would seem from the 
 ethical and religious points of view that if pupils could only 
 learn thoroughly that these early missionaries were men of 
 broad culture and liberal views, of most refined character and 
 of thorough education it would be well worth while to have 
 them study such a book as this. 
 
 It will be noted that the early missionaries were not 
 always men only of zeal and of no social position. Such 
 men as Father Van den Broek, Father Gallitzin and 
 hundreds of others, were men of large means for their time, 
 hence their sacrifice of wealth, civilization, and home is 
 surely worth our consideration. 
 
 M. A. 
 ■ March 19, 1907. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 I Theodore J. Van den Broek. g 
 
 II Father Van den-Broek's Native Land ... 21 
 
 III Amsterdam 31 
 
 IV Father Van den Broek's Missionary 
 
 Labors in America 39 
 
 V Father Van den Broek Visits Holland . . 73 
 
 Questions 85 
 
 Notes 87 
 
THEODORE J. VAN DEN BROEK 
 
 A lover of nature will find in Wisconsin — the 
 Badger State — every beautiful scene that could 
 gladden the eye, or that heart could desire. Take a 
 trip on the North-Western R. R. from the extreme 
 southern boundary to Marinette and the endless 
 shifting scenes of natural beauty never grow weari- 
 some. We behold stretches of woodland rich in the 
 gorgeous tints of summer, undulating prairies and 
 uplands gleaming with stubble, hills that well deserve 
 the name of mounds, velvety emerald meadows ; 
 and up along the Fox River valley the wonderfully 
 grand traces of the Glacial period. 
 
 The writer has in mind a drive in an open carriage, 
 one summer evening in August, from Kaukauna to 
 Little Chute. The day had been extremely 'sultry, 
 but as the sun approached the western horizon a 
 gentle, grateful breeze sprang up, which was intensified 
 by the brisk trot of the horse over a delightfully 
 undulating road. The distance was only two miles, 
 but the drive left memories never to be forgotten. 
 When about half way we saw the church, then the 
 village expanded before our view. 
 
 Little Chute, a post village of Outagamie County, 
 lies on the Fox River. It numbers about fourteen 
 hundred ' souls, all descendants of Hollanders, cvho 
 
IO THEODORE J. VAN DEN BROEK 
 
 settled there in 1848. Although over half a century 
 has passed since their occupation of Little Chute they 
 still possess all the characteristics of the Dutch: — 
 Clean to severity, and to the land of their adoption, a 
 loyalty second to none. A sturdy, frugal, God-fearing 
 and law abiding people. 
 
 The cynosure of the village is the beautiful church 
 which has been enlarged and frescoed by the present 
 zealous pastor, Rev. Theodore J. Knegtel. It has, 
 also, beautifully stained glass windows, a chime of 
 bells, and a striking clock tower, making it one of 
 the finest churches in the diocese of Green Bay. 
 
 The church is a treasure to the pious congregation, 
 not on account of its beauty alone, but on account 
 of a still greater treasure reposing within its richly 
 decorated walls— the sainted remains of a worthy 
 son of St. Dominic, Rev. Theodore John Van den 
 Broek, O. P., who founded the parish in 1833 — at 
 which time it was composed mostly of Indians. 
 
 God's flowers bloom in every soil and in every clime. 
 There are many who flourish in the luxury of God's 
 love from childhood to the grave without apparent 
 let or hindrance; there are others again, who have 
 to struggle for conquest against the machinations of 
 the Evil One amid boulders of trouble that would 
 crush the hearts of many, less courageous, neverthe- 
 less they conquer and die heroes and saints. At the 
 last day we shall be astonished to find how many 
 of God's hidden saints had lived amongst us unknown 
 and unappreciated. The Searcher of all hearts. 
 
 
The Church at Little Chute 
 
12 THEODORE J. VAN DEN BROEK 
 
 alone, knew the depths of love that dwelt in theirs, 
 and the eager, hungry longing, that consumed them 
 with a desire to be at rest with Christ. That rugged 
 sturdy Wisconsin should have had its saints need not 
 surprise us. The descendants of the pioneers, who 
 built the first log churches, can tell how their parents 
 thought nothing of walking seven, eight, or ten miles 
 to church and the same distance back without having 
 broken their fast. Many of these, too, were born 
 in luxury. 
 
 The herd of this story vouches for the truth of these 
 statements in his Note Book. With a simple child- 
 like candor he admits of hardships and privations 
 that would appall the hearts of the bravest. Those 
 who now worship God in the beautifully frescoed 
 church with a spire reaching to a height of 175 feet, 
 do not forget that the primitive house of worship in 
 Little Chute, was a wigwam fifteen feet long and six 
 feet high. As a fitting introduction to the life of 
 Rev. Father Van den Broek we quote a narrative of 
 the Hon. George W. Lawe: 
 
 "I was born at Green Bay, in the year 1810, and, 
 probably, am the oldest living native of Wisconsin. 
 I can well remember when the British troops under 
 Col. Robert Dickinson arrived. The colonel made my 
 father's house his headquarters. I also remember 
 all the remarkable events that occurred since then. 
 My father, Judge John Lawe, was an Englishman, and 
 for several years was engaged with his uncle, Jacob 
 Franks, in the fur trade. From 1820 to 1846 he was 
 
THEODORE J. VAN DEN BROEK 13 
 
 the agent for the American Fur Company, at Green 
 Bay. 
 
 "In 1 S3 2 I returned from Lowville, New York, 
 where I had attended school for four years. It was 
 my father's wish that I should assist him in his 
 business, consequently, I was continually travelling 
 up and down the Fox river trading with the Indians. 
 
 "In 1828 there was quite a village here. The 
 Stockbridge and Munsee Indians were on the south 
 side of the river; they were well skilled in agricul- 
 ture and raised a great quantity of corn, potatoes, 
 and grain. In 1832 a contract was made with the 
 Chippewa and Pottawattomie Indians by Col. Owen 
 at Chicago. The first payment on this contract was 
 to be made in the fall of 1834 in Chicago. Then 
 a quantity of goods was intrusted to me to sell to 
 these Indians. 
 
 "In September of this year, 1834, I started in 
 company with Jacob J. Porlier and a Kentuckian, 
 Moses Hardwick by name, on horseback from Green 
 Bay to Chicago, where our merchandise was to 
 arrive from Mackinaw. On the fifth day, we came to 
 a place near Waukesha, where a number of Indians 
 were holding festivities. An old chief came to me 
 just as I sprang from my horse and asked: 
 
 " 'Are you not a son of John Lawe?' 
 
 " 'Yes,' I replied. 
 
 " 'Well,' said he, turning to an old squaw, 'clean 
 out this wigwam, for these young men are not used 
 
14 THEODORE J. VAN DEN BROEK 
 
 to such dirt.' Then to another he said: 'Attend to 
 their horses.' 
 
 "After the wigwam was cleared, the chief came 
 saying: 'You must partake of our feast, and as you 
 will see, we shall give you three courses like the white 
 people do.' And sure enough a squaw brought in 
 three pans containing bear, deer, and dog meat. 
 
 " 'I will eat some of the venison,' said I, 'but I have 
 no appetite for dog meat.' 
 
 "The old Chief laughed, and replied; 'Young 
 man, the dog meat is sweet and delicious.' 
 
 "The next morning we continued our journey to 
 Chicago, which we reached on the eighth day after 
 leaving Green Bay. I remained a whole month in 
 Chicago and did good business there. I think I 
 brought back with me about five thousand dollars. 
 I was almost tempted to invest some of it in land on 
 Dearborn street. Colonel Beaubien offered me a 
 corner lot for one hundred dollars. The Tribune 
 building now stands on this corner. Three years later 
 that same corner was sold for eight thousand dollars. 
 
 "In the year 1836, at the cedars, opposite where 
 Kimberly now is, an agreement was made with the 
 Indians, whereby land extending from Fond du Lac 
 to Portage on the Wisconsin river was purchased; 
 also the land lying within the boundaries of Brown, 
 Oconto, and Winnebago counties. Governor Dodge 
 was the land commissioner. There were at least four 
 thousand Indians present ; among them the Menom- 
 inees, Chippewas, and Winnebagoes. 
 
THEODORE J. VAN DEN BROEK 15 
 
 "In 1839 I moved with my family from Green Bay 
 to Kaukauna. I found living here with their fami- 
 lies: Charles A. Grignon and his brother Alexander, 
 who traded produce with the Indians for hides; also 
 Mr. St. Louis and his family, Joseph Lamure, Paul A. 
 Beaubien, and some Germans whose names I do not 
 remember. Mr. Beaubien had a new saw and grist 
 mill on the south side of the Fox river, arid this was 
 very convenient for the settlers. 
 
 "At that time transportation was carried on by 
 boats manned by ten or twelve men, who propelled 
 them along the river by long poles. John Johnson 
 was the first to build a house or hut where the flour- 
 ishing city of Appleton now stands. 
 
 "In the year 1843, when I was Indian agent under 
 President W. Harrison, I moved the Indians from 
 Little Chute to Lake Poygan, and in 1850 they were 
 moved again by Colonel Ewing and myself to the 
 Keshena Reservation, their present home in Shawano 
 County. 
 
 'About the year 1847, Rev. Father Van den Broek, 
 Catholic Missionary at Little Chute, went to Holland 
 to visit his relatives and friends. When he returned,, 
 he brought with him a great many Hollanders, who 
 have prospered so well, that they own almost every 
 inch of ground in Little Chute. The Hollanders 
 have made great improvements here ; the old settlers 
 can well remember how wild the region was, with its 
 tamarack swamps and morasses, and now the land 
 is as fine as the best in the state. 
 
l6 THEODORE J. VAN DEN BROEK 
 
 "When I came here more than fifty years ago, I 
 found a wilderness in the true sense of the word. 
 There were no roads and it was impossible to travel 
 unless along the so-called Indian trails or footpaths, 
 or by water on the river. Green Bay was the 
 place where we used to get most of our provisions, 
 and I wanted a road opened to Green Bay. I went 
 to Mr. Wright, the founder of Wrightstown, who 
 lived about five miles from here, to consult with him. 
 We were great friends. I asked him to have a ferry 
 boat made so that we could bring wagons over the 
 river, and thereby reach the military road running 
 from Green Bay to Fond du Lac. Mr. Wright 
 promised to fulfill my wish, if I would see that a road 
 was made from Kaukauna to his place. I was very 
 much pleased with my success so far, and hoped soon 
 to have a wagon road to Green Bay. The following 
 day I visited my neighbor in order to consult him 
 about the project, expecting to get help from him; to 
 my great astonishment I found him very much 
 opposed to such an innovation. He said: 'My father 
 lived here for several years without a road to Green 
 Bay, he got there very easily either on horseback or 
 afoot, and as for me I don't need a road.' This 
 rebuff did not make me lose courage. I resolved to 
 take counsel with Iyomataw, head chief of the 
 Menominee Indians at Little Chute and get help 
 from him. He called all the young men of his tribe 
 together and held a counsel, I spoke to them saying: 
 That seeing they were all good Catholics and that they 
 
THEODORE J. VAN DEN BROEK 1 7 
 
 had adopted the customs of the white people, I con- 
 sidered them citizens of the United States, and they 
 would, probably, soon have the right to vote. Now 
 since we as good citizens must obey the law of the 
 country, and work two days every year on the roads, 
 I thought the}" ought to do the same. I then asked 
 
 The Old John Lawe Mansion, now Owned by 
 David H. Grignon 
 
 them to help me make a road to Wrightstown, so 
 that from there we could get to Green Bay with 
 horses and wagon. 
 
 "The old chief Iyomataw then stood up and told 
 the Indians that the law must be obeyed, and that 
 this road would be of great value. Then the young 
 braves answered: 'Yes, we'll do it.' 
 
l8 THEODORE J. VAN DEN BROEK 
 
 "The next day fifty came to help me, and two 
 days later we had a wagon road to Wrightstown. 
 The following week, being much elated over our 
 first work, we made a ro? i through the woods to 
 Appleton. In this age of steam and electricity we 
 can form no idea of the value of such a wagon road! 
 
 "I must relate here a little incident of the good old 
 times. At that time a contract was to be made with 
 the Indians, in order to secure a considerable tract 
 of land at the Cedars (southwest from Little Chute) ; 
 we had great difficulty in getting them together, 
 not that they were opposed to it, but every morning 
 the greatest number of them were dead drunk. This 
 greatly displeased Governor Dodge, and George Boyd, 
 the Indian agent. All efforts to find out where the 
 Red Skins got the liquor were in vain, until finally 
 one of the interpreters met a drunken Indian at the 
 so-called Grand Chute, between Little Chute and 
 Appleton. By coaxing and bribes this son of the 
 woods let himself be persuaded to show the white 
 man where the Indians obtained the whiskey. The 
 interpreter went with him* and the informer, who was 
 still under the influence of liquor, led him to the 
 waterfall. 
 
 "At that time there was no dam on the Fox River, 
 but the water in many places had been thrown 
 quite high on account of the water pushing against 
 the steep rocky bottom in its efforts to empty itself 
 into Green Bay. At Grand Chute were some of the 
 greatest of these natural dams on the whole stream. 
 
THEODORE J. VAN DEN BROEK 19 
 
 The rocky bottom rising so high and sharp that one 
 could stand under the falling water, without even 
 getting wet. It was under this waterfall that the 
 liquor dealer had concealed himself with a barrel of 
 whiskey, which he had bought at eighteen cents a 
 gallon and sold to the Indians at a dollar a pint. 
 Now this tapster must have made nearly four hundred 
 dollars out of the barrel of whiskey which scarcely 
 cost him nine dollars. We made quick work with his 
 business, and in a short time the Indians were in a 
 condition to lend their attention to the contract. 
 
 "The country then, was full of game and the waters 
 teeming with fish that increased almost undisturbed. 
 All this is changed, everything now is better for 
 civilized man but not for an admirer of free nature." 
 
