This book is Victor Baudot's firsthand account of his time as a Catholic missionary from France, stationed in the Rocky Mountains from 1874 to 1880. He was a young man in his thirties, thrown into a landscape and culture completely foreign to him.

The Story

Baudot doesn't give us a single, neat plot. Instead, he offers a series of observations and stories from his daily life. He writes about traveling vast distances, learning Indigenous languages (though with clear difficulty), and trying to explain his religious beliefs to people with their own deep spiritual traditions. You'll read about hunting trips, harsh winters, and moments of cultural exchange that sometimes worked and sometimes really, really didn't. The central thread is his struggle to bridge two worlds that often seemed impossible to connect.

Why You Should Read It

This book is fascinating precisely because it's not a modern, polished narrative. Baudot's biases are right there on the page—his term for Indigenous peoples, his missionary goals—and that honesty is what makes it valuable. Reading it lets you see the era through a very specific lens. You get a sense of the immense practical challenges of frontier life and, more importantly, glimpses of the vibrant communities he lived among. It’s a primary source that makes you think critically about history, perspective, and the stories we tell.

Final Verdict

Perfect for readers who love raw, primary historical sources and are comfortable navigating a narrator with outdated views. If you're interested in the American West, missionary history, or just want an unvarnished travelogue from a unique moment in time, this is a compelling find. It’s not an easy, feel-good read, but it’s an authentic and thought-provoking one.