Abstract
In building the Mission of the Sacred Heart, Jesuit missionaries established a paradigm for early Indian-White interaction reaching back to the earliest years of Idaho. As a testament to the longevity of the Jesuit and Coeur d'Alene Tribe relationship, the oldest extant building in Idaho has weathered a colorful history including treaties, prospectors, hobos, restoration, and school children. Although unaffiliated, early Jesuits were heralds of the Euro-American settlers in northwest during the United States' westward expansion of the mid 1800s. The artifacts of the Cataldo Mission collection, like those of other potential mission excavations, illustrate the cooperation of Jesuit missionaries with local Native Americans. The study of the Cataldo Mission's artifact assemblage will provide a historical and archaeological framework for the future research of similarly set missions in the Inland Northwest.