Old Mission of the Sacred Heart (sq’wt’u)

Kootenai County · dedicated 2025 · I-90 (Old Mission State Park, Near Exit 39), milepost 38.8

Opened in 1853, this is Idaho’s oldest standing building. Schitsu’umsh (Coeur d’Alene) tribal members undertook most of the construction for this Jesuit mission church. They quarried local fieldstone for the foundation, felled trees for beams and posts, and, using traditional techniques, wove grass through willow saplings for the walls. The site also included a barn, stable, flourmill, houses, and shops. Schitsu’umsh lodges stood near the river. President Ulysses Grant created the Schitsu’umsh reservation in 1873. Its boundaries excluded the mission, so Schitsu’umsh and Jesuits moved south to DeSmet. In 2001, the Boise Diocese deeded the mission to the Schitsu’umsh.

TodayHistorical map

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Example

under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s

what this marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years here

From one family's 77-marker roster

Upload your family tree and TreeAlive finds the markers near where your own ancestors lived.

See your family's markers

Start with a tree file, a FamilySearch sign in, or a WikiTree ID.

Report a problem with this page

The marker isn't at this spotOur pin may be off. If you know where it stands, tell us.I couldn't find the markerWe record what the source recorded. We have not been to look.The sign reads differentlyThat would be an error, and we can pass it to the program.The historical map looks wrongThe period map behind the pin, not the marker itself.Something else

We may pass what you report to the state's marker program. Please don't include personal details.

The Idaho Highway Historic Marker program is administered by the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) in partnership with the Idaho State Historical Society (ISHS). Marker texts and locations are reproduced with the written permission of both offices.
TreeAlive is an independent project and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the State of Idaho, Idaho Transportation Department, or the Idaho State Historical Society.

Old Mission of the Sacred Heart (sq’wt’u)

More markers nearby