II 
 
 FATHER VAN DEN BROEK'S 
 NATIVE LAND 
 
 In the preceding chapter we learn from Mr. Lawe's 
 narrative that the country round about Little Chute 
 was a region of tamarack swamps and morasses. To 
 another race of people this might have been an 
 insurmountable barrier to its settlement, but to 
 Father Van den Broek and his countrymen this 
 obstacle was trivial. They were Hollanders and for 
 centuries had fought the encroachments of the sea 
 until they had become its lord and master. Swamps 
 and inundations had no terrors for them. 
 
 Holland, the land of glorious sunsets, the land of 
 dikes and windmills, is about one-fourth the size of 
 Wisconsin, its greatest dimensions being 195 miles 
 long and no miles broad. This country commonly 
 called the Netherlands, which means low lands, is 
 the lowest country in Europe, for much of it is below 
 sea level. Its great enemy is the sea, which, day 
 after day, year after year, dashes itself against the 
 land only to retreat with a roar of discomfiture. 
 
 To protect their country from the pitiless North Sea, 
 the patient Hollanders have raised great walls of 
 earth and stone outside of the long low hills of crowded 
 sand, called sand dunes, which the wind has heaped 
 up along the coast. These dykes must be built high 
 21 
 
2 2 FATHER VAN DEN BROEK S NATIVE LAND 
 
 and strong, as it is very probable that the sea may 
 claim some day, what has been wrested from it by 
 the industrious plodding Hollander. The West 
 Kappel dyke for example is over twelve thousand 
 feet long, twenty -three feet high, and thirty -nine feet 
 thick. These dykes are made of compact earth with 
 here and there heavy stone buttresses ; some portions 
 being subjected to great strain, are strengthened by 
 plankings of oak and great rocks imported from . 
 abroad (for there are no rocks in Holland), and often- 
 times faced with concrete. 
 
 " Holland is the creation of the Rhine. This great 
 river whose head waters are collected in the Lake of 
 Constance and lose themselves in the German Ocean 
 by a thousand channels, was for centuries the high- 
 way of Western commerce and civilization. As the 
 Rhine approaches the borders of the country now 
 known collectively as Holland, it begins to divide 
 its stream, and the divisions are multiplied at short 
 intervals. The flow of its once rapid waters is now 
 sluggish. The delta of the Rhine is an accretion 
 from the soil which the stream has collected in its 
 course. Napoleon Bonaparte laid claim to the 
 territory of Holland on the ground that its surface 
 was a deposit from the distant regions in which the 
 earth was collected, was hurried along by the rapid 
 river, and dropped by the sluggish water courses of 
 the mouths of the Rhine. 'Now,' he argued, 'the 
 uplands are mine by right of conquest. The low- 
 lands which owe their existence to the river which I 
 
 
FATHER VAN DEN BROEK S NATIVE LAND 23 
 
 have appropriated, are mine by right of devolution.' 
 The Conqueror's logic may well be disputed but his 
 geology is accurate and incontestable. 
 
 "When Julius Caesar was extending the Roman 
 Empire over Northern Gaul and the Western tribes 
 of the great Teutonic Race, the greater part of 
 modern Holland was an extensive morass, covered 
 by almost impenetrable forests. From time to time, 
 the barrier which the river was depositing against the 
 ocean, was invaded by furious storms, submerging 
 the land. The river, however, was building up what 
 the sea was occasionally destroying. The earliest 
 instincts of the Hollanders were, therefore, directed 
 towards the protection of the land against the en- 
 croachments of the sea. This land enclosed between 
 the two principal arms of the Rhine, was called 
 Batavia, and the inhabitants were called Batavians." 1 
 
 The oldest inhabitants of Holland of whom any- 
 thing is known were of Celtic origin. In Caesar's, 
 day the whole district between the Rhine and the 
 Scheldt, was occupied by the Belgae, the bravest of 
 the Celts, while the Batavian insula was peopled by a 
 part of the Germanic tribe of the Chatti. These two 
 races were known as Flemish and Walloon. The 
 northern part was occupied .by the free Friesians. 
 "Christian teachers formed the first strong bond to 
 hold these different races together against the inva- 
 sions of the Romans, their common foe. Ireland, 
 early christianized by St. Patrick, was one of the 
 
 1. Story of Holland. Rogers. 
 
24 FATHER VAN DEN BROEK S NATIVE LAND 
 
 earliest centres of light and learning in Western 
 Europe. From the Emerald Isle, the missionaries 
 crossed over first to the eastward, and taught among 
 the Dutchmen in England. These Christian mis- 
 sionaries succeeded measurably well. In less than 
 two centuries the Christianized Hollanders in England 
 sent Irish and Scotch missionaries with their country- 
 man Willibrord of Exeter to preach the gospel among 
 their kinsmen in Friesland. Without an interpreter or 
 needing one, Willibrord spoke to them in their own 
 tongue. He was ably assisted by the Irish and 
 Scotch missionaries." 1 
 
 Though Holland was in constant danger from the 
 ocean, it was from the ocean that she derived her 
 wealth and power, and her means for fighting in her 
 struggle for independence. For her flag she chose, 
 with reason, the symbolic design of a lion struggling 
 with the waves, and for her motto "Luctor et emergo" 
 ■ — I struggle and I rise. Land is gained and held 
 there with so much labor, that it is , highly valued 
 and every inch receives the utmost care. It is covered 
 with a net work of canals used for irrigation and 
 transportation. 
 
 Caesar subjugated the Friesians and they remained 
 under the sway of the Romans until the 4th Century, 
 when they succumbed to the Franks. In the 8th 
 century they were subjugated by Charlemagne. 
 Charles V of Spain coming into power over the 
 Netherlands made the country one of great impor- 
 
 1. Brave Little Holland. Griffis. 
 
FATHER VAN DEN BROEK S NATIVE LAND 25 
 
 tance, but under his son Philip II, the Dutch began 
 a revolt, which lasted for eighty years before the 
 Spanish yoke was thrown off. William of Orange 
 known as William the Silent was- their deliverer. 
 Holland was a power in Europe until 17 13 when she 
 began to decline. She was, in fact, one of the greatest 
 powers in Europe, her ships were everywhere and 
 carried most of the world's trade. Her power was 
 crippled by England in the great naval war of 1652-54^ 
 and by France under Conde and Turenne in the reign 
 of Louis XIV. 
 
 When William III became King of England, he 
 protected Holland from France and secured the 
 treaty of peace of Nimeguen in 1678. 
 
 During the century which intervened between the 
 truce of 1609 and the treaty of Utrecht in 17 13, the 
 Dutch occupied the most conspicuous place in Europe. 
 They were courted by the rival powers and during 
 the devastating wars of the seventeenth century were 
 for a long time the centre of European commerce 
 and finance. Amsterdam, the principal city, was 
 considered the largest and richest in Europe, far sur- 
 passing Florence, Genoa, and Venice. The business 
 of Europe was transacted on the Amsterdam Ex- 
 change, and the warehouses of this city, built on piles 
 driven into the swampy soil, were stored with the 
 products of the world. In their cities the Dutch were 
 carrying on those manufactures of the finest fabrics 
 for which Flanders and Italy had once been famous, 
 and piling up the spices of the Indies, of which at that 
 
26 FATHER VAN DEN BROEK's NATIVE LAND 
 
 time they possessed the monopoly. It was the prin- 
 cipal trading and manufacturing country in the 
 world. 
 
 "It was also the country in which agriculture was 
 most thoroughly developed. The Dutch had not, it 
 is true, land enough to grow grain for the mainte- 
 nance of its densely peopled republic and it was only 
 by incessant toil and watchfulness that they kept 
 much of their land from being engulfed by the sea. 
 As soon as an armistice began and the people had 
 rest from war they pumped out Beemster Lake, and 
 recovered fully eighteen thousand acres of rich 
 meadow land, from what had been a shallow expanse 
 of water. Their cattle were the finest in Europe, and 
 their dairy products found a ready market in foreign 
 countries. Their small farms flourished like gardens. 
 They supplied all Europe with the means of gratify- 
 ing the fashion, which they had set up, of ornamental 
 and domestic agriculture. For a long time they were 
 the exporters of all the best garden produce. They 
 extended the cultivation of winter roots from the 
 garden to the field, and gradually taught European 
 nations how to preserve cattle in sound condition 
 through the winter and to banish scurvy and leprosy 
 by the constant supply of wholesome fresh diet. The 
 cultivation of the turnip and the potato, with other 
 similar roots, has made it possible that three times as 
 many persons can live on the same tract of land, 
 where before these discoveries were made starvation 
 stared them in the face. 
 
FATHER VAN DEN BROEK S NATIVE LAND 
 
 2 7 
 
 "After having carried the cultivation of winter 
 roots and ornamental gardening to an unparalleled 
 pitch of excellence, they devoted themselves to the 
 improvement and discovery of the artificial grasses, 
 thereby supplying more nutritious fodder and in- 
 
 A Bit of Holland 
 
 creasing their stock of cattle. . They discovered the 
 use of clover, red and white sanfoin, lucerne, and 
 either improved or naturalized them." 
 
 The Dutch were also as distinguished in literature 
 and science as they were in agriculture and manu- 
 factures. Holland was called the printing house of 
 Europe, and in the seventeenth century published 
 
28 FATHER VAN DEN BROEK S NATIVE LAND 
 
 more books than all the rest of Europe collectively. 
 Before an Englishman had attempted printing or 
 engraving there was a prosperous school of both 
 these arts in Holland. The University of Ley den en- 
 joyed great renown. This university owes its origin 
 to the second siege of Ley den by the Spaniards which 
 began on the 26th of May, 1574, and lasted till the 3d 
 of October. The city endured all the horrors of- 
 famine but would not yield. William of Orange 
 finally raised the siege by having the dykes cut and 
 bringing a fleet of provisions to the starving inhab- 
 itants as well as flooding out the Spanish army. 
 To commemorate this event, the city of Ley den was 
 offered the choice of being made free from taxation 
 or to be endowed with a university; she chose the 
 latter. Holland was the origin of modern inter- 
 national law and of modern physic. It was the 
 country from which the best mathematical, nautical, 
 and astronomical instruments could be procured. It 
 discovered the art of cutting and polishing diamonds 
 and for centuries enjoyed a monopoly of this art. 
 In fact there was no branch of learning or skill in 
 which the Dutch did not excel. 
 
 The eighteenth century, however, was the century 
 of Holland's decay. In 1794 the armies of France 
 overran Belgium, and the United Provinces became 
 the Batavian Republic, paying a large amount for a 
 French army. In 1806 Louis Bonaparte was made 
 King of Holland, and four years later it was.added to 
 the French Empire. On the fall of Napoleon, the 
 
FATHER VAN DEN BROEK S NATIVE LAND 29 
 
 Orange family were recalled and the Kingdom of 
 Netherlands was formed, from which Belgium seceded 
 in 1830. 
 
 Holland has large and important possessions in the 
 East Indies ; the greater part of the Malay Archipelago 
 being under her rule. From 1873 to 1876 an expen- 
 sive war was carried on in Acheen on the Island of 
 Sumatra. With this exception, Holland has been 
 peaceful since the treaty with Belgium in 1839, and 
 has made rapid strides in prosperity and wealth. 
 
 The present sovereign is Queen Wilhelmina, 
 daughter of William III of Holland, born August 31, 
 1880. 
 
 Benjamin Franklin said of brave little Holland: "In 
 love of liberty and bravery in defence of it, she has 
 been our great example." The first salute in honor 
 of the American flag was from the Dutch. Johannes 
 de Graeff, at the port of St. Eustachius in the West 
 Indies, Nov. 16, 1776, ordered the "honor shots." 
 After the States-General had formally recognized the 
 United States of America as a nation, the loans by 
 the Dutch merchants of fourteen millions of dollars 
 came when our country needed it most. 
 
Ill 
 
 AMSTERDAM 
 
 BIRTHPLACE OF THEODORE J. VAN DEN 
 
 BROEK 
 
 The name Amsterdam or Amsteldam means the 
 dam or dyke of the Amstel, a river which flows in a 
 northeasterly direction through the city. Amster- 
 dam is the largest and most, important town in Hol- 
 land, constitutionally its capital, although the resi- 
 dence of the sovereign is at The Hague. It is situated 
 on the confluence of the Amstel with the Y, a lake-like 
 river now mostly drained ; it stands on soft wet ground 
 under which at the depth of fifty feet is a bed of sand. 
 Into this sand piles are driven on which the buildings 
 are reared. This foundation is perfectly secure as 
 long as the piles remain under water. 
 
 In the thirteenth century Amsterdam was a small 
 fishing village, held in fief by the lords of Amstel, 
 together with the surrounding district called Amstel- 
 land. Towards the close of the thirteenth century it 
 reverted to the Counts of Holland, who . gave it a 
 charter and other privileges. It was fortified in 1482, 
 and soon rose to be the most important city of the 
 Netherlands. The early voyages to India, and the 
 union of the seven provinces in 1579, added greatly to 
 its prosperity — so much so that it excited the cupidity 
 of the earl of Leicester, who made a futile attempt 
 31 
 
2,2 AMSTERDAM 
 
 to surprise it in 1587; and its position was still 
 further improved by the peace of Westphalia in 1648, 
 which closed the navigation of the Scheldt, and conse- 
 quently ruined the trade of Antwerp. Two years 
 later, the Stadtholder William II attempted to sur- 
 prise it but the bold attitude of the inhabitants and 
 the prudence of the Burgermeisters Hoost and Bicker 
 frustrated the designs of William as well as of Leices- 
 ter. 
 
 Amsterdam suffered so severely in the time of Crom- 
 well, that more than 4,000 houses stood tenantless; 
 and the French occupation during the First Empire 
 inflicted a more permanent injury upon the city 
 Since 18 13, however, much of its former commercial 
 influence has returned. 
 
