Mission accomplished

CATALDO — The Coeur d'Alene Tribe and the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation are the recipients of the Idaho Heritage Trust's first-ever Frederick Walters Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation.

Presented Tuesday with a check for $5,000, the award was in recognition of efforts by both groups at the Old Mission State Park to preserve and restore the Cataldo Mission.

Presenting the award, on behalf of the Idaho Heritage Trust, was trustee Dennis O’Brien.

“No one embodied the aspects of the Idaho Heritage Trust’s mission more than Fred Walters,” O’Brien said. “His attention to detail and meticulous work as a historical architect was second to none and only matched by his passion for the stories that he learned along the way.”

The award was created in honor of Walters’ retirement from the Idaho Heritage Trust and is given to those “who go above and beyond to protect Idaho’s cultural resources.”

“We’re thrilled to honor the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation for their Herculean efforts,” O’Brien said.

The award-winning effort at the Old Mission included re-roofing the building with 4-foot cedar shakes and replacement of several of the church's massive exterior columns — all done to replicate the exact look of the original 1850s construction.

“Both of these undertakings embody the quality of work consistent with Mr. Walters’ meticulous attention to detail and drive for excellence,” O’Brien stated.

Accepting the awards were Idaho Parks and Recreation Northern Region Manager David White and former Coeur d'Alene Tribe Chairman and current Tribal Council member Ernie Stensgar.

“I was sitting here thinking about our ancestors, thinking about our chiefs, our old chiefs – chiefs Vincent, Seltice. I think those chiefs are smiling down today,” Stensgar said. “Because of the importance of the church to the Tribe, and that it’s still here after all of these years, we just appreciate the endeavors of everyone. It was so important to bring the Tribe and people up here together, and I think we’ve established a relationship that will go on forever.”

Stensgar thanked numerous people for their efforts, including the Idaho Heritage Trust, the Idaho Historical Society and the late Harry Magnuson — all instrumental in the preservation of the Cataldo Mission.

“The Old Mission is a labor of love,” White said. “From its construction by the Tribe and the priests in the 1850s to the work done by the local community in the 1920s and, again, led by Harry Magnuson in the '50s to make repairs to preserve the structure, which had fallen into disrepair.”

White noted a few of the important dates for the site, including receiving landmark status in 1962, being listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966 and becoming an Idaho State Park in 1975, under the management of local icon Bill Scudder.

In 2017, the park completed a quarter-million-dollar project to replace the roof and front columns, using custom 4-foot cedar shakes that came from Canada.

“We wanted it to be historically correct and that’s when Fred Walters got involved with things here,” White said. “His vast amount of historical architecture became a prominent part of figuring out what needed to be done. His involvement in the Old Mission, as well as other state park historical buildings, has been extensive and of great benefit. So we as the Department of Parks and Recreation in partnership with the Coeur d’Alene Tribe are greatly honored to be accepting the first Idaho Heritage Trust Frederick Walters Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation for this work of love that started a long time ago and continues now and into the future.”

The Idaho Heritage Trust was founded in 1990 by Idaho's Centennial Commission and the Idaho Legislature with a mission to preserve Idaho's historic buildings, revitalize historic theaters, restore Idaho's rural "Main Streets," and research Idaho's archaeological history.

Prior to his work with the Idaho Heritage Trust, Walters served as the curator for the Idaho State Historical Society before undertaking a 14-year apprenticeship and becoming a licensed architect.

Walters was with the Idaho Heritage Trust for 27 years prior to his retirement in 2022.