Father DeSmet's Prairie Mass Site, located about one mile east of Daniel, Wyoming, is the site of the first Catholic mass in Wyoming.[1] The mass was conducted on July 5, 1840, by Jesuit missionary Pierre-Jean De Smet. A congregation of 2,000 people, composed of Native Americans, trappers, and traders from the region, attended the service. A stone altar was constructed for the mass and a granite cross enclosed by a small chapel was later added to the altar site. The service was one of the earliest Christian religious ceremonies conducted in the Rocky Mountain region.[2] The Prairie Mass Site lies approximately at the confluence of the Green River and its tributary Horse Creek. A commemorative mass is celebrated on the 2nd Sunday after the 4th in July every year at 10:00 AM MST. Mass is facilitated by the parish Our Lady of Peace located in Pinedale, WY.
The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 28, 1970.[3]
References
- 1.Official State Highway Map of Wyoming (Map). Wyoming Department of Transportation. 2014.
- 2.Barnhart, Bill (December 19, 1969). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Father DeSmet's Prairie Mass Site". National Park Service. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
- 3."National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.