La Prairie de la Messe

On July 5, 1840, the Flemish Jesuit Pierre-Jean De Smet offered Mass atop a bluff near present-day Daniel, WY. Assembled to witness the ritual was an immense crowd of fur trappers and Indigenous peoples who had convened for the annual trade rendezvous held nearby. The memorable scene marked the first public celebration of the Mass in what is today Wyoming, and the site was afterwards known as "la Prairie de la Messe" (Mass Prairie).

De Smet had arrived at the rendezvous a few days before in order to evaluate the prospect of establishing missions in the area. Up to this point, the 39-year-old’s experience as a Jesuit had been characterized by discouragement and failure. His 1840 journey to the Rocky Mountains, however, launched a transformative phase of his career, one that would catapult him to fame as the century’s foremost missionary to the North American Indians as well as an energetic diplomat, intrepid explorer, pioneering cartographer, and popular author who would leave a lasting mark on the history of the American West.

Goretti Fine Art’s groundbreaking oil painting of the historic liturgy showcases the cultural diversity of the Rocky Mountain fur trade, with American, French Canadian, Métis, and Indigenous on-lookers represented in rigorously researched period attire/accoutrements. The meticulous reconstruction of De Smet’s portable Mass kit is an especially noteworthy achievement. Rich in authentic detail, the 31x50” panel pays fitting tribute to the complex social dynamics at play in this fascinating chapter in our nation’s past.