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The area south of Glen Ullin is known as "St. Joseph country." It began to be settled in 1893, mostly by Catholic German-Russian homesteaders. In 1899, they built St. Joseph's church, the center of their community life.
Before a church was built in 1899 the families attended the Sacred Heart church in Glen Ullin when possible by team and buggy or sled. Sometimes they went to town on Saturday to buy supplies, then stayed overnight with relatives and attended Mass on Sunday.
In 1898 Fr. Ambrose Lethert of Glen Ullin met with the people of the area to discuss plans for building a church. A year later the people completed construction of the chruch . . . made of sandstone and gumbo. The pastor of Sacred Heart church . . . came to St. Joseph [church] one Sunday a month until the Benedictine Monastery in Richardton opened in 1904 and was able to supply priests . . . . Jacob Hertz constructed the present St. Joseph church in 1911.
The first three priests to serve the parish included Frs. Bonaventure Goebel, Vincent Wigert and Lucus Feigenwitter. Fr. Dominic Reeber arrived in [the] Spring of 1922 and was pastor until October 1954. Other pastors to serve incuded Frs. Reinhardt Kaufman, Joseph Splonskowski, Clement Mengelkock. and James Riley.
In 1977, St. Joseph's became a mission of Sacred Heart Church in Glen Ullin. Mass is held on Sundays during the months of May through September.
Glen Ullin Yesteryears, Volume I 1883-1983.