The isolation, brutal winters, and frontier hardships all took their toll on this dedicated man. Once he did not receive a letter from home for three years. When asked if he had ever desired to return to Italy for a visit, he replied morosely, “Yes, once I could have had that pleasure, but then the sacrifice would not have been complete.”
Though multitalented, Father Ravalli had difficulty learning the Indian languages. Consequently, he was rarely called upon to give a sermon. In 1879, the Good Samaritan suffered a stroke.
A stroke in 1879 left him partially paralyzed. Still, he ministered from a cot rigged into a wagon that a kind friend, of whom he had many, drove him to make house calls. After five years of debilitating paralysis, he died at home at 8:00 a.m. on October 2, 1884.
Before he passed, he felt very honored and humbled when the Northern Pacific Railroad Company named a station located at a fork in the road leading to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, “Ravalli.” When asked if he had ever seen a railroad, Father replied,” I have some knowledge of them from the old country.”
In 1893, the Montana Legislature split Missoula County and named the southern portion “Ravalli” in honor of this incredible man. Additionally, copper magnate Marcus Daly named one if his fillies “Ravalli”, and a street in Stevensville also bears the name Ravalli. During World War One, a liberty ship bore the name “Ravalli.”
Finally, on March 16, 2005, some 120 years after his death, Father Anthony J. Ravalli was inducted by the Montana Historical Society into the “Gallery of Outstanding Montanans” in a ceremony at the State Capitol in Helena. Colleen Meyer, Director of St. Mary’s, accepted the bestowal on behalf of the mission and Ravalli at the ceremony.
“It was both thrilling and rewarding to accept this acknowledgment,” said Meyer. “It’s a great and well-deserved honor for Father Ravalli because he left such an influence on Montana. He was revered and loved by both the Salish Indians and the white settlers. He traveled near and far treating both spiritual and medical needs. He was a truly remarkable man.”
Article comments
1 - S.Smith
As we consider moving to Ravalli County, I wondered where Ravalli came from or what Ravalli means.
Thanks for the Biographical information. It's a good name.