Collection	Dooley, Curt
Date of photo	1880 ca.
Description	Father Peter DeRoo. Catholic priest at St. Francis de Sales Church from 1873 to 1886, when he was transferred to St. Mary's in Pendleton as its first pastor. He built the Arlington Hotel (later Cosmopolitan Hotel) in ca. 1874, first brick building in Baker City. (Source: Isaac Hiatt, 31 Years in Baker City.) He also built in ca. 1883 St. Joseph Academy (Brothers School) at NW corner of Main and Campbell. "Rev. Father Dielman, through whose moral influence the church (St. Francis de Sales) was erected (1871), not only officiated in it first, but also became the first pastor. In 1873 he was called away, and it ran into the following year before he was replaced by a steady pastor in the person of Rev. P(eter). DeRoo. However neither the Catholics of Baker City nor of the mission attached to the parish had been neglected, as from time to time Fathers Vermeesh, Verhaag. Orth and Bronsgeest came to attend to their wants. On Father DeRoo's arrival he soon discovered that a pressing need existed for a parochial school, and after some endeavors, he succeeded in April 1875 in obtaining four Sisters of the Holy Names from Portland. They held school and conducted an academy in the building, which was transformed last fall into the present St. Elizabeth's Hospital. They were succeeded in September 1885 by the Sisters of St. Francis, who have since built a new academy and erected a hospital. In 1886 Father DeRoo went to Pendleton and was replaced by Father Charles Wensierski. (Source: Eastern Oregon’s Gold Fields. Baker, Grant, Harney, Malheur, and Union Counties. Countless Wealth in Mining. Farming, Lumbering, Stock & Fruit Growing. Souvenir Edition. Morning Democrat, Bowen & Small, Publishers, May 20th, 1898.)
Object ID	2007.13.3
Place	Baker City

Baker County Library District, 2400 Resort St., Baker City, OR 97814 -- Ph. 541-523-6419 -- www.bakerlib.org -- Send comments to:     gdielman@bakerlib.org
Last modified on: December 09, 2017