St. Joseph's Catholic Church
204 E. Ash Ave.
Glen Ullin, Morton County, North Dakota 58631
204 E. Ash Ave.
Glen Ullin, Morton County, North Dakota 58631
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St. Joseph
The area south of Glen Ullin is known as " St. Joseph country." It began to be settled in 1893, mostly by Catholic German Russian homesteaders. In 1899 they built St. Joseph' s church, the center of their community life.
Some of the first families to homestead in the area were: Jacob Hertz, Adam Emter, Karl Ferderer, Cal Fitterer, Adam S. Fitterer, Joseph Veitenheimer, Jacob Hellman, Joseph Hoerner, Michael and Stanislaus Wetzstein, Frank Skalsky Sr. and Jacob Messer. These families started their long journey in South Russia and most came first to Menno, southeastern South Dakota, arriving in early 1893. After a short time, they came to North Dakota ... the Wetzstein families got off at Glen Ullin, others at Hebron. The Jacob Hellman family was let off the train at Richardton and "they walked from Richardton to their homestead near St. Joe and lived with four other families in a sod house while their home was being built. '' Within a short time, many families from South Russia took up homesteads in the St. Joe area.
A short distance to the west of the church a general store and blacksmith shop were established, about 12 miles south of Glen Ullin and four miles east of the Heart Butte (S ½ Sec. 20-137-88). A blacksmith shop was essential to a farming community to sharpen plow shares and repair farm implements. The general store supplied general merchandise, dry goods, clothing, drugs and oil (kerosene). It had an upstairs where dances were held. Mr. F.W. McDonald, a farmer, operated the store. When a post office was established in the store on May 13, 1907, he became postmaster. Before this time, mail was sent to Glen Ullin. The post office was discontinued on March 31, 1919. Mr. McDonald got his store supplies from the Barnes-Nelson store in Glen Ullin. Because the local people were poor and could not pay their bills at Mr. McDonald's store, he in turn could not pay Barnes- Nelson. Mr. S.A. Davis operated the store from 1920 until it closed in 1922.
Before a church was built in 1899, the families attended the Sacred Heart church in Glen Ullin when possible. The long distance to town was traveled by team and buggy or sled. Sometimes they went to town on Saturday to buy supplies, then stayed overnight with relatives and attended Mass on Sunday.
In 1898 Fr. Ambrose Lethert of Glen Ullin met with the people of the area to discuss plans for building a church. A year later the people completed construction of a church measuring about 40'x24' and 12' high, made of sandstone and gumbo. The pastor of Sacred Heart church in Glen Ullin came to St. Joseph one Sunday a month until the Benedictine Monastery in Richardton opened in 1904 and was able to supply priests for St. Joseph's. A priest from the Abbey at Richardton would come to Glen Ullin by train on Saturday afternoon, a parishioner of St. Joseph's would meet him at the depot, take him to his farm home for the night, and bring him back to catch the train on Sunday after Mass. A small, fenced cemetery to the north of this church is all that remains.
The present St. Joseph church was constructed in 1911 on 40 acres of land donated to the church by Jacob Hertz. It is located two miles east of the old church site and is on the south side of the road (Sec. 26-137-88). It is a large, well-built church, a stately structure out on the prairie. The priest's house was built in 1914. The parish grew to over 60 families. The St. Joseph's Christian Mothers Society was organized May 29, 1914, and the Men's Socie-ty was organized about the same time.
In the first years German-speaking priests were assigned to this German parish, but the German Russian people spoke a different dialect. The first three priests were Frs. Bonaventure Goebel, Vincent Wiget and Lucas Feigenwinter. Fr. Dominic Reeber arrived in the spring of 1922 and was pastor until October 1954. He required the children to learn Catechism answers in "true" German. The children spoke the German Russian dialect of their parents at home; in school they had to learn English and in Catechism they h ad to learn a n other language, German, and Latin for Mass.
Other pastors at St. Joseph's were Frs. Reinhardt Kaufman, Joseph Splonskowski and Clement Mengelkoch. In 1960 St. Leopold's church of Almont became a mission of St. Joseph's. In 1977 both St. Joseph's and St. Leopold's became mi ss ions of Sacred Heart church in Glen Ullin.
In earlier years the big event of the year was the annual fair held each fall after harvest, a kind of "October fest." A Sunday dinner and supper were served with lots of good German-style food, and there were various activities such as raffles, card games, softball and visiting. After their families grew up, the older people moved to homes near the St. Joseph church or to Glen Ullin. Today, except for the priest's house, there are no houses near the church. The beautiful St. Joe church has been remodeled and is used every Sunday, but the congregation is much smaller, and things are not the same as they used to be.
