François Norbert Blanchet, pioneer priest of the Pacific Northwest, was born in 1795 in St. Pierre, Quebec. He was ordained in 1819. In 1838 Blanchet and Rev. Modeste Demers were sent as missionaries to Fort Vancouver. Blanchet designed the Catholic Ladder as a teaching aid for his missionary priests. The original was hand-drawn on an upright wood slab; later versions were printed. Blanchet, after traveling to Rome, was named Archbishop of Oregon City in 1846, the same year his brother, Augustin, became Bishop of Walla Walla. In later years he traveled extensively, going to South America and Canada on behalf of his diocese. He moved to Portland in 1862 and established a cathedral there. He traveled to Rome in 1869 for the Vatican Council. He retired in 1881, and died two years later.
Included are 20 letters of F.N. Blanchet to L'Abbé Auger at Paris during Blanchet's European trip, in addition to other letters to Auger about Blanchet, fund-raising and recruitment for the Oregon mission. Two of the latter are from J.B. Pretor and one from A.M.A. Blanchet. There is also a letter from Sister Loyola at St. Paul du Wallamet to F.N. Blanchet. Included also is contemporary printed matter, along with typed transcriptions (in French) of the letters.
Available on microfilm at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Collection previously included an 1859 Catholic ladder that was transferred to Coll 51, the Catholic ladders collection, in July 2021.
Collection is open for research.
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.
Origin of the collection is unknown.
Francis Norbert Blanchet Papers, Mss 322, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.