 Towards the land, Amsterdam was at one time 
 surrounded by a fosse or canal and regularly fortified, 
 but its ramparts have been demolished and the 
 twenty-eight bastions that formed part of the defences 
 are now used as promenades or covered with build- 
 ings. Within the city four canals — the Prinsen 
 Gracht, Keizers Gracht, Heeren Gracht and the 
 Singel — extend in the form of polygonal crescents, 
 nearly parallel to each other and to the former fosse ; 
 while numerous smaller canals intersect the city in 
 every direction, dividing it into about 90 islands with 
 290 bridges. Some of these are of stone, but the 
 majority are of iron and wood, and constructed so 
 as to allow vessels for inland navigation to pass 
 through. 
 
AMSTERDAM 3$ 
 
 The streets in the oldest parts of the town are 
 narrow and irregular, but are nowhere without 
 pavements or footways. The houses frequently 
 present a picturesque sky-line, broken by fantastic 
 gables, roofs, chimneys, towers, and turrets of all 
 forms and dimensions. Westward of the Amstel 
 which passes almost through the centre of the city, 
 is the more modern part, where the houses are often 
 exceedingly handsome, and the streets broad, planted 
 with rows of large trees between the houses and the 
 canals. 
 
 Of the public buildings, the principal is the palace, 
 an imposing structure, built in 1648 by the architect 
 Jacob van Kampen and with stone carvings by the 
 celebrated artist Artus Quellinus of Antwerp. It is' 
 supported on 13659 piles, is 282 feet long, with a 
 breadth of 235 feet, and a height of 116 feet, exclusive 
 of a turreted cupola, which rises 66 ft. above the 
 main building. It was originally the Stadhuis, but 
 was appropriated as a palace by King Louis Napoleon 
 in 1808. 
 
 The most remarkable churches are the Oude Kerk 
 (Old Church) built about the year 1300; it has a 
 chime of bells that plays a different tune every quarter, 
 making ninety-six different tunes a day. It has also 
 beautifully stained windows and a fine organ, as well 
 as monuments to various celebrated Dutchmen, 
 including Van Heemskerk, Sweerts, and Van der 
 Hulsts. The Nieuwe Kerk (Katharinenkerk) the 
 most beautiful of all, where the kings of Holland 
 
34 AMSTERDAM 
 
 are crowned, dating from 1408, is remarkable for the 
 carving of its pulpit, for the elaborate bronze castings 
 of its choir, and for the monuments of Admiral De 
 Ruyter, the poet Vondel and many other notable 
 personages. 
 
 In this quaint and ancient city replete with historic 
 landmarks, Theodore John Van den Broek was born 
 on the 5th of November, in the year 1783, on Avenue 
 de Singel. His father was Abraham Van den Broek, 
 his mother, Elizabeth de Meyne. Although having 
 but two children, a son and a daughter, his father like 
 a second Abraham, did not hesitate to consecrate his 
 only son to the service of God. His parents were 
 pious, God-fearing people, and although wealthy, it 
 did not prevent them from bringing up their children 
 in the sanctity of the Catholic religion. 
 
 If we study the history of the Catholic church at 
 the period of Theodore's birth we shall find a church 
 without an hierarchy, battling its way against the 
 inveterate hatred of the Calvinists, the Jansenistic 
 schism of Utrecht, and the adverse policy of a hostile 
 government. In spite of all these crushing obstacles 
 the Catholic Hollander has fought the good fight and 
 held his own, true here, also to the motto of his country- 
 "I struggle, I rise," he has conquered at last by his 
 patience and endurance. In 1853 on the 7th of 
 March, Pius IX reestablished the Catholic hierarchy 
 in Holland. 
 
 William, Prince of Orange, in 1582, proving false 
 to promises previously given, issued an ordinance, 
 
AMSTERDAM 35 
 
 which was rigorously enforced, proscribing the Catho- 
 lic religion. From this time Calvinism was the state 
 religion. The Catholics were piteously oppressed, 
 down to the present century. During the brief reign 
 of Louis Bonaparte, who was appointed king of Hol- 
 land by his brother, Emperor Napoleon, the rights of 
 Catholics were generally respected. When Holland 
 was incorporated with the French Empire, some 
 measures of repression, especially against the clergy, 
 were issued by Napoleon who was enraged by the 
 firmness they displayed in upholding the rights and 
 prerogatives of the Holy See. 
 
 William I (i 8 15-1840) revived the old Calvinistic 
 bigotry, and did all in his power to retard the growth 
 of the Catholic Church in his Dominions. Since the 
 secession of Belgium in 1830, however, the Church in 
 Holland has enjoyed greater freedom. On the 
 restoration of the hierarchy by Pope Pius, Utrecht 
 was made an Archbishopric with four suffragan Sees 
 at Haarlem, Hertogenbosch, Breda, and Roermund. 
 Catholicity at present numbers about one half of the 
 entire population. In the year 18 10 only fifteen 
 convents existed, but now the religious houses num- 
 ber several hundred. 
 
 These statistics show us that at the time of Father 
 Van den Broek's birth, Catholicity being proscribed, 
 the faithful were being tried in the crucible. How 
 well the parents of Theodore Van den Broek stood 
 the crucial test, may be inferred from the religious 
 training they gave their sainted son. 
 
3<5 AMSTERDAM 
 
 Among Father Van den Broek's papers was found 
 a little religious picture, a memorial of his mother's 
 demise ; on the reverse side is printed : 
 
 "Pray for the soul of the departed Elizabeth De 
 Meyne, widow of the deceased Abraham Van den 
 Broek, who died at Amsterdam, on the 4th of April, 
 1844, i n the 8 2d year of her age, buried on the 9th 
 from the English Church. She continued in prayer, 
 and .loved the place where God's glory dwelleth. 
 
 " 'With great increase of the fear of God she de- 
 parted in peace.' Job. XIV, 4. 
 
 "May she rest in peace." 
 
 The encomiums on the death of his mother, as 
 printed on the picture, were evidently arranged by 
 her son who knew her worth. They are the enco- 
 miums of a saint and she died the death of the just. 
 While her son was celebrating Mass in the backwoods 
 of Wisconsin on Holy Thursday, which happened to be 
 the day of her death, at the elevation of the Sacred 
 Host, he had a premonition that his mother was 
 dying, and it proved only too true. 
 
 From the fact that they left their children 120,000 
 florins — at that time no small fortune — it is evident 
 that the parents of Rev. Father Van den Broek 
 must have been in very good circumstances, if not 
 wealthy. 
 
 Father Van den Broek was in early manhood a 
 man of prepossessing appearance, five feet ten inches 
 in height, well built, but not fleshy, with mild hazel 
 eyes, brown hair, fine regular features, polished in 
 
AMSTERDAM 37 
 
 manner, possessed of a geniality of soul born of the 
 spirit of God within him, and a zeal for the glory of 
 his' Father's house that conquered all hearts. 
 
 " Of his youth very little is known excepting that 
 when he graduated he was master of the Greek, Latin, 
 German, French, and Dutch languages. The Domini- 
 can Fathers were his parish priests, and admiring 
 their edifying example he joined the Dominican 
 Order. The Dominican records at Amsterdam show 
 that he was at first a Franciscan, but, after having 
 obtained the papal dispensation, was received into 
 the Dominican Order on the 16th of June, 1817, in 
 the church (Stadhuis) van Hoorn, by Rev. Nicolas 
 Smits, pastor, and Prior Provincial of the Dominican 
 Order in the Netherlands. . He was ordained in 1808, 
 evidently in Germany, as Holland, at that time had 
 no Bishops. For some time he was assistant priest 
 at Groningen where the Dominicans had a church. 
 
 In 1 8 1 9 he was appointed pastor at Alkmaar 
 where he remained until the 27th of May, 1830. 
 Among the children whom he baptized there was 
 Caspar Joseph Martin Bottemanne, who afterwards 
 became Bishop of Haarlem. In 1830 he was ap- 
 pointed pastor of Tiel where he remained until June, 
 1832, when he obtained permission from his Provin- 
 cial, Albertus van Kampen, to depart as Missionary 
 for America. By a letter dated May 10th, 1832, 
 he was appointed to act as novice Master to Rev. 
 Louis de Saille, and on their arrival in America, this 
 zealous priest who had been a parish priest for ten 
 
38 AMSTERDAM 
 
 years made his vows and was received into the 
 Dominican Order. 
 
 His burning zeal for the salvation of souls led 
 Father^Van den Broek while priest at Alkmaar, not- 
 withstanding all the cares and labors of a heavy 
 parish, to write and publish three large volumes of 
 "Sermons on the Sundays and Holydays of the Year." 
 In his preface he humbly says: "I have edited these 
 sermons not as a guide for older priests but for the 
 encouragement of Catholics who cannot attend 
 divine services." In these few words he shows him- 
 self the true Dominican and like St. Dominic his 
 watchword was: "Save souls." This was the spirit 
 of the Dominican Order — the salvation of souls — 
 this had been his mission in Holland and this was to 
 be his mission in America, whether among the un- 
 civilized Indians or the emigrants who had wan- 
 dered thither. 
 
IV 
 
 FATHER VAN DEN BROEK'S 
 MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 
 
 The missionary zeal that impelled Father Van den 
 Broek to seek hardships in the New World for the 
 salvation of souls was not to be diminished by diffi- 
 culties or obstacles thrown in his way. He left no 
 means untried to have others join him in the mis- 
 sionary field of the wide expanse of North America. 
 At that time the dearth of priests was a sore trial to 
 the Catholic population scattered over the country. 
 
 Father Van den Broek left Holland in 1832, and 
 some weeks later arrived in Baltimore. From Balti- 
 more he travelled by rail to Wheeling, from Wheeling 
 to Cincinnati by steamboat, from Cincinnati to Louis- 
 ville by steamboat, then after a ride of fifteen hours 
 he reached his destination — St. Rose Convent,- near 
 Springfield, Kentucky — nine weeks after he left 
 Antwerp. 
 
 At St. Rose's he prepared himself for missionary 
 work, by studying English, and the manners and 
 customs of the Americans ; but he was soon called to 
 Somerset, Ohio, to St. Joseph's parish, because the 
 Germans living there had no priest who knew their 
 language. After having remained some time at Som- 
 erset he was sent among the Indians. On the way he 
 visited Detroit, and after a journey of four hundred 
 39 
 
40 MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 
 
 and sixty-seven miles he reached the island of Macki- 
 nac, and finally on the 4th of July, 1834, arrived at 
 Green Bay, where he completed the priest's house 
 begun by Father Mazzuchelli. 
 
 One of the young ladies attending the Dominican 
 Academy, while Father Van den Broek was at Somer- 
 set, was a Miss Meade, who afterwards married Charles 
 Grignon, one of the first white settlers around Little 
 Chute; when she heard that Father Van den Broek 
 was at Green Bay, knowing his zeal for the con- 
 version of souls, she sent her husband with a dele- 
 gation of Indians to invite him to come to Little 
 Chute. He accepted the invitation and promised 
 to do so when another priest would take his place at 
 Green Bay. _ 
 
 The following valuable letter written in 1843 to a 
 Holland newspaper will give us a glimpse of Father 
 Van den Broek's arduous labors : 
 
 "Grand Cocalin above Green Bay, Wisconsin Terri- 
 tory, North America. 
 "Noble Sir and Friend: 
 
 "Since my departure from Holland, I heartily 
 wished to hear from time to time, from the Gods- 
 dienstvriend, but this was impossible while in the 
 wilderness among the unbelieving heathen. It is 
 now thirteen years since I visited you for the last time. 
 All this time I have been so far separated from 
 civilized people to gain new Christians to the Faith, 
 that all that has occurred in the Netherlands remained 
 unknown to me. 
 
MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 41 
 
 "In the beginning my mission was a continual 
 journeying to and fro, preaching to the Indians who are 
 settled between Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, and 
 the Mississippi, called Menominees, Otchipwes, and 
 Winnebagos, to convert them to the Faith. Divine 
 Providence has so greatly blessed my work that the 
 most of them have become good Catholics, and 
 might serve as an example to many born in the Faith. 
 I do not doubt but many will be pleased to hear of my 
 work here. 
 
 "In the year 1832, July 15th, we, seven missionaries, 
 sailed from Antwerp to Baltimore. My companions 
 were: Rev. Father Van de Weyer, O. P., Fathers 
 Lastre, Desseille, Deganquiver, of the diocese of 
 Ghent, and two others, laymen. On the 15th of 
 August we arrived in Maryland, and remained a 
 few days in Baltimore, where we were most kindly 
 received and hospitably entertained by Rev. Father 
 Delnol. On the feast of St. Rose of Lima, on arriving 
 at Cincinnati we learned the sad news of the death of 
 Bishop Fenwick, Provincial of. the Friar Preachers. 
 While returning from his Apostolic journey through 
 Northwestern Michigan to his Episcopal See, he was 
 overcome by the cholera and died in a poor hut 
 where he was accustomed to lodge. The following 
 winter his remains were removed to Cincinnati, and 
 buried in the Cathedral which owes its erection to 
 him, and from which he died more than 500 miles 
 distant. 
 
 "The Vicar General sent us to different places; I 
 
42 MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 
 
 departed for our Convent, St. Rose, in Kentucky, the 
 others to places far distant from each other. To 
 this day I have not seen any of my companions. 
 Two of these priests have since died in the holy work 
 of missionary life. In the month of October I was 
 sent by our Provincial, De Young, to our Convent St. 
 Joseph in Somerset, Ohio. Every Sunday I was 
 obliged to attend either -Chill icothe, Columbus, Zanes- 
 ville or Lancaster, all large towns about one hundred 
 or two hundred miles apart, to dispense the means of 
 grace to the Germans. In the state of Ohio there are 
 more than ten thousand German emigrants, whom 
 I had to attend, until the newly consecrated Bishop 
 of Detroit, Rt. Rev. F. Rese assured me that I could 
 do much more good if I went among the Indians, 
 who had no missionaries, much as it was to be desired. 
 Rt. Rev. Bishop Purcell of Cincinnati reluctantly gave 
 me leave of absence, but thought it a mistake, as the 
 vineyard in Michigan was too large and without 
 laborers. For this reason I was sent after Easter to 
 Detroit in the year 1833. 
 
