GUIDE TO CATHOLIC RECORDS ABOUT NATIVE AMERICANS IN THE U.S.
Volume 3: Western United States
Wyoming: WY-1

Catholic Church. Diocese of Cheyenne. Chancery
2121 Capitol Avenue
P.O. Box 1468
Cheyenne, WY 82003

Phone: 307-638-1530
Email: See website (Chancery)

 

Hours: See website (Chancery); appointment advised  

Access: Some restrictions apply

Copying facilities: Yes

 

History: Wyoming was included in the Vicariate Apostolate of the Indian Territory East of the Rocky Mountains, 1851-1857, the Vicariate Apostolate of Nebraska, 1857-1885, and the Diocese of Omaha, 1885-1887. The Diocese of Cheyenne was erected with territory comprising the state, 1887. It reported fewer than 1,000 baptized Native American Catholics, 1900, and 5,000, 1999. The Cheyenne Diocese and its predecessors administered the following Arapaho and Shoshoni Indian missions, parishes, and schools on the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming: 

1884-present (Cheyenne, 1887-present)	St. Stephen’s Mission (Arapaho, Shoshoni), St. Stephens
1884-1975 (transferred to a community corporation) (Cheyenne, 1887-1975)	St. Stephen’s School (Arapaho, Shoshoni), St. Stephens
1922-present	St. Margaret Mary Church (Arapaho, Shoshoni), Riverton
1939-present	Blessed Sacrament Mission (Arapaho, Shoshoni), Fort Washakie
1963-present	St. Joseph Mission (Arapaho, Shoshoni), Ethete

 

Holdings of Catholic records about Native Americans:

Inclusive dates: 1886-present 

Volume: Less than 1 cubic foot 

Description: The holdings of Diocese of Cheyenne Archives were not organized according to a classification scheme when reviewed by a Marquette University archivist, 2006. Consequently, the description is general and by record type.  

 

/1 Bishops’ Papers

Inclusive dates: Between 1887-ongoing

Volume: Few items throughout

Description: Include correspondence with pastors, superiors of St. Stephen’s Mission, and directors of the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions and the Commissions for Black and Indian Missions.

A. Bishop Maurice Francis Burke (1845-1923), 1887-1893

B. Bishop Thomas Mathias Lenihan (1843-1901), 1896-1901

C. Bishop James John Keane (1857-1929), 1902-1911

D. Bishop Patrick Aloysius Alphonsus McGovern (1872-1951), 1912-1951

E. Bishop Hubert Michael Newell (1904-1987), Coadjutor Bishop, 1947-1951; Ordinary, 1951-1978

F. Bishop Joseph Hubert Hart (1931- ), Auxiliary Bishop, 1976-1978; Ordinary, 1978-2001

G. Bishop David Laurin Ricken (1952), Coadjutor Bishop, 1999-2001; Ordinary, 2001-present

 

/2 Sacramental Records

Inclusive dates: 1886-1994

Volume: Few reels of microfilm

Description: Includes the following Indian parish and mission with attended Indian missions:

A. Riverton, St. Margaret Church, 1924-ongoing

B. St. Stephens, St. Stephen’s Mission, 1886-ongoing; baptisms, 1886-1994, confirmations, 1934-1957, and marriages, 1957-1960 for St. Stephen’s Mission plus St. Joseph/ St. James Mission, Ethete/ Arapaho, and Blessed Sacrament Mission, Fort Washakie

 

/3 Parish Files

Inclusive dates: ca. 1900-ongoing

Volume: Unknown; few folders

Description: Includes correspondence, clippings, notes, histories, annual reports, and photographs for the following Indian mission and parishes; attended Indian missions also included.

A. Riverton, St. Margaret Mary Church, 1924-ongoing

B. St. Stephens, St. Stephen’s Mission, ca. 1900-ongoing; includes plus St. Joseph/ St. James Mission, Ethete/ Arapaho, and Blessed Sacrament Mission, Fort Washakie

 

/4 Religious Community Files

Inclusive dates: 1880s-ongoing

Volume: Few folders

Description: Believed to include correspondence with superiors of St. Stephen’s Mission and mother superiors of the sisters’ communities at St. Stephen’s:

A. Jesuits, 1880s-2010

B. Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, 1880s-1890s

C. Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, 1892-1930s

 

/5 Diocesan Newspaper

Inclusive dates: 1900s-present

Volume: Few articles

Description: The Wyoming Catholic Register, includes occasional articles on American Indians and Catholic evangelization within the diocese.

 

Unless otherwise noted, the repository on this page holds (or held) the records described here and they are not held at the Marquette University Archives.

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