Life, letters and travels of Father Pierre-Jean de Smet, S.J., 1801-1873

This four-volume collection, published by Francis P. Harper in 1905, serves as a comprehensive assembly of the correspondence, journals, and reports of the Belgian Jesuit missionary Father Pierre-Jean de Smet. Edited by Hiram Martin Chittenden and Alfred Talbot Richardson, the work was compiled to preserve the first-hand observations de Smet made during his extensive travels through the American West in the nineteenth century. These documents provide a foundational record of his interactions with various Indigenous tribes and his role in the expansion of Catholic missions across the frontier.

The publication was designed as a scholarly resource for historians and researchers interested in the North American frontier and the history of the Catholic Church in the United States. By gathering de Smet’s letters, which were previously scattered across various religious periodicals and archives, the editors sought to present a cohesive narrative of a life defined by nomadic missionary work. The work is noted for its meticulous annotations and the inclusion of original maps and illustrations, which were intended to contextualize the geographic and ethnographic details provided by de Smet’s own writings.