 "If I were to tell you, Honored Editor, of all the 
 dangers to which a missionary is exposed on his 
 journeys, I would grow tiresome. I will relate one in- 
 cident: One day, between Monroe and Detroit, I 
 strayed from the road, seven hours distant from the 
 nearest house, my horse sank with me in a marsh; 
 all help seemed impossible. Fortunately, however, 
 by slipping backwards off the horse I reached solid 
 ground. I prayed fervently, full of confidence in 
 
MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 43 
 
 Almighty God, and began to call with all my might. 
 Beyond all expectation, I heard a voice on the other 
 side of the pond, from which I received help, while 
 I thought myself far separated from all mankind, as 
 I knew the district was not settled. Two men by 
 means of trees saved my horse. Without their help 
 I should have perished, as these roads are very seldom 
 traversed, and wayfarers scarcely ever met with. 
 Nevertheless, the missionary must often make use of 
 these unfrequented roads to visit his distant Chris- 
 tians, and that mostly on horseback as a wagon or 
 buggy is not to be thought of. He must frequently 
 sleep under the open canopy of heaven, with dry 
 bread and water for nourishment. 
 
 "The Bishop of Michigan sent me to Green Bay, to 
 the so-called Groene Baay, I arrived there the 4th 
 of July, 1834, and found not more than nine or ten 
 houses, but many Indians. After I had finished my 
 church and parsonage, the number of inhabitants had 
 increased to 1,000 in three new villages, Navarino, 
 Astor, and Rapides des Peres. The last is so named 
 because a swift stream flows there, and also because 
 one hundred and fifty years ago (1693) it was a Jesuit 
 mission with two Fathers, one of whom was killed by 
 the Indians. They chopped the Missionary into pieces 
 and, so that he could not rise again, burned the re- 
 mains and threw the ashes into the river. 
 
 "On the 6th of December, 1836, the Bishop sent three 
 Redemptorist Fathers in my place (Fr. H. Hatscher, 
 Simon Sanderl, Jas. Prost, C.S.S. R.) and I betook 
 
44 MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 
 
 myself 24 miles higher up the river into the woods, to 
 the Indians, at a place called La Petite Chute (Little 
 Falls), 'a small waterfall ne'ar Grand Cocalin — an 
 Indian name meaning rapids. (In the Chippewa 
 language it means the home of the pike — Okakaning 
 meaning pike.) An Indian woman at once built me 
 a hut or wigwam, about fifteen feet long and six feet 
 high, it was finished in half a day. I lived in it from 
 Pentecost to October (1837), meanwhile, with the 
 Indians, I began to build a church and parsonage. 
 For six months the wigwam was both my house and 
 my church. My congregation soon increased to 
 fifty Christians who heard Mass in the open air; it 
 did not take long until the number had reached two 
 hundred. You can easily imagine there was no 
 dearth of timber here. In the meantime I succeeded, 
 with the help of the newly converted, in building a 
 church 30 feet long and 22 feet wide without any 
 money. The first year, 1837, the church was under 
 roof covered with bark. The joists of the floor 
 served as benches. The second year, 1838, the floor 
 was covered with boards and the roof also. In 1839, 
 the congregation had so increased that I was obliged 
 to enlarge the church by 20 feet, and we built a tower 
 beside it; I had no other altar equipments than an 
 old chalice, and some other necessary articles which 
 you yourself forwarded. 
 
 "My congregation this year, 1843, numbers six 
 hundred souls, and the church is finished. I had the 
 happiness of receiving a visit from Bishops Rese, Loras, 
 
MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 45 
 
 and Lefevre, the last named is the Administrator for 
 Wisconsin; his Episcopal See is five hundred miles 
 from here in Detroit, but we hope even in this year, to 
 have a Bishop appointed for Wisconsin at Milwaukee, 
 barely 80 miles from here. 
 
 "When I came here on my first visit to Milwaukee, 
 there were not more than twenty Christians, whose 
 pastor I was, and now there are more than four 
 thousand, attended to by two priests. The Council 
 of sixteen Bishops, led by the Archbishop of Balti- 
 more, appointed this year six new Bishops, and we 
 are daily expecting their confirmation by the Holy 
 See. 
 
 "Last year (1842) Rt. Rev. Bishop Lefevre honored 
 me with a visit; with cross and banner my Indians 
 went in procession to meet him, and we sang on his 
 arrival "Ecce Sacerdos Magnus," and other hymns in 
 their language, also the "Veni Creator," etc., till we 
 reached the church. The next day seventy received 
 the Sacrament of Confirmation. At High Mass all 
 sang in their own language the "Kyrie Eleison," 
 "Gloria," etc. In the afternoon they sang Vespers, 
 likewise in the Indian language, while the Bishop and 
 Rev. Father Kundig, a German priest who accompanied 
 the Bishop, sang alternately in Latin. You never 
 heard finer harmony than the Indians sang in Gre- 
 gorian chant. After a sojourn of three days the 
 Bishop took his departure, escorted by the Indians in 
 the same manner as they had received him. When 
 the Bishop gave them his blessing they fired a salute 
 
46 MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 
 
 of fifty guns. The Bishop remained standing and 
 with tears in his eyes, gave the good people a last 
 admonition to remain true to the faith. Wherever 
 the Bishop stopped on his confirmation tour, he 
 related the good impression that the faith of these 
 newly converted had made upon him. Scarcely had 
 the Bishop returned to Detroit, than he sent me a 
 present of a bell, a beautiful chalice, a thurible and a 
 number of other articles. To these he added two 
 hundred rosaries, for although the Indians can read, 
 the rosary still remains, and rightly so, their favorite 
 form of prayer. 
 
 "The Indians come to school to me every day, to 
 learn to read and write, as well as the different trades. 
 I must often make a journey of two hundred miles to 
 visit the Winnebago Indians. Last winter (1842) on 
 one of these journeys, I was nearly frozen, because in 
 a range of sixty or seventy miles there is not a house 
 to be met with. At Fort Winnebago near Portage, 
 Wis., I baptized twenty Indians, among them were 
 some 90, 100, and no years old. 
 
 "Wisconsin is gradually becoming more and more 
 populated ; chiefly by Germans and Irish. Last 
 year I built two churches, one is twenty-three miles 
 from here, which place I named Trier, because the 
 inhabitants came from the bishopric of Trier in 
 Prussia ; the other I called Neuen Kirche because the 
 settlers came from Coblentz, Maintz, and Neuen 
 Kirche. 
 
 "The land on which I live lies on the Fox River; 
 
MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 47 
 
 La Petite Chute (Little Falls) is a very pleasant 
 place. Where on my arrival was all woods, I can now 
 sow one hundred bushels of grain. It is a very 
 salubrious and fertile country. All kinds of trees are 
 to be found in the woods and some wild fruits. 
 
 "My labor is incredibly great; Sunday forenoon I 
 preach in French, English, and German; in the after- 
 noon in the Indian language. Moreover I have 
 school every day, besides visiting the sick and making 
 numberless journeys to distant missions. Neverthe- 
 less, I enjoy good health, and everything through 
 God's help is easy, although I am in my sixtieth year. 
 
 "Although I could tell you a great deal more, I 
 must close, commending myself to your prayers and 
 assuring you of mine, I remain 
 
 "Your obedient servant, 
 "T. J. Van den Broek 
 
 "Missionary and Pastor." 
 
 The preceding letter speaks volumes, nothing could 
 more clearly portray the arduous and saintly life of our 
 humble missionary. Without ostentation or circumlo- 
 cution, he states in the simplest language, but all the 
 more eloquent on account of its simplicity, his daily life. 
 
 He was not content with administering the sacra- 
 ments only, to his savage flock, but he would have 
 them educated in mind and body, and like his Divine 
 Master would himself be their teacher. Can we in the 
 present day surrounded with comforts, form an 
 adequate idea of the labor that Father Van den Broek 
 underwent while teaching these Indians? 
 
4» MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 
 
 He taught them to pray, to read and write, taught 
 them to cultivate the ground, taught them to build not 
 only a church and parsonage, but homes for them- 
 selves; made them in fact self supporting. His red- 
 skinned children should be not only educated, but 
 cultured; he taught them to sing the praises of 
 God in the Gregorian chant, and that in their own 
 language of the forest. Could a St. Francis Xavier, a 
 St. Francis Assissi, or a St. Dominic have done more? 
 
 His church, his school, and parsonage was for six 
 months a wigwam fifteen feet long and six feet high. 
 
 In his note book and in his letters he always speaks 
 in the highest praise of his Indian children. Never 
 a word of complaint of their wild and often shocking 
 traits. He does tell us that their half starved dogs 
 often stole the provisions he had stored away in a 
 kettle for the next day; but he does not state, that 
 on Holydays and Sundays his wigwam was their 
 rendezvous. Although they sometimes brought deer or 
 fish, they remained feasting until not a mouthful was 
 left for their good Father. No, not a word of com- 
 plaint. 
 
 The arduous and dangerous journeys of over two 
 hundred miles, which he must often make to visit 
 his Winnebago Indians and the few distant white 
 settlers; his miraculous and hairbreadth escapes 
 on these journeys, show that the hand of God guided 
 the saintly missionary. No danger, no obstacle 
 kept him from visiting his children. Well might he 
 say "my labor is incredibly great." Could poor human 
 
MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 49 
 
 nature sustain the labors he underwent at this time of 
 life without supernatural support from Heaven? In 
 the first place to learn the Indian language, to teach 
 school all week, to preach four sermons in as many 
 different languages on Sunday, was not the work of a 
 giant but that of a saint. 
 
 On the occasion of Bishop Lefevre's visit above 
 mentioned there was great rejoicing among the 
 Indians. They made a reproduction of the first wig- 
 wam that served as church, parsonage, and school, and 
 the chief arrayed himself in grand Indian costume. 
 
 On Bishop Lefevre's return to Detroit, to show his 
 appreciation of his reception by the Indians, he gener- 
 ously sent their pastor, for distribution, as previously 
 stated, a number of rosaries, altar equipments, and a 
 bell. This bell was the first bell in the Fox River 
 valley ; it is now in the chapel of the Catholic cemetery 
 of Green Bay. Few, perhaps, if any, are aware of its 
 historic value. 
 
 Every Saturday evening Father Van den Broek 
 rang the bell to call the people to church to pray the 
 rosary, and sing the Salve Regina, and the first 
 Sunday of every month he held a procession with the 
 Blessed Sacrament, around the cemetery. He also 
 established a sodality of the Holy Rosary. A list of 
 the members is to be found in the church registry of 
 1834. In the same register we find that the first 
 baptism in Little Chute was Paul Sawanon, the son of 
 Comaicin Sawanon and N. Mitamon. The sponsors 
 were Paul Ducharm and Ursule Nawapo. 
 
50 MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 
 
 The first marriage was Peter Quoquinata and There- 
 sia Wahetin. Witnesses: August Caro, and Marga- 
 rita Grignon. First burial was Angela, daughter of 
 Paul Mawasji, one year old. The first confirmation: 
 Oct. 10, 1838, by Rt. Rev. Frederic Rese, Bishop of 
 Detroit. 
 
 While attending Green Bay and Little Chute on 
 alternate Sundays, Father Van den Broek took special 
 care of his Indian tribes; it was he, who introduced 
 among the Menominee Indians the celebration of the 
 feast of Corpus Christi, a custom which is still held 
 yearly with great solemnity at the Keshena reserva- 
 tion. 
 
 The year that Father Van den Broek came to Green 
 Bay, was the year of the terrible cholera epidemic in 
 1834. How graphically he describes this in his note 
 book! He says: "At this time the cholera was raging 
 so badly, that in many houses three or four were 
 down with it at the same time. It often happened 
 that while I was attending the sick, sometimes even 
 while confessing them, they died at my side, so 
 that we could not get enough help to prepare the 
 bodies for burial, and I had to bury them myself 
 assisted by two Sisters of the Order of St. Clara, who 
 were teaching there. They took off the cords which 
 were their girdles, and with these we lowered the 
 bodies into the grave. While we were visiting the 
 sick and burying the dead I was called from far and 
 near to others who were dying. This mortal disease 
 
MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 51 
 
 was so vehement that human assistance was no 
 longer sufficient to help all. 
 
 "An Indian woman, dwelling at a great distance and 
 who had lived a vir.tuous life, was stricken with the 
 disease. She knew it was impossible for her to 
 receive the last Sacraments, but she declared to the 
 bystanders around her dying bed, that the Blessed 
 Sacrament had been administered to her in a wonder- 
 ful manner. They saw her devoutly strike her breast, 
 and open her mouth, and after she had given signs of 
 receiving Holy Communion die contented and re-" 
 joicing. Be this as it may; every one who knew her 
 holy life was convinced that she would not tell an 
 untruth on her death bed. Many of the recently con- 
 verted heathens lived like the first Christians, an 
 exemplary life, to the no little shame of those who had 
 the grace of being born in Christianity. 
 
 "Their faith and confidence in Almighty God is so 
 great, that they firmly believed that their sick would 
 surely be healed if they only showed themselves to the 
 priest. I, myself, with others, was an eye witness of 
 this great faith. At ten o'clock, one night, an Indian 
 woman with a dying child came to me, that I should 
 make the sign of the cross over the child. I did so, 
 immediately the child opened its eyes and was well." 
 
 What humility Father Van den Broek displays in 
 his simple account of the dying child restored to life 
 by the sign of the cross made by his hand. He claims 
 no share in the recovery of the child, but attributes 
 all to the wonderful faith of the poor Indian woman. 
 
52 MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 
 
 Was not a miracle wrought on this occasion by his 
 consecrated hand? Who can doubt it? 
 
