SZMIMEIE-S JESUS CHRIST: A CATECHISM OF THE CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE IN THE FLAT HEAD OR KALISPEL LANGUAGE COMPOSED BY THE MISSIONARIES OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS. by Giorda, Joseph, et al - 1880

Montana: St. Ignatius Print, 1877-9-9. Wraps. Yellow paper wraps, 8vo, 456 pp. Dictionary produced at the St. Ignatius Mission on a hand-operated press shipped from St. Louis in 1875. This work took 3 years to complete and the actual press work was done by Indian boys trained at the mission. "Because of its cost so far from supply sources, paper was usually inferior in grade, and often scraps of all kinds were used as end sheets and covers. Over time the need for printed materials in Kalispel declined, so the press was relocated to Spokane in 1899 to serve the growing needs of Gonzaga College. It was unceremoniously replaced and scrapped in 1908." Analysis Of A Dictionary of the Kalispel or Flat-Head Indian Language, by Steven M. Egesdal. "While authorship of the Dictionary generally has been ascribed to Giorda, it almost certainly reflects the work of several priests who gathered material over three decades in the mid to late 1800s, including at least Fathers Joseph Giorda, Joseph… Read More