Old Mission State Park

Before America or any other power had secured control over Idaho, it was largely the realm of fur traders and missionaries interacting with natives. The latter built what is today Idaho's oldest standing building near Cataldo in the northern panhandle, serving the Nez Perce and Flathead peoples.

The Roman Catholic Church originally came to Idaho on the indigenous people's behest. A native prophet named Shining Shirt had previously predicted that pale men wearing black robes would bring a new religion to their land. When they heard about Christianity, they sent a party east to St Louis to learn more. The first Catholic missionary, Father Pierre-Jean De Smet, came to the area in 1842 and established a the Mission of the Sacred Heart along the St. Joe River. As this location was prone to flooding, it moved to its current one in 1846.

Between 1850 and 1853, the current Mediterranean-classical church was built by Nez Perce locals and designed by Italian missionary Antonio Ravalli. In lieu of nails that were unavailable, the building was fastened together with mud using the wattle and daub method. The interior walls were uniquely decorated with fabric from the Hudson's Bay Company, as well as a newspaper print from Philadelphia.

Sadly and as part of an all-too-common pattern, the indigenous people were forced out of the mission when settlers came to the area. However, it still retains importance for many indigenous people, who make annual pilgrimages there.