 "How singular the ways of God!" The saintly 
 Bishop Fenwick while ministering to the cholera 
 victims in the northern part of Michigan succumbed 
 to this disease in 1832. His life work was ended. 
 In 1834, our saintly missionary although ministering 
 to the plague stricken and burying the dead was 
 spared to work seventeen years longer in the vineyard 
 of the Lord. His task was not yet finished. Both 
 were Dominicans, and both were imbued with the 
 spirit of their holy founder, St. Dominic. 
 
 The Sisters of the Order of St. Clara who assisted 
 Father Van den Broek in caring for the cholera 
 stricken, were Sisters Clara and Theresa Bourdaloue, 
 whom Father Mazzuchelli brought with him in 1833. 
 It is to be regretted that we know nothing further of 
 these two heroic Religious, but the recording angel 
 knows it all and did not forget to write it in the Book 
 of Life. 
 
 What a galaxy of hallowed names circle around 
 that of Father Van den Broek: Bishop Fenwick, 
 Bishop Baraga, Bishop Loras, Bishop Lefevre, Bishop 
 ResC, Father Mazzuchelli, Father Kundig. In search- 
 ing into the life of one we come upon the saintly lives 
 of dozens of others, who sacrificed all, even their lives, 
 for Christ. 
 
 While Father Van den Broek attended Green Bay, 
 every other Sunday after the missionaries left, often 
 traveling the distance, twenty-four miles, on foot 
 
MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 53 
 
 and carrying his mission goods with him an incident 
 occurred which he relates in his note book: 
 
 "One Holy Saturday that I happened to be at 
 Green Bay to celebrate Easter, a traveler called at 
 the uninhabited and roomy parsonage where it was 
 my custom to stay, and asked for a night's lodging. 
 I readily complied with his request, as there were 
 very few houses in the neighborhood. About mid- 
 night I heard the door of the sacristy open very softly ; 
 from a window in my room which joined the sacristy, 
 I could see a light burning in it. At first I thought it 
 was the man to whom I had given lodging, and that 
 out of curiosity he was wandering around at this 
 untimely hour; still it seemed strange to me, and I 
 called loudly: "Pierre qu 'est ce quetu fais la!" (Peter, 
 what are you doing there ?) As soon as the thief heard 
 this bold shout, he thought, probably, that there were 
 more persons in the house, for he blew out his candle 
 immediately. This made me somewhat uneasy. I 
 arose and went to the bedroom of my guest whom I 
 found quietly sleeping, and who appeared to know 
 nothing of what had happened. I wakened him and 
 told him that there were thieves in the church, who 
 were about to steal the chalice which was in a chest 
 in the sacristy; for at the time that I called loudly 
 he was in the act of trying the lock. Had I waited 
 a moment longer and not frightened him by my loud 
 shout, I could not have celebrated Mass on Easter 
 Sunday. I sent my guest to a house not far off to 
 call help and to ring the bell, but scarcely had he 
 
54 MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 
 
 left the parsonage when a voice called to him in 
 English: "If you come nearer I'll shoot you dead!" 
 Thoroughly frightened he came back and assured 
 me that there were three armed men outside, one in 
 the church, one at the church door, and one in the 
 churchyard. Without any fear and possessed of I 
 know not what strength, relying on God, I remained 
 in the company of these three murderers, in the par- 
 sonage. I again sent my man for help, through a back, 
 door; he succeeded in bringing the few neighbors I 
 had with him. In the meantime the thieves were busy 
 robbing the church of everything ; a silver monstrance, 
 a ciborium and ampulla, a silver crucifix. Yes, even 
 ornaments that were of no value, but the robbers 
 thought them of value because they were gilt. The 
 altar had been prettily ornamented for the morrow's 
 feast — Easter. I consider it a special favor of provi- 
 dence that I was awakened in time to prevent the 
 thieves from taking the chalice with them, although 
 it was of little value. Scarcely had the day dawned, 
 when the people coming from far and near to celebrate 
 Easter, beheld the temple of God sacrilegiously robbed 
 of everything. Before I- began the celebration of 
 Mass, I asked the congregation to beg of God that the 
 robbers should be punished according to their deserts 
 or, at least, that they should return the treasures they 
 had stolen, which I prized greatly on account of their 
 antiquity. 
 
 "According to human foresight there did not seem 
 to be a possibility of recovering them, but if God 
 
MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 
 
 55 
 
 were pleased to hear us, I said, even this would not 
 be impossible. I also added that I would offer up Mass 
 on the three feast days for that intention. And 
 behold! scarcely was the first solemn Mass ended, 
 when a gentleman came to the parsonage and assured 
 
 The Monstrance. 
 
 me that three soldiers had been captured, who con- 
 fessed to having buried the church ornaments in the 
 ground. 
 
 "On Easter Sunday afternoon everything was 
 brought back that the thieves had stolen." 
 
 These sacred vessels were old treasures that had 
 been dug up at Rapides des Peres which were con- 
 
56 MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 
 
 cealed when the missionaries had been massacred by 
 the Indians. One hundred, and fifty years ago a 
 Jesuit Mission was at this place, but after this occur- 
 rence a priest was never again seen there. 
 
 The monstrance is the one described in the "His- 
 tory of the Catholic ^Church in Wisconsin," which we 
 quote : 
 
 "The oldest historical relic extant is a silver mon- 
 strance made in France, which was donated to the 
 St. Francis Xavier mission at Green Bay by Governor 
 Nicolas Perrot. All doubt as to its claims to antiquity 
 is set at rest by the inscription bearing the date 
 of 1686 which is to be found on its base. The sacred 
 vessel was kept at the mission church at De Pere, 
 which was erected by Charles Albanel in 1676. Nearly 
 twelve months after the donation of this monstrance 
 to the church by Perrot, the structure was burned 
 to the ground by a number of pagan Indians." 
 
 In the Wisconsin State Journal of July 22, 1878, we 
 find the following description of this monstrance, its 
 concealment and ultimate discovery, written by 
 M. J. Butler. 
 
 "168 1 is the date of the oldest tombstone in Ply- 
 mouth on the hill above the rock where the Pilgrim 
 Fathers landed. Wisconsin has a relic as old, wanting 
 five years, attesting the presence of European settlers 
 within her borders. It is a memorial as indubitably 
 genuine as the Massachusetts gravestone, and more 
 wonderful for many reasons. 
 
 "This curiosity by a strange good fortune is before 
 
MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 57 
 
 me as I write. It is a silver ornament fifteen inches 
 high and elaborately wrought. A standard nine 
 inches high supports a radiant circlet closed with 
 glass on both sides and surmounted with a cross. 
 This glass case, accessible by a wicket, was intended to 
 contain the sacramental wafer (the Sacred Host) 
 when exhibited for popular veneration. The sacred 
 utensil is called a 'sOleil'-as resembling in shape the 
 solar orb, and also a 'monstrance,' and an 'osten- 
 sorium' because used to demonstrate or ostentate the 
 Holy Host. 
 
 "The antiquity of the relic before me is beyond 
 doubt or cavil. 
 
 "Around the rim of its oval base, I read the following 
 inscription in letters, every one of which, though rude, 
 is perfectly legible: 'Ce soleil a ete donne par Mr. 
 Nicolas Perrot a la mission de St. Francois Xavier 
 en la Baye des Puants, 1686.' In English: This 
 solary was presented by Mr. Nicolas Perrot to the 
 mission of St. Francis Xavier at Green Bay in the year 
 1686. 
 
 "Regarding Perrot, the donor of the ostensory, 
 little was known of him where it was unearthed. 
 But it is now ascertained that he was traversing 
 the northwest in 1663, and for a quarter of a century 
 thereafter. He was the earliest and ablest of those 
 French agents sent west of Lake Michigan to gather 
 up fragments of nations scattered by the Iroquois, and 
 confederate them under French leadership against 
 those inveterate foes of France. His adventures, 
 
58 MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 
 
 largely in Wisconsin, he wrote out, not for publication, 
 but for the information of' Canadian Governors. 
 These Memoirs, laid up in Parisian archives, were 
 never printed till 1864, and remain to this day untrans- 
 lated. 
 
 "There are four memorials older than the ostenso- 
 rium of Perrot, proving the presence of white men in 
 Wisconsin, but they are all treasured far beyond its 
 borders, and I fear will be for a long time. One is 
 the original manuscript of Marquette, detailing his 
 journey across Wisconsin and down the Mississippi 
 which was written at Green Bay in the winter of 
 1673-74. This writing is in the College of St. Mary's 
 at Montreal. The second memorial is Joliet's notes 
 on the same journey, written on his return to France 
 in 1674, and preserved in the seminary of St. Sulpice 
 at Paris. The other two are maps both preserved in 
 Parisian Archives ; one is of Lake Superior drawn up 
 in 167 1 ; the other dating from 1679 shows the Messipi 
 from latitude 49 to 42 where the Wisconsin comes in; 
 according to an inscription upon it. Some other dated 
 native offerings to the La Pointe or Green Bay 
 missions even before 1686. may possibly have come to 
 light, but aside from such an improbable windfall, 
 it seems impossible that any antiquarian discovery 
 this side of the prehistoric period, either in Wisconsin, 
 or, indeed, out of it, in all the length' and breadth of 
 the Mississippi Valley, can ever be made that shall 
 rival as a work of art, as a religious relic, and, above 
 all, as an historical memorial, the silver ostensorium 
 
MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 59 
 
 of Nicolas Perrot. With good reason then, has Wis- 
 consin fostered her Historical Society till it is pre- 
 eminent throughout the West. It had the most 
 precious memorial to enshrine. 
 
 "Fearing that other depredations might be com- 
 mitted upon the church property and its other belong- 
 ings, the missionaries dug a hole in the ground in 
 which they placed the monstrance for safe keeping; 
 and here, lost to memory, it was at last discovered in 
 the year 1802, and then only by the merest accident. 
 The property in which this valuable relic had been se- 
 creted had at this time fallen into the possession of a 
 family named Grignon. Nearly a quarter of a century 
 later, in 1823, a church was erected at or hear to the 
 place where the former one had been destroyed, and 
 within this sacred edifice the monstrance was again 
 used. But a strange fatality seemed to follow this 
 particular locality, for again in 1828, the church was 
 destroyed by fire. At about this time the monstrance, 
 which had in the course of events come into the pos- 
 session of Rev. Stephen Badin, was donated by him 
 to St. Ann's congregation at Detroit. Ten years later, 
 in 1838, the Rev. Father Bonduel purchased this valu- 
 able relic for twenty-six fleurs ($13.00), and brought 
 it to Green Bay. It was loaned by the Rt. Rev. 
 Bishop Krautbauer to the State Historical Society 
 at Madison where it is enshrined in a glass case, and 
 treasured as the most precious relic of the distin* 
 guished society." 
 
 In 1843, ten years after Father Van den Broek's 
 
60 MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 
 
 arrival we find six priests in charge of the Territory 
 of Wisconsin: Rev. Martin Kuhdig, Rev. J. Morrisey, 
 Rev. Florimund Bonduel, Rev. Samuel Mazzuchelli, 
 Rev. Augustin Ravaux, and Rev. Theo. J. Van den 
 Broek. 
 
 The next year, 1844, in Bishop Hennis' report, 
 shortly after his elevation to the Episcopal See of 
 Milwaukee, he gave the following interesting account . 
 
 "I arrived at Milwaukee, the See of my Bishopric, 
 which is about the same size as the Territory of Wis- 
 consin, and which formed the northern part of the 
 diocese of Detroit since its establishment. A few 
 years ago the present location of Milwaukee Was an 
 uncultivated waste, the rich and fecund soil with 
 which it abounded being undisturbed by the numerous 
 bands of Pottawattomie and Winnebago Indians who 
 came from other parts along the lake at stated periods 
 to trade their accumulated stock of furs. Finally, 
 however, in 1835, a settlement was established at 
 Milwaukee, which has grown so rapidly that at the 
 present time not less than seven thousand souls are 
 living here. As regards the present condition of our 
 holy religion, and the possibilities for its future 
 advancement, I have not the slightest doubt, after 
 having carefully considered the matter in all of its 
 peculiar phases, that Wisconsin will maintain its 
 prestige in comparison with other states. At any 
 rate, we are already ahead of all other religious 
 denominations, as of the entire population of seven 
 thousand souls, fully two thousand are Catholics. 
 
MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 6l 
 
 At the present time a majority of these people are 
 living in the southern part of the Territory, near the 
 coast of Lake Michigan, and in the west along the 
 Mississippi River. 
 
 "Immediately after Pentecost I made my official 
 tour through the country. First I went in a south- 
 easterly direction to Sac Creek, a distance of about 
 forty miles from Milwaukee, where is located 
 a large Irish settlement, and then to Racine and 
 Southport (Kenosha) rapidly growing villages, whose 
 populations are largely Catholic. At the latter 
 place I found a large brick church, eighty feet long, 
 in course of erection, which building it is understood, 
 will be completed and ready for occupation during 
 the coming year. The same condition of affairs 
 also prevails at Racine, where most of the Catholics, 
 as in Burlington, are German. Farther west there 
 are Salem, Geneva, and Yorkville settlements, all 
 having large Catholic populations, while in each of 
 these places chapels have already been built. The 
 same can also be said of many other settlements 
 lying north and west of Milwaukee for a distance of 
 about forty miles. With the exception of Prairie- 
 ville and Watertown each of these places is simply 
 known by the name of the saint in whose honor the 
 church erected there has been dedicated. Thus we 
 have St. Mary's, St. Michael's, St. John's, St. Bene- 
 dict's, St Boniface's, St. Dominic's and numerous 
 others, each of which is known by no other name. 
 In a majority of these cases, these settlements are 
 
62 MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 
 
 composed entirely of Catholic families, and thus 
 pursue their devotions without interference on the 
 part of other denominations. 
 
