Church of St's Joseph and Mary - Sawyer MN - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The little gray mission church has survived 132 years in the quiet wooded area. It survived the 1918 fire as well as being left empty twice, the first time from 1905 to 1925, and again the church was left silent and alone in 1964 when the new brick church was built next door.

The old bell was taken out of the tower many years ago and now has green lichen growing on it, like little green snowflakes sprinkled helter-skelter.


The insert in the old wooden altar is in a sad state of disrepair, with several of the heads of the people sitting around the Last Supper table missing, as are pieces of plaster here and there. The altar was built in 1872.

The Saints Mary and Joseph Church, also known unofficially as “The Church in the Woods,” was originally named “Guardian Angel Mission” and is estimated to hold about 100 people.

According to the National Register of Historic Places, the church was built in 1884 by Moses Posey with the assistance of other Chippewa parishioners. The historical significance is that the little log church “represents one of the earliest Catholic Churches among the Chippewa Indians in Minnesota,” according to the National Register.

The original part of the church is 20 feet by 32 feet and built “one tree wide by one tree long” out of white pine.

(from the Pine Journal newspaper)

Street address: 1225 Mission Road Cloquet, MN USA 55718 County / Borough / Parish: Carlton Year listed: 1984 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Native American, Architecture Periods of significance: 1925 - 1949, 1900 - 1924, 1875 - 1899 Historic function: Religion Current function: Not in use, work in progress Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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