Info from – Glen Ullin Yesteryears, 1883-1983 (page 113 & 114)
The area south of Glen Ullin is known as " St. Joseph country." It began to be settled in 1893, mostly by Catholic German Russian homesteaders. In 1899 they built St. Joseph' s church, the center of their community life.
Some of the first families to homestead in the area were: Jacob Hertz, Adam Emter, Karl Ferderer, Cal Fitterer, Adam S. Fitterer, Joseph Veitenheimer, Jacob Hellman, Joseph Hoerner, Michael and Stanislaus Wetzstein, Frank Skalsky Sr. and Jacob Messer. These families started their long journey in South Russia and most came first to Menno, southeastern South Dakota, arriving in early 1893. After a short time, they came to North Dakota ... the Wetzstein families got off at Glen Ullin, others at Hebron. The Jacob Hellman family was let off the train at Richardton and "they walked from Richardton to their homestead near St. Joe and lived with four other families in a sod house while their home was being built. '' Within a short time, many families from South Russia took up homesteads in the St. Joe area.
A short distance to the west of the church a general store and blacksmith shop were established, about 12 miles south of Glen Ullin and four miles east of the Heart Butte (S ½ Sec. 20-137-88). A blacksmith shop was essential to a farming community to sharpen plow shares and repair farm implements. The general store supplied general merchandise, dry goods, clothing, drugs and oil (kerosene). It had an upstairs where dances were held. Mr. F.W. McDonald, a farmer, operated the store. When a post office was established in the store on May 13, 1907, he became postmaster. Before this time, mail was sent to Glen Ullin. The post office was discontinued on March 31, 1919. Mr. McDonald got his store supplies from the Barnes-Nelson store in Glen Ullin. Because the local people were poor and could not pay their bills at Mr. McDonald's store, he in turn could not pay Barnes- Nelson. Mr. S.A. Davis operated the store from 1920 until it closed in 1922.
Before a church was built in 1899, the families attended the Sacred Heart church in Glen Ullin when possible. The long distance to town was traveled by team and buggy or sled. Sometimes they went to town on Saturday to buy supplies, then stayed overnight with relatives and attended Mass on Sunday.
In 1898 Fr. Ambrose Lethert of Glen Ullin met with the people of the area to discuss plans for building a church. A year later the people completed construction of a church measuring about 40'x24' and 12' high, made of sandstone and gumbo. The pastor of Sacred Heart church in Glen Ullin came to St. Joseph one Sunday a month until the Benedictine Monastery in Richardton opened in 1904 and was able to supply priests for St. Joseph's. A priest from the Abbey at Richardton would come to Glen Ullin by train on Saturday afternoon, a parishioner of St. Joseph's would meet him at the depot, take him to his farm home for the night, and bring him back to catch the train on Sunday after Mass. A small, fenced cemetery to the north of this church is all that remains.
The present St. Joseph church was constructed in 1911 on 40 acres of land donated to the church by Jacob Hertz. It is located two miles east of the old church site and is on the south side of the road (Sec. 26-137-88). It is a large, well-built church, a stately structure out on the prairie. The priest's house was built in 1914. The parish grew to over 60 families. The St. Joseph's Christian Mothers Society was organized May 29, 1914, and the Men's Socie-ty was organized about the same time.
In the first years German-speaking priests were assigned to this German parish, but the German Russian people spoke a different dialect. The first three priests were Frs. Bonaventure Goebel, Vincent Wiget and Lucas Feigenwinter. Fr. Dominic Reeber arrived in the spring of 1922 and was pastor until October 1954. He required the children to learn Catechism answers in "true" German. The children spoke the German Russian dialect of their parents at home; in school they had to learn English and in Catechism they h ad to learn a n other language, German, and Latin for Mass.
Other pastors at St. Joseph's were Frs. Reinhardt Kaufman, Joseph Splonskowski and Clement Mengelkoch. In 1960 St. Leopold's church of Almont became a mission of St. Joseph's. In 1977 both St. Joseph's and St. Leopold's became mi ss ions of Sacred Heart church in Glen Ullin.
In earlier years the big event of the year was the annual fair held each fall after harvest, a kind of "October fest." A Sunday dinner and supper were served with lots of good German-style food, and there were various activities such as raffles, card games, softball and visiting. After their families grew up, the older people moved to homes near the St. Joseph church or to Glen Ullin. Today, except for the priest's house, there are no houses near the church. The beautiful St. Joe church has been remodeled and is used every Sunday, but the congregation is much smaller, and things are not the same as they used to be.
Info from – Glen Ullin Yesteryears, 1883-1983 (page 113 & 114)