 In the month of June^I visited the Western portion 
 of my diocese, on this occasion passing through 
 Madison, the seat of our territorial government, which 
 is located in Dane county, and about eighty miles 
 distant from here. This place is virtually in the 
 geographical center of the Territory, and at present 
 but very sparsely settled. It is an ideal location, 
 being, as it is, surrounded by beautiful lakes and 
 other natural conditions which present a handsome 
 and interesting view. I expect to establish a church 
 here before long, as there are about thirty families 
 living in the vicinity, while the unusual attractive- 
 ness of the surroundings and the excellent quality of 
 the soil inspire in me the belief that this locality will 
 soon be thickly settled. West of Madison, along the 
 shore of the Wisconsin River, are the so-called Blue 
 Mounds, while still further west are lead mines. At 
 Mineral Point, the most important settlement in 
 Iowa county, I was made the recipient of a number 
 of valuable lots, upon which a stone church is already 
 in course of erection. This promising condition of 
 affairs is largely due to the zealous efforts of the 
 recently organized congregation, to which most of- the 
 promiment families of the settlement belong. Cath- 
 olic fervor is, in fact, very marked here; among the 
 recent converts to the Church being a son and a daugh- 
 ter of Mr. Dodge, first Governor of Wisconsin who are 
 
MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 63 
 
 also educating their children in the Catholic faith. 
 In Grant county which is bordered on the west by 
 the Mississippi, I found a number of quite extensive 
 Catholic settlements. There are also two prosperous 
 villages on the Platte River, Platteville and Potosi, the 
 location of the latter being at the point where that 
 stream empties into the Mississippi. Each of these- 
 places has its church, although the congregation- at 
 Potosi is certainly the stronger, as besides making 
 an addition to the church, the people there have 
 recently erected a brick school house. There are also 
 churches, in various stages of completion (all of them ' 
 will be ready for dedication next summer), at Benton, 
 New Diggings, Shullsburg, and Sinsinawa Mound, the 
 latter an isolated elevation on the prairie which is 
 covered with trees and brush, in fact a second Mount 
 Tabor. Should not this charming spot — I thought 
 when seeing it for the first time — should not this 
 charming spot he dedicated to religion and science? 
 And truly, the wish was even then but little short of 
 fulfillment, as I have since been notified that the 
 Rev. Samuel Mazzuchelli, who has labored for many 
 years in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois, has already 
 secured some 800 acres of land on the south side of 
 the mountains. This desirable piece of property 
 he purchased of General George W. Jones ex-member 
 of Congress, who although a Protestant, favors the 
 Catholic religion, his wife and children belonging to 
 that faith. 
 
 "Father Mazzuchelli came from Milan, Italy, from 
 
64 MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 
 
 which place (to which he had been on a visit) he 
 returned in the month of August, last year (1843), well 
 provided with means _which enabled him to buy the 
 land. He commenced to erect a college on this prop- 
 erty, and I can hardly imagine a more suitable 
 location for the establishment of an educational insti- 
 tution than Sinsinawa Mound. North of here, and 
 on the other side of the Wisconsin River is Crawford 
 County; its principal settlement, Prairie du Chien, 
 wherein is maintained a garrison fort named after the 
 county, being on a large and treeless plain at a point 
 where the Wisconsin empties into the Mississippi. 
 Here a large congregation has been organized, its 
 personnel consisting to a great extent of French- 
 men and Canadians. A few years ago the Catholics 
 of Prairie du Chien began the erection of a stone 
 church one hundred feet in length, which building 
 I found in an incomplete condition and burdened 
 with a debt of $3,000.00. How they could have 
 undertaken the erection of such a building I can- 
 not understand, for this congregation will never be 
 able to pay for it; however, it is such a durable 
 as well as imposing structure, that the money will not 
 be entirely thrown away. While at Prairie du Chien, 
 I confirmed a great number of persons, among them 
 were eleven converts. I also preached in the morning 
 and afternoon, my congregation consisting of Catho- 
 lics, Protestants, and a garrison from the Fort. 
 Before taking .my departure, I visited a Winnebago 
 chief by the name of Debore. He is a very old man, 
 
MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 65 
 
 yet maintains a great amount of vitality and strength. 
 Debore, as well as his family and some of the tribe 
 are Catholics, and he quite frequently makes a pil- 
 grimage to the church at Prairie du Chien, on such 
 occasions remaining at the settlement for some time. 
 The Bishop of Dubuque is reported to have already 
 organized a mission among the Winnebagoes and the 
 Sioux. In my diocese there are at present only the 
 Chippewas, Menomonees, and Pottawattomies, all of 
 whom roam around the country like the gypsies of 
 Europe. The Chippewas are situated along the 
 shore of Lake Superior, while the Menomonees hunt 
 and fish in the territory south of that occupied by the 
 Chippewas, and on the Wolf and Fox Rivers, about 
 sixty miles from Green Bay. 
 
 "As soon as the Indians heard of my arrival, some 
 of them came with their best canoe, in which I was 
 transported to Little Chute where Father Van den 
 Broek had organized a mission. In our passage up 
 the Neenah and Fox Rivers, we passed the Rapids 
 des Peres, made memorable nearly a century and a 
 half ago through the erection of a chapel by the Jesuits, 
 and the martyrdom of some of the missionaries there. 
 It was while a milldam was in course of erection at 
 this place years after, that several relics of historical 
 value such as crucifixes, medals, etc., were unearthed. 
 
 "On arriving at my destination, I found that Father 
 Van den Broek had established a congregation of 
 Menomonees on the left bank of the Neenah rapids 
 where they had cleared a few acres of ground, erected 
 
66 MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 
 
 a ehapel and platted a neat little cemetery. In 
 company with Father Van den' Broek and four half 
 breeds, we now passed up the Fox River and Lake 
 Winnebago to the new Indian settlements. It was 
 midnight when we came to the western shore of 
 Poygan Lake, so we fired a gun to notify the people 
 of our arrival, as our guides were unable to locate 
 their wigwams among the dark birch woods. It 
 was not long before a number of Indians came down 
 to the swampy shore, one of the most sturdy of them, 
 taking me upon his shoulders, and notwithstanding 
 my objections, bore me to dry land. Here, then, for 
 the first time I experienced the novelty of establishing 
 my episcopal residence in a wigwam, in which soon 
 after, upon a couch composed of native mats, I 
 obtained some much needed repose. Early in the 
 following morning, we returned to our canoe, by 
 means of which we journeyed a further distance of 
 four miles, which brought us to the center of the 
 settlement, where all of the Indians had been notified 
 to gather for divine service. This was on the 12th 
 of July. 
 
 "Not far from the shore we built a temporary 
 chapel of branches, wherein I celebrated Holy Mass. 
 Afterwards I addressed the Indians in English, which 
 was interpreted for me into the Indian language, 
 sentence by sentence. After giving the Episcopal 
 Benediction, I left the chapel, and was led to the 
 presbyterial wigwam, where I partook of some excel- 
 lent refreshments. Soon after, the chiefs, with their 
 
MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 67 
 
 attendants, came to call upon me, and after much 
 hand shaking they sat down. After a pause, the first 
 chief began to speak, making the following requests: 
 
 "1st, That a teacher be sent to instruct their chil- 
 dren; 
 
 "2d, That permission be granted them to build a 
 chapel ; 
 
 "3d, That an additional missionary be sent to them, 
 their present pastor, owing to extreme age, being 
 unable to attend the ever-increasing duties of his 
 charge. In response I gave them permission to 
 erect a chapel in honor of St. Francis Xavier, and I 
 also told them I would send an English missionary 
 as soon as I could secure the services of one. As 
 regards a teacher, I made them acquainted with my 
 companion, Joseph Bougler, formerly a teacher at 
 Little Chute, suggesting him as an altogether suitable 
 person for that position. His services were at once 
 accepted, more readily, perhaps owing to the fact that 
 his wife belonged to their tribe. 
 
 "At the close of the conference, we entered our 
 canoe and began the return journey, being accom- 
 panied by thirteen other canoes bearing a number of 
 Catholic Indians, who were going with us to Little 
 Chute, so that they might receive the Sacrament of 
 Confirmation in their old chapel at that place. It 
 was on a sultry summer evening that our flotilla 
 glided down the small lake and river to Neenah, 
 passing over the same course, in fact, taken by Father 
 Marquette in 1672 when on his way to Portage, at 
 
68 MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 
 
 which place he carried his belongings overland to the 
 Wisconsin. Having arrived at our point of destina- 
 tion, Butte des Morts, we landed and received a 
 friendly welcome from Mr. Grignon, an old Canadian 
 courier des bois. I accepted his courteous invitation 
 to stay over night at his residence while the Indians 
 erected their wigwam and camped between this 
 house and the river. Mr. Grignon is a descendant 
 of those French who came to this country one hundred 
 years ago. 
 
 "The name Butte des Morts has its origin from the 
 great massacre, in which a large number of Fox 
 Indians were killed by De Lauvigny's expedition. 
 These Indians had been committing numerous depre- 
 dations along the territory contiguous to the Fox 
 River, intercepting caravans, and robbing and killing 
 the people accompanying them. As a matter of 
 safety, the traders were compelled to resort to heroic 
 methods for future protection. After the massacre, 
 the bodies of the slain were piled up in one great heap 
 and covered with dirt, from which fact the name 
 Butt-e des Morts, or 'mound of the dead' is derived. 
 On the western end of Lake Superior are living the 
 Chippewa Indians among whom Rev. Frederic Baraga 
 is expounding the Catholic faith. La Pointe the cen- 
 tral settlement of these converted Indians also be- 
 longs to my diocese. I had made up my mind to 
 visit this place, having, in fact, when at Mackinaw, 
 promised the Rev. Father Skolla to do so. A cir- 
 cuitous route had, however, been taken in order to 
 
MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 69 
 
 reach it, and being unwilling to make the attempt 
 alone, I awaited the representatives of the North 
 American Fur Company, who, I was informed, would 
 go there in August. In order to meet this party, 
 therefore, I started at once for Mackinaw but was 
 delayed for some time at Green Bay, awaiting the 
 arrival of a boat, so that I did not reach my destina- 
 tion until August 3rd. There I learned that they 
 had already started for Sault Ste. Marie. 
 
 "The following day being Sunday, I arose at four 
 o'clock in the morning and said Mass in St. Ann's 
 chapel, an historic structure which had been in ex- 
 istence since 1690. In this vicinity, too, the mission 
 of Michilmackinac, it will be remembered, was estab- 
 lished by Father Marquette in 167 1. This, like all the 
 old missions in New France, liad suffered severely from 
 the constantly changing conditions, and had already 
 on several occasions been abandoned. Finally, how- 
 ever, Mgr. Fen wick, afterwards first Bishop of Cincin- 
 nati, Ohio, came there and by strenuous effort was 
 enabled to arouse the few remaining Christians to a 
 partial recognition of their*duty to the Church. After 
 a brief stay at St. Ann's, I started for Sault Ste. Marie, 
 a distance of ninety miles, accompanied by three half 
 breeds. Then we passed onward by rapid stages, 
 finally, after a weary voyage, arriving at the Apostle 
 Islands, and later at Magdalena Island, the most 
 southerly among the twenty beautiful islands at this 
 place. We landed on the south shore of the lake at 
 La Pointe, being welcomed by the two bells of St. 
 
70 MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 
 
 Joseph's Church, a recognition due to the enthusiasm 
 of an Indian squaw, who by signs had notified those 
 on shore of the arrival of a Bishop in their midst. 
 Father Baraga was overwhelmed with joy, and wel- 
 comed me heartily. Arm in arm with him I entered the 
 church, which was filled with Indians and half breeds, 
 who were waiting to receive the Episcopal Blessing. 
 The day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin 
 Mary was a great festival for me, as well as for the 
 newly converted Indians. Early in the morning these 
 people came to the church, -a building sixty feet in 
 length and thirty feet in width. At ten o'clock I 
 instructed those present concerning the feast, as well 
 as regarding the proper observances of this day, 
 Father Baraga interpreting my words into the Chip- 
 pewa language.' This instruction was continued 
 through the afternoon services as a preparation for 
 the following day, on which I confirmed one hundred 
 and twenty-two grown persons. In the evening 
 I was compelled to leave this place, as the "Astor" 
 was about to return. This made it impossible for me 
 to visit the mission at Fort Williams and at Grand 
 Portage, which I much desired to do, while in this 
 locality. I received from the Indians dwelling at this 
 place the following petition, which was translated by 
 Father Baraga: 
 
 " 'La Pointe, August 15, 1844. 
 'Our Father, our Great Priest: We let you know that 
 we at Grand Portage and at Fort Williams deserve 
 your compassion. There are so many here who are 
 
MISSIONARY LABORS IN AMERICA 71 
 
 Catholics, and so many who would like to espouse 
 that religion, yet we cannot go to confession. If we 
 see a priest, it is only as he passes by, and he has 
 hardly time to baptize our children. As there are so 
 many Catholics at Grand Portage we ask for a priest, 
 who can always stay with us. Many of our people 
 die, yet there is no priest to conduct the services for 
 the dead. Indeed we deserve your compassion. We 
 will ask you, in the name of God, to send us a priest. 
 'We, the wild Indians of Grand Portage." 
 
V 
 
 FATHER VAN DEN BROEK VISITS 
 HOLLAND 
 
 From the arrival of Bishop Henni at the newly 
 erected See of Milwaukee in the year 1844, an d the 
 increasing number of priests in consequence, the labors 
 of Father Van den Broek in the Missionary field 
 were not so wide-spread, and therefore he could 
 devote more time to his Indian children, and to the 
 parish of Little Chute in particular. Here he labored 
 with untiring zeal until financial affairs recalled him 
 to his native land in 1847. 
 
 In 1842 many German and French settled around 
 Kaukauna and Little Chute; the Indians then sold 
 their lands to the Government, and migrated to Lake 
 Poygan, thirty-six miles southwest of Little Chute. 
 
