Father Joseph Joset
In 1845, DeSmet made Father Joseph Joset the Coeur d’Alene Mission superior. One of his first tasks was overseeing the move of the mission from the St. Joe River to a site above the Coeur d’Alene River. In 1858, some Coeur d’Alene Indians joined the Palouse, Spokane, and Yakima tribes in a short war with the U.S. Army. Fearing retribution against the entire tribe, Father Joset requested a meeting between the U.S. government and the Indians. The mission was the site of peace-treaty negotiations to end native participation in the Northern Plateau War. The missionaries being European, white but not American, made them good intermediaries between the Indians and U.S. Army. Although assigned to various duties across the decades, Joset dedicated much of his life to the Sacred Heart Mission.