An Archaeological Exploration of St. Joseph’s College, the First Catholic Boarding School for Boys within the Oregon Territory

Cayla L. Hill

An Archaeological Exploration of St. Joseph’s College, the First Catholic Boarding School for Boys within the Oregon Territory

Year: 2016

Summary

St. Joseph’s College was located within St. Paul, Oregon, the first Roman Catholic mission in the Pacific Northwest. It was established in 1839 by Father Francois Blanchet, four years after the French-Canadian settlers in the area had requested the presence of a Catholic priest. On October 17, 1843, St. Joseph’s College was officially dedicated, becoming the first Catholic boarding school for boys within the Oregon Territory. The school eventually closed in June 1849 due to the mass exodus of settlers to the California gold fields. This paper discusses the results of my Master's thesis at Oregon State University, which reanalyzed both the historical and archaeological record associated with the site in order to better understand the daily experiences and activities of the Catholic priests and students as well as the significance of the overall institution, St. Joseph’s College, during a pivotal period of development within the Oregon Territory.

Cite this Record

An Archaeological Exploration of St. Joseph’s College, the First Catholic Boarding School for Boys within the Oregon Territory. Cayla L. Hill. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, Washington, D.C. 2016 ( tDAR id: 434682)