 Father Van den Broek's object in visiting Holland 
 was not only to receive the inheritance left him by 
 his mother, but also to induce Hollanders to emigrate 
 to America, and settle in Little Chute on the land 
 which the Indians had left. This could now be 
 purchased of the Government' at ten shillings per acre. 
 
 After obtaining an assistant, Rev. P. J. Mannis 
 DArco, 0. P., accompanied by a lay brother named 
 Peter, Father Van den Broek prepared for his journey 
 to the Netherlands. 
 
 He arrived at his birthplace, Amsterdam, August 
 73 
 
74 FATHER VAN DEN BROEK VISITS HOLLAND 
 
 13th, 1847. His mother had died in 1844, and left' 
 him 20,000 gulden, and a like sum to his only sister, 
 Mrs. Ootmar, a widow. The balance of his mother's 
 property was left to relatives, to churches, and to the 
 poor. 
 
 During his sojourn with the Indians, Father Van 
 den Broek had no regular income but his inheritance, 
 which he drew upon to provide for himself and his 
 Indians until it had diminished to 10,000 florins. This 
 sum he had entrusted to a notary in Amsterdam. 
 When he wished to reclaim it to help him in his mis- 
 sionary labors he found that the notary had absconded 
 with 120,000 gulden, belonging to widows and orphans, 
 his own 10,000 florins included. 
 
 Father Van den Broek's plans were, to return to 
 Wisconsin as soon as possible., but as the voyage was 
 then very difficult to make, he was obliged to spend 
 the winter in Europe. He made use of this oppor-" 
 tunity to write an account of his sojourn in America 
 and also an appeal to his countrymen to emigrate to 
 the land of freedom. He portrayed the beauty of the 
 country, the fertility of the soil, and the salubrity of 
 the climate in such glowing colors, that they responded 
 generously to his appeal. Emigrants flocked from 
 all parts of Holland in such numbers that he engaged 
 three ships to transport them to America. 
 
 The three sailing vessels were the Maria Magda- 
 lena, Captain Smith, bound for New York, on which 
 Father Van den Broek sailed; the Libra, bound for 
 
FATHER VAN DEN BROEK VISITS HOLLAND 75 
 
 Philadelphia, and the America, on which Father God- 
 hart sailed, bound for Boston. 
 
 The vessels did not sail on the same day. The Maria 
 Magdalena sailed on the ioth of March and reached 
 New York, May ioth. On the 20th of June, the day 
 before Pentecost, Father Van den Broek and his party 
 reached their destination — Little Chute, Wis. 
 
 The voyage seems to have been a very prosperous 
 one. Father Van den Broek had been able to read 
 Mass nearly every day. 
 
 After their arrival the Hollanders began to spread 
 so that Little Chute did not long remain the only 
 place in which the emigrants held the right of emi- 
 nent domain over the virgin forests in Wisconsin. 
 One of the first of these offshoots was Franciscus 
 Busch — now Hollandtown, then others in the vicinity 
 of DePere and Bay Settlement, but Little Chute 
 remained the center of the Holland emigration. 
 
 A warm tribute to Father Van den Broek 's sanctity 
 and labors is given by one of his fellow passengers; 
 on board the Maria Magdalena: 
 
 "When we set sail from Rotterdam, a place was 
 prepared in the steerage for the erection of an altar. 
 Father Van den Broek superintended the work him- 
 self. The steerage was divided as follows: on each 
 si,de of the ship were bunks in tiers of twos and threes, 
 and in the middle was piled the immigrant's baggage. 
 Some of this from the back part, right under the cabin, 
 was removed and piled elsewhere. In this open 
 space an altar was erected, where Father Van den 
 
76 FATHER VAN DEN BROEK VISITS HOLLAND 
 
 Broek celebrated Mass every day provided it was not 
 too stormy. 
 
 "On Easter Sunday, 1848, we were in mid-ocean. 
 Father had celebrated Mass early that morning; 
 between nine and ten o'clock a strong east wind arose 
 which increased in velocity and Soon veered to the 
 west by northwest. The morning was bright but 
 soon became clouded, and we suddenly found our- 
 selves in the midst of a fearful storm, which con- 
 tinued to rage with a steady increasing fury. On Mon- 
 day and Tuesday, all the port holes were closed and 
 the decks cleared, the waves dashed over the ship. 
 The Captain and crew were all lashed to the deck. 
 Towards evening the greatest danger was imminent; 
 the cabin boy stated that the Captain had called for 
 an ax to cut away the mast in order to save the 
 ship. Where was Father Van den Broek during this 
 tempest? His room was directly opposite mine — I 
 was lying in bed — it was impossible to be up as the 
 ship was rocking fearfully, lashed hither and thither 
 by the angry waves. Thinking my hour was come, 
 I looked around for Father Van den Broek, and beheld 
 him kneeling in his room before a crucifix. When 
 word came that the Captain was about to cut away 
 the mast, he arose instantly, got out of the cabin and 
 walked on deck to where the Captain was — notwith- 
 standing that every wave swept the vessel, he walked 
 firm and unaided, supported undoubtedly by his 
 guardian angel — and commanded the Captain to de- 
 sist. The Captain, struck speechless by the Father's 
 
FATHER VAN DEN BROEK VISITS HOLLAND 77 
 
 command of authority, stayed his hand, and behold 
 the storm began to abate! 
 
 "Captain Smith, of the ship Mary Magdalen, was a 
 Protestant and whenever an opportunity offered had 
 something to say against either Father Van den 
 Broek himself, or the Catholic religion. Being a 
 cabin passenger and dining at the same table with 
 Father and the Captain, I heard many of their con- 
 versations, and very well remember the Captain's 
 taunting remarks. Whenever Father Van den Broek 
 talked about his wigwam church or his three log 
 churches, the Captain said that he could not under- 
 stand how he could leave his parish church at Alkmaar 
 for a wild country. Father Van den Broek often 
 grew indignant at the Captain's insolent remarks, 
 but animated with a love of God would reply. 'At the 
 last day God will not ask me whether my church was 
 a wigwam or a log church. He asks not for churches 
 but for souls, and the soul of the poorest Indian living 
 in the most miserable wigwam is as dear to him as the 
 soul of the greatest sovereign.' 
 
 "How gratefully the Indians returned Father Van 
 den Broek's love! I often had occasion to witness 
 this after we had arrived at Little Chute and settled 
 down among them. Whenever his beloved Indians 
 saw him coming they knelt down, waited until he 
 passed and had given them his blessing. 
 
 "There was a fine row of pine trees on each side of 
 a lane leading to the now main road; in this lane 
 Father Van den Broek could be seen daily reading his 
 
78 FATHER VAN DEN BROEK VISITS HOLLAND 
 
 breviary, this was his recreation. How fondly his 
 dear Indians watched their saintly father as he walked 
 to and fro in this cherished retreat! It was a sight 
 to "inspire them with gratitude and love for the priest, 
 who had left congenial society and refinement, not to 
 say luxury, for sake of their immortal souls. 
 
 "What a pity that those pine trees are not still 
 standing to be a natural monument for this great 
 and holy man ! Let us hope that they will again be 
 planted by the descendants of those pioneers whom 
 he transplanted from Holland. 
 
 "It was out of love for his poor Indians that Father 
 Van den Broek induced my father to permit me and 
 my brother to emigrate with him to Wisconsin. On 
 my arrival at Little Chute, young as I was, he em- 
 ployed me in- teaching the common branches and the 
 Catechism to a number of half-breed Canadians and 
 Indians for over a year until I went to Wrightstown 
 and engaged in farming. Here again at Father Van 
 den Broek's urgent request, in my leisure hours I 
 taught the catechism to the Indians and half-breeds, 
 of whom there was quite a settlement, and prepared 
 them for first communion. 
 
 "Many a time I walked the paths along the Fox 
 River from Little Chute to Grand Chute, and from 
 Little Chute to Green Bay, from 1848 to 1855. I saw 
 the noble river in its natural state. I can point out 
 the exact spot of every log house (there were no frame 
 houses then), and can point out many places once 
 inhabited by pioneers but now no longer here, living 
 
FATHER VAN DEN BROEK VISITS HOLLAND 79 
 
 eight or twelve miles from Little Chute and notwith- 
 standing were regular attendants every Sunday and 
 Holyday not only at Mass but also at Vespers as well. 
 Their names, it is true, were not emblazoned on 
 marble or bronze, but the recording angel has inscribed 
 them in the Book of Life. God knows the way of the 
 Just. 
 
 "After his return from Holland to his. old home in 
 Little Chute, Father Van den Broek's once rugged 
 constitution began to succumb to the effects of the 
 hardships and privations he had to endure in his vast 
 field of labor, when he was the only missionary in 
 Wisconsin. 
 
 "It was therefore with great joy that he welcomed 
 the young missionary Father Daems, who came from 
 Holland to assist him. What particularly struck 
 Father Daems when he first saw the venerable priest 
 was his attire, even more so than the primitive appear- 
 ance of his dwelling. On this occasion he wore a 
 large straw hat, such as were made by the Canadian 
 women, a red flannel shirt, and pantaloons that were 
 supported by a belt, while one shoe and a moccasin 
 formed the covering for his feet. Father Daems was 
 often heard to speak of this occasion, expressing his 
 unbounded admiration for the many saintly qualities of 
 Father Van den Broek, knowing as he did the opulence 
 of his family in the 'Old Land,' and realizing the sacri- 
 fices he made for religion and souls in this New Land 
 of ours. 
 
 "When Father Daems came to America he was 
 
8o FATHER VAN DEN BROEK VISITS HOLLAND 
 
 accompanied by other Fathers of the Order of the 
 Crusade Fathers; among these were Rev. Father 
 Nuyts, Rev. W. De Jonge, and Rev. E. W. Verhoeff. 
 They brought with them from the Old Country a set 
 of Dalmatics. 
 
 "On All Saints Day in the year 1851, a solemn 
 High Mass was to be celebrated for the first time in 
 Little Chute. Father Van den Broek was to be the 
 celebrant, and alas, was also a victim. After Mass 
 while preaching on the beauty of heaven and the 
 glory of the saints, he was stricken with apoplexy and 
 dropped unconscious into the arms of Rev. Father 
 Daems. He remained unconscious until the 5th, his 
 birthday, when he died the death of the just. His 
 burial took place on the 9th, the feast of his patron 
 saint. 
 
 "Must we not rejoice at the death of this humble and 
 saintly Missionary, called to his reward while girded 
 with the armor of the Lord. His last earthly dis- 
 course upon the glories of the Blessed, was followed 
 by the eternal Alleluias of Heaven. More than a year 
 previous he had renounced all of his worldly posses- 
 sions into the hands of his ecclesiastical superior, Rt. 
 Rev. John Henni, Bishop of Milwaukee, and awaited 
 the final call. of his Maker, whom he had served so 
 faithfully and well. 
 
 "Father Van den Broek's remains were buried in his 
 own churchyard, where later the present stone church 
 was erected. At the time of laying the foundation there 
 was some doubt as to the exact location of his grave. 
 
Memorial Tablet to Father Van den Broek. 
 in the Church at Little Chute 
 
82 FATHER VAN DEN BROEK VISITS HOLLAND 
 
 In 1894 Rev. Father Knegtel, the present pastor, had 
 an excavation made under the church for heating 
 apparatus. While the laborers were at work in the 
 middle of the church in front of the sanctuary they 
 came upon Father Van den Broek's grave — September 
 8th, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin. In great 
 excitement they ran in haste to inform the pastor. 
 He returned with them to -the spot and reverently 
 removed the remains to one side. There can be 
 no doubt as to the identity of the remains. He was 
 the only priest buried there, and with the remains 
 were found his beloved rosary, a wax chalice, pieces 
 of stole, chasuble, etc. 
 
 Father Van den Broek's life was one of constant 
 toil and privation. He was filled with a burning zeal 
 to gain souls for Christ, and, as we have seen, he had 
 to support himself and his beloved Indians by his 
 own labor and income. He wished to make a living 
 certain for any who might follow him in the ministry 
 at Little Chute, and accordingly left a provision in 
 his will to that effect. 
 
 At first his object was to found a monastery of his 
 own Order in the wilds of Wisconsin, and for this 
 purpose he acquired considerable land. No doubt he 
 often saw in imagination, the white robed sons and 
 daughters of St. Dominic enjoying the fruits of his 
 nineteen years of privation and hardship. Failing in 
 this wish of his heart he left his property to the 
 Bishop. 
 
 He had every compassion with the poor and needy, 
 
FATHER VAN DEN BROEK VISITS HOLLAND 83 
 
 and was generous to a fault. An instance of this trait 
 is recorded in the history of the Catholic Church in 
 Wisconsin. 
 
 When the first settlers of New Franken were strug- 
 gling to organize a parish and obtain a priest for 
 Divine service, Father Rehrl, hearing of this new 
 settlement, visited them and said Mass for the first 
 time in a log house occupied by one of the families. 
 He made the journey on foot carrying the vestments 
 on his back. He showed the settlers, the necessity 
 of providing the necessary requisites for Divine 
 service, upon his next visit, as it was too wearisome 
 for him to carry them along with him. The request, 
 though in every way proper, implied a task of unusual 
 difficulty as New Franken was at that time consid- 
 ered at the extreme limits of civilization (ten miles 
 from Green Bay), and very far indeed from anyplace 
 where such articles could be obtained. Fortunately 
 for them, however, there was located at a settlement 
 now known as Little Chute, a priest by the name of 
 Van den Broek, who had but lately returned from 
 Holland (in 1848) bringing with him a number of 
 sacred utensils. Hearing of this the late Paul Fox, 
 father of the present Bishop of Green Bay, accom- 
 panied by John Peter Schauer, called upon Father 
 Van den Broek and made known the predicament in 
 which they were placed. He responded by presenting 
 them with two chasubles and some sacred vessels. At 
 the present day a gift of two chasubles and sacred 
 
84 FATHER VAN DEN BROEK VISITS HOLLAND 
 
 vessels would be a N most magnanimous donation, how 
 much greater was it then in the year 1848. 
 
