County
Tour
Established in 1868, this was the first
permanent Catholic parish in the Sioux Falls Diocese. Father Pierre
Boucher, said to be South Dakota's first resident Catholic priest, served the
parish. The present church was built in 1891. In 1930, Henry Goering came
to St. Peter's Church and started the famous painting of the Ascension
above the main Altar in the Sanctuary, which is truly a work of art. The
figure of Christ is life-size and all the paintings are done with a beauty of
the 16th century. Also within the church are many beautiful statues, and
the stations of the cross that were brought from Canada in the early days are
still hanging in the church. The tall spire and cross can be seen for
miles around. The church is visited by many tourists each year.
(Highway 105,
Jefferson, SD)
In the 1870's pioneers faced a fierce
attack of grasshoppers. The insects covered every inch
of ground and ate
all the vegetation within
their path. On a Sunday in May 1876, Father Boucher appealed to a higher
source for relief from the grasshoppers for his parishioners. The priest
led his congregation on an all-day, eleven mile pilgrimage, placing three
crosses in different locations. Though the grasshopper came again
in later years, the area within the crosses was never touched. This cross is adjacent to St. Peter's
Catholic Church in Jefferson, South Dakota. Another one of the crosses can be seen at
the Morin farmstead 4 miles northwest of Jefferson on County Road 1B,
and the third cross is on County Road 23 on the Dale Chicoine farm.
(Highway
105, Jefferson, SD)
