A series where we take a #lookback at the stories and history of our community, brought to you by Mick Pryor, Financial Advisor with Edward Jones.
Jami Cannon
Caption: The convent and girl’s dormitory sit at right. The building was demolished in 2003 due to safety hazards and costly restoration needs. At center is the Sister Incarnata Hall, which was commonly used for events and programs. Building on left was the Church, boy’s dormitory, gymnasium, and Priest’s house. It was destroyed by fire in 1928. The present St. Stephens Catholic Church sits on this spot.
Jesuit Priests established the St. Stephens Indian Mission on land donated by Chief Black Coal of the Arapaho Tribe in 1884. The Mission hoped to evangelize, spread Catholicism, and generally teach English, arithmetic, and trades to local indigenous people. As noted by the St. Stephens’s Indian Mission website, “Central to the government’s objective of assimilating the Native American population was the process of education.” For education to occur in a Catholic context, religious teachers (Sisters) and proper living accommodations (a convent) were necessary. The convent proved to be one of the three main buildings constructed for the Mission.
The convent was constructed completely by hand in 1888 after only one year of effort. The building included a sub-basement for storage, playroom, kitchen, three dining rooms, Priest’s dining room, Chapel, parlor, Sisters’ community room, infirmary, the Sisters’ bedrooms, and the school girls’ boarding rooms. Later expansions to the building included a bakery, laundry room, an additional wing, new entrances, and stucco covering.
The Sisters of the Sacred Heart, Sisters of Charity, and Sisters of St. Joseph each spent short periods of time on the Mission before leaving due to funding constraints, likely utilizing the convent in various ways following its construction. It would not be until the Franciscan Sisters arrived that a stable presence of women with religious vocations remained beyond the 1900s.
In 1892, the Franciscan Sisters from the Sisters of Saint Francis of Philadelphia were invited to serve the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone people at St. Stephens Indian Mission primarily as teachers. However, the majority of students were initially Arapaho due to Episcopal Minister Reverend John Roberts already having a school primarily for Shoshone students established.
Sisters arrived at the Mission to teach boarding school students from all across the Shoshone Indian Reservation—a land that would be renamed the Wind River Reservation in 1938. Franciscan Sisters lived, worked, and prayed within the convent. Generally, the Sisters were in charge of feeding, clothing, counseling, and instructing students. They were also widely known for baking in the neighboring Sister Incarnata Hall. Boarders and students alike could be found helping the Sisters bake fresh bread and cinnamon rolls.
After nearly 100 years of operation, the convent building became unstable. It could not remain open without a complete renovation as individuals had fallen through the unstable flooring, the stairs were spongey, and the roof bowed inwards. General aesthetic features had also declined, including the appearance of the walls and floors.
Engineers determined the convent building could not be repaired and sustainably managed long-term without significant funds—over one million dollars—and thus the Sisters moved into a smaller building on the Mission grounds. The high cost of restoration made fixing the structure inaccessible. In order to sustain other areas of the Mission financially, the convent building wasn’t conserved. Between 1983 and 2003, the convent was vacant.
The Board of Directors at St. Stephens finalized their plans to demolish the building due to its unsafe condition and the unlawful break-ins that occurred by individuals intrigued by their now favorite “haunted house.” After standing for 115 years, the convent was demolished on March 5, 2003 (Ash Wednesday).
Although the convent no longer remains, it’s impact continues beyond its demolition. A former student boarder of St. Stephens named Albert Addison and a group of artistic teens created a model of the structure in 2004, hoping to retain memories from their time in the building. The large model was proudly displayed in the St. Stephens Heritage Center following its construction.
The land where the convent once stood was also transformed into something new. A labyrinth walking path titled, “The Convent Memorial Prayer Garden” was established at the center of where the building once stood. The intention of the path was to encourage prayerful walkers to enter a state of wholeness as they contemplated their spiritual journey without demanding answers.
Though buildings rise and fall, the land retains their stories.
Next up for the Fremont County Museum
January 24, 3-5pm at the Pioneer Museum, “Sweetwater Ranch Life, The Paintings of Jack Corbett” Exhibition Opening
February 19, 6-8pm at the Pioneer Museum, “Rag Rug Class” Wyoming Community Bank Discovery Speakers Series Program
February 19, 6:30pm at the Dubois Museum, “Cattle and Range Management w/Reg Phillps” Wyoming Community Bank Discovery Speakers Series
March 6, 6:30pm at the Dubois Museum, “Life in Crowheart w/ The Haslam Family” Wyoming Community Bank Discovery Speakers Series
March 12, 9am at the Dubois Museum, “Crowheart Store & Haslam Family Ranch Trek” Wind River Visitors Council Adventure Trek Series
March 14, 10am at the Dubois Museum, “Kids Corner: Saddle Making & leather carving w/ Steve Mecum” Bailey Tire/Pit Stop Children’s Exploration Series
March 21, 6pm at the Dubois Museum, “Homesteading Series: High Altitude Bread Baking w/ Barb Lorentzen” Wyoming Community Bank Discovery Speaker Series
March 23, 1-3pm at the Pioneer Museum, “Women’s Tea” Wyoming Community Bank Discovery Speakers Series
We will be announcing a full 2026 schedule of programs very soon, Stay Tuned!
Call the Dubois Museum 1-307-455-2284, the Pioneer Museum 1-307-332-3339 or the Riverton Museum 1-307-856-2665 for detail regarding their programs.
The Dubois Museum, the Pioneer Museum in Lander and the Riverton Museum need your financial support. In the current economic environment, the museums are more reliant than ever on donations from the private sector to continue to provide the quality programs, collections management, exhibits and services that have become their hallmark over the last four years. Please make your tax deductible contribution through the Wind River Cultural Centers Foundation www.windriverccf.com or by sending a check to Fremont County Museums 450 N 2nd Rm 320 or taking it directly to the museum you choose to support.