 This is only one instance of Father Van den Broek's 
 magnanimity and generosity, but if the voices of 
 those whom he assisted could rise from the tomb, they 
 would number hundreds, if not thousands, Wisconsin, 
 at least, owes his memory a debt of gratitude which 
 can never be cancelled. 
 
 Little Chute in 1851 
 
QUESTIONS 85 
 
 QUESTIONS. 
 
 1. Name some settlements made by the Dutch. 
 
 2. Where is Amsterdam? Why so named? 
 What is it noted for? 
 
 3. Where is Holland? For what is it remark- 
 able? Who is the present sovereign of Holland? 
 
 4. Give a short sketch of Father Van den Broek's 
 life. 
 
 5. Trace his journey from Amsterdam to Little 
 Chute. What is the meaning of "Little Chute?" 
 
 6. What Indian tribes did Father Van den Broek 
 find in Wisconsin and at Little Chute? 
 
 7. What is the meaning of the word Wisconsin? 
 
 8. - What three towns sprang up about a year 
 after Father Van den Broek arrived at Green Bay? 
 
 9. Are any of these a part of Green Bay now? 
 
 10. Describe Father Van den Broek's first church 
 in Little Chute. Who built it ? 
 
 11. What did he teach his Indians? 
 
 12. Relate how the Indians received Rt. Rev. 
 Bishop LeF&vre on his visit to Little Chute in 1842. 
 
 13. What is Gregorian Chant? Why is it so called? 
 
 14. What did Father Van den Broek cause his 
 Indians to do every Saturday evening? 
 
 15. In what religious Order is this a custom? 
 
 16. How many incidents of a miraculous nature 
 are mentioned in these memoirs? 
 
 17. What is a miracle? 
 
86 QUESTIONS • 
 
 1 8. In what year was the cholera in Green Bay? 
 
 19. Who helped Father Van den Broek to bury 
 those who died of the cholera? 
 
 20. Where are Father Van den Broek's remains? 
 
 21. Who was Father Mazzuchelli? Where is he 
 buried ? 
 
 22. Who was Bishop Fenwick? Relate the- story 
 of his death. 
 
 23. Who was Bishop Baraga? Give a short sketch 
 of his life. 
 
 24. Where were Father Van den Broek's Indians 
 removed to, and by whom? 
 
 25. Of what did Wisconsin form a part? 
 
 26. Who was the first Governor of the great North- 
 west ? 
 
 27. How many states were formed out of the 
 North West Territory ? When was each admitted into 
 the Union? 
 
 28. What was the famous Ordinance of 1787? 
 
 29. What do you know of Nicolas Perrot? 
 
 30. What rivers are mentioned in these memoirs? 
 Locate them. 
 
 31. Describe an Indian. Draw a picture of a 
 wigwam. 
 
 32. What is the meaning of Rapides des Peres? 
 
 33. What occurred there in 1693? 
 
 34. Who was the first Bishop of Wisconsin? When 
 was he consecrated? 
 
 3 5 . How many Bishops has Wisconsin now ? Name 
 them, 
 
 LOFC. 
 
87 
 
 36. What is a Monstrance? 
 
 37. Where is the Monstrance mentioned in this 
 book now kept? Why? 
 
 38. Relate the history of the St. Francis Mission. 
 By whom and when was it founded? 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 "At St. Francis Xavier, Nicolas Perrot, first Gover- 
 nor of the great Northwest, made his headquarters. 
 Perrot held his commission from LeFebvre de la Barre, 
 Governor of New France, and the power vested in 
 
 him was absolute. He was a shrewd intelligent man, 
 a courieur de bois of the best type, trained by the 
 Jesuits and a devoted servant of the Church. With 
 the Indians he exhibited keen insight and compre- 
 
hension. He trapped them in their own wily fashion, 
 and confounded them with what they regarded as 
 supernatural knowledge. It was at times desper- 
 ately dangerous work, but during his administration, 
 Perrot held successfully for New France the territory 
 from Mackinack to the Mississippi River and gained 
 the respect and confidence of his Indian Allies." 
 — Old Green Bay. 
 
 "On the second day of December 1669, Claude 
 Allouez, Priest of the Society of Jesus, landed at the 
 extremity of Green Bay. He passed the winter in 
 this vicinity, and when spring opened made a canoe 
 trip up the Outagamie River, which took its name 
 from the brave dominant tribe of Outagamies or Fox 
 Indians. At a point just below the last dash of 
 rapids, where the river foams over its rocky bed before 
 it sweeps on its five mile course to the Bay, Pere 
 Allouez decided to erect his mission house. 
 
 "It was a central point from which to carry on the 
 work of evangelization, for all along the Fox-Wiscon- 
 sin waterways, and on the Bay shore, was massed a 
 great aggregation of Indian humanity, Algonquins 
 driven westward by their fierce enemies the Iroquois, 
 to this safe retreat. 
 
 "In the summer of 1670, the mission house was built 
 of rough bark, after the Indian mode of construction. 
 This structure was superseded later by a more sub- 
 stantial one of timber with surrounding stockade." 
 — Old Green Bay. 
 
 Most Rev. Edward D. Fenwick was born in St. 
 
NOTES 89 
 
 Mary's county, Maryland, in 1768; educated at the 
 College of Bornheim in Belgium, and after ordination 
 became a professor in the college. He was driven 
 from Belgium by the French Revolutionists, and re- 
 turned to America. Having become a Dominican in 
 Belgium, and being desirous of founding a province 
 of the order, he went to Kentucky in 1806, where he 
 bought a farm and built the convent of St. Rose of 
 Lima. He resigned the office of Provincial later, 
 became a missionary in Ohio, and built the first church 
 in Cincinnati in 1819. He was made bishop of Cin- 
 cinnati in 1822. While returning from his apostolic 
 journey through northwestern Michigan to his Epis- 
 copal See, he was overcome by the cholera and died at 
 Wooster, Ohio, Sept. 26th, 1832. Bishop Baraga 
 pays a noble tribute to his memory ; he compares him 
 to St. Francis de Sales, on account of his affable and 
 saintly disposition. He says: " One cannot imagine a 
 more humble, kind, pious and zealous Prelate than 
 Bishop Fenwick." 
 
 The Rt. Rev. Frederic Baraga was born in Austria 
 in 1 797. His family was an old and highly respected one, 
 and relatives of Marquettes' first bishop still reside in 
 Treffen Castle, where he was born. He studied at the 
 University of Vienna, and displayed great linguistic 
 powers, as well as an exemplary piety. He was or- 
 dained Sept. 21, 1823, at Laibach. A burning zeal 
 for the conversion of souls led him to the great 
 missionary field in North America, among the Indians. 
 After eight years of parish work, having obtained his 
 
go NOTES 
 
 exeat from the Rt. Rev. Bishop of Laibach, he was 
 admitted into the diocese of Cincinnati, where he 
 arrived, Jan. 18, 1831. He remained at Cincinnati 
 seminary long enough to learn the rudiments of the 
 languages he must use in his new field of labor. 
 
 He began his labors at Arbre Croche (now Harbor 
 Springs) in the lower peninsula of Michigan. The 
 mission became the rallying point of the Ottawas for 
 many miles around. In thirty months he had mas- 
 tered the Ottawa and Chippewa languages. He pub- 
 lished an Otchipwe grammar in 1850, a dictionary in 
 1853, both reprinted in Canada in 1878, and prayer 
 books in Ottawa and Chippewa in 1832, 1837, 1842 
 and 1846 ; a Life of Christ in Chippewa in 1837 ; Bible 
 Extracts, Catholic Christian Meditations in Chippewa 
 in 1850, and even issued pastoral letters in Chippewa. 
 He also wrote several works in the Slav and German 
 languages. He was consecrated Bishop of Marquette, 
 Michigan in 1853. After a lingering illness of over a 
 year, this saintly prelate died the death of the just, 
 Jan. 19, 1868. — Verwyst. 
 
 Rt. Rev. Peter Paul Lefevre, was born at Roulers, 
 m the diocese of Bruges, April 30, 1804. After a 
 classical course in his own Belgian province of West 
 Flanders he studied theology at Paris, and came to 
 the United States in 1828 and was ordained by Bishop 
 Rosati at St. Louis in 183 1 . For nine years he labored 
 in the northern part of Missouri and built several 
 churches. In 1840 he attended the Fourth Provincial 
 Council at Baltimore as theologian of the Bishop of 
 
NOTES 9T 
 
 Vincennes, and subsequently visited Europe to appeal 
 for aid for the missions. He was consecrated coad- 
 jutor to Bishop Rese of Detroit by Bishop Kenrick in 
 Philadelphia, November 21, 1841. 
 
 Bishop Lefevre was anxious to establish in Europe 
 a seminary that would train candidates for the Ameri- 
 can mission. The project was not generally supported, 
 but he persevered, and with the aid of the great Bishop 
 Spaulding, of Louisville, was able to see his plan car- 
 ried into operation by the establishment of the Ameri- 
 can College at Louvain, which has furnished so many 
 excellent priests. After taking part in the consecra- 
 tion of Bishop Mrak, February 7, 1869, Dr. Lefevre 
 was taken sick, and died on the 4th of March. 
 During his long and able direction of the church in 
 Michigan, Catholicity had grown rapidly in the south- 
 ern peninsula, so that he left eighty churches with 
 eighty-eight priests in place of the twenty churches 
 and seventeen priests that he found on his arrival. — 
 /. G. Shea. 
 
 John Martin Henni, was born in Obersaxen, in the 
 •Swiss canton of the Grisons in the year 1805. After 
 studying at St. Gall and Luzerne he proceeded to 
 Rome to complete his theological studies ; there he and 
 another young Swiss, Martin Kundig, moved by the 
 appeal of Bishop Fenwick, of Cincinnati, for priests to 
 aid him, volunteered to join his diocese. They arrived 
 in Baltimore in 1829, and, completing their theology 
 in the seminary at Bardstown, were ordained by 
 Bishop Fenwick, February 2, 1829. The Rev. Mr. 
 
92 NOTES 
 
 Henni took charge of the Germans in Cincinnati, and 
 also taught philosophy in the Athenaeum. His next 
 field of labor was in northern Ohio, extending from 
 Canton to Lake Erie. Bishop Purcell recalled him to 
 Cincinnati in 1834 and made him vicar-general, and 
 pastor of Holy Trinity. He established in 1837, the 
 Wahrheits Freund, the first German Catholic paper in 
 the United States. He was appointed Bishop of Mil- 
 waukee in 1844, and consecrated March 19 the same 
 year by Archbishop Purcell, assisted by Bishops Miles 
 and O'Connor. The diocese of Milwaukee was just 
 the field for his zeal. The only church in his episco- 
 pal city was a frame building thirty feet by forty in 
 size. Indeed Mass had been said for the first time 
 in Milwaukee only seven years before in the house of 
 Solomon Juneau. A stone church had been begun at 
 Prairie du Chien, but the few other churches in the 
 diocese were log structures, and the Catholics, esti- 
 mated at from eight to ten thousand, had only five 
 priests to attend them. Bishop Henni found his old 
 friend, Rev. Mr. Kundig at Milwaukee. In the same 
 year of his arrival he opened a little theological semi- 
 nary under the direction of Rev. Michael Heiss and 
 Dr. Joseph Salzmann. In 1855, he laid the corner 
 stone of the Salesianum. In 1875, he was created 
 archbishop, giving him as suffragans, the bishops of 
 Green Bay, La Crosse, Marquette and St. Paul. 
 
 On the 14th of March, 1880, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Heiss 
 was made coadjutor and relieved Archbishop Henni 
 of -much of the care of the administration. The aged 
 
NOTES 93 
 
 archbishop soon became too weak to perform any offi- 
 cial act, though he retained all his faculties. He died 
 on the 7th of September, 1881, at half-past eleven, 
 having received the sacraments in full possession of 
 his senses. — /. G. Shea. 
 
 Rev. Samuel C. Mazzuchelli, O. P., was born in 
 Milan, Italy, November 4, 1806. He received the 
 Dominican habit in 1823, taking the name of Brother 
 Augustine, and made his solemn profession as a Domin- 
 ican religious at Faenza, December 6, 1824. He was 
 then sent to Santa Sabina, the Dominican Monastery 
 in Rome to continue his studies. Here came also Rt. 
 Rev E. Fenwick, 0. P., seeking laborers for the great 
 Northwest, and becoming interested in Brother 
 Augustine, begged the Master General to permit the 
 zealous young man to become a missionary in the 
 Diocese of' Cincinnati. Permission was granted and 
 he arrived in America November 14, 1828. In Sep- 
 tember, 1830, he was ordained in Cincinnati by Rt. 
 Rev. E. Fenwick. In October of the same year, the 
 Bishop sent him as a missionary to the Island of 
 Mackinac, Michigan. From there at stated times he 
 travelled to the missions of Green Bay and Prairie du 
 Chien. 
 
 In 1836, his field of labor was changed to the west- 
 ern part of the territory of Wisconsin. In 1843 he 
 visited his native city, Milan, and the next year 
 returned to the United States with funds which en- 
 abled him to purchase the Sinsiniwa property. 
 
 Here he established in 1845, with permission of the 
 
04. NOTES 
 
 Holy See, a Dominican missionary house and college ; 
 in 1849 this property was tranferred to the Dominican 
 Fathers of St. Rose, Kentucky, and Father Mazzuchelli 
 again took up missionary work at Benton, New Dig- 
 gins, and neighboring towns, besides teaching in St. 
 Clara's Academy, which he had founded. 
 
 On February 16, 1865, while returning from a sick 
 call he was taken with a chill which developed into 
 pleuro pneumonia; on the morning of the 23d he de- 
 parted with joy to his heavenly home. — Golden Bells 
 in Convent Towers 
 
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