The Cross in the West
Vision Books for Young Readers
Mark Boesch
H. Lawrence Hoffman (Illustrator)
Farrar, Strass and Cudahy
1956
This is one of the original 72 Vision Books for Young Readers. The originals were published between 1955 and 1969 by Farrar, Straus & Cudahy, Inc. Reprints of about half are available from Ignatius Press. This is not one of them. I wrote a piece about the series as a whole, Vision Books for Young Readers, after reading a few and wanting to know more about the series. This one was volume 12 of the original series, it was not one Ignatius reprinted. The description of the book states:
“Four hundred years ago, the vast western part of our country was uncharted and almost unknown to Europeans. This is the story of the men who took the first bold steps to explore that land, carrying with them the symbol of their faith, the cross. They planted the cross in the West, and the faith grew and flourished.
From the Rio Grande to the Columbia River, and from the Pacific to the Mississippi, they labored—Spanish and Belgian, Austrian and Italian. They were outstanding men: Padre Kino, Father Junipero Serra, Dr. John McLoughlin, Father Peter de Smet, Father Anthony Ravalli. They faced the dangers of Indian wars, the unknown perils of the wilderness, disease, even martyrdom. But there were joys, too—the joys of their festivals, celebrated so far from their homelands, and the enriching spiritual joys of building the first western churches.
They set out with courage and hope and went on to plant firmly the cross in the West.”
About the author we are informed:
“Mark Boesch is a U.S. Forest Service Fire Dispatcher in Hamilton, Montana. He has lived in California, Idaho, and Oregon, the states where much of the action of The Cross in the West takes place. A successful writer of novels for young people, he is the author of The Lawless Land, Beyond the Muskingum, and Fire Fighter.”
Boesch also wrote another volume in this series called “Kit Carson of the Old West”. The author’s note states:
“In writing The Cross in the West, I have relied to a great extent upon The Works of Bancroft, by Hubert Howe Bancroft. These 39 volumes are invaluable sources of western history. They are based on a collection of 90,000 historical volumes which Bancroft and his associates gathered, and which were later turned over to the University of California.
Also of much value for reference were the Life, Letters and Travels of Father De Smet, edited by Chittenden, and Indian and White in the North¬ west, by the Jesuit Father Palladino.
These books were most helpful; there were many others, including obscure works which I have added to my personal collection on western history.”
The books has both:
Nihil Obstat:
Rt. Rev. Msgr. Peter B. O’Connor Censor Librorum
Imprimatur:
Most Reverend Thomas A. Boland, S.T.D. Archbishop of Newark
The sections and chapters in this book are:
Author’s Note
Part One: The Southwest
1. Fray Marcos and the Seven Cities of Gold
2. The Explorations of Coronado
3. The Conquest of New Mexico
4. Padre Kino, Explorer of Arizona
Part Two: California
5. The Voyage of Cabrillo
6. The Founding of San Diego
7. Growth of the Missions
8. Flowering of the Missions
Part Three: The Northwest and the Rocky Mountains
9. Dr. McLoughlin, Father of Oregon
10. Father De Smet, Apostle of the Rockies
11. Father Ravalli, Priest and Physician
12. The West Today
I highlighted several passages while reading this volume, some of them are:
“Four hundred years ago, the vast western part of our country was uncharted and almost unknown to Europeans. This is the story of the men who took the first bold steps to explore that land, carrying with them the symbol of their faith, the cross. They planted the cross in the West, and the faith grew and flourished.”
“They were headed for a land that was known only by legend—a most fabulous legend. It was said that somewhere to the north lay seven wondrous cities, the golden cities of Cibola. No one knew exactly where they were. So Fray Marcos had been sent, by command of Governor Coronado, to find out.”
“Fray Marcos too was excited about this journey he had been asked to take. For he too was searching for wealth—the wealth of souls.”
“The friars were men of good education, and they were used to hardship. Most of all, they were strong in their determination to win souls for Christ. No goal was too far for them, if there were souls who needed God and His Church.”
“Four days after Fray Marcos had met the California Indians, he met other natives, and these had never seen white men before. Because Fray Marcos spoke earnestly to them of Christ and His kingdom, they called him “Sayota,” or “man from heaven.””
“The man who came to Dolores in the year 1687 was a man of great energy and a priest of great zeal. His name was Eusebius Kuhn, and he was Austrian. But the Spaniards preferred to call him Padre Kino. So Padre Kino he became to all who heard of him.”
“Instead of being hostile to him, the Pima Indians made Padre Kino welcome. They helped him build his church at Dolores, and brought their children to him to be baptized. They wanted them to grow up to be like this good man.”
“During his last years, Padre Kino remained close to home at Dolores, spending most of his time during the day baptizing and instructing the people. And at night he would spend hours in the church in silent prayer.”
“But during Mass he was stricken by his final illness. He collapsed on the altar. A group of Indians rushed forward, picked up the old man, and sorrowfully carried him out of the chapel. And thus died Eusebius Kuhn, better known as Padre Kino. All the people honored him as a saint, and great was the sorrow throughout all of Pimeria and the neighboring provinces, even as far away as Bac, when news of his death was heard.”
“There were now five missions in Northern California—San Diego, San Gabriel, San Luis Obispo, San Antonio, and San Carlos. Serving the five missions were nineteen Franciscan friars, working under Father Junipero Serra. They were attached to the College of the Propagation of Faith of San Fernando in the city of Mexico.”
“By the end of the year 1773, when Father Serra returned to California, the five missions could boast of 63 horses, 79 mules, 102 swine, 18 head of cattle, and 161 sheep and goats.”
““I can rest after I am dead,” he would often say, when someone asked him to rest.”
“They remembered the courage of the first martyr of California, Luis Jaume. In the face of death, he had offered them his fatherly friendship.”
“And so it was that the first two priests came to Oregon. They were outstanding men. Rev. Francis Norbert Blanchet, of the district of Montreal, came to Oregon as Vicar General, along with Rev. Modeste Demers, of the district of Juliopolis. They left Montreal in May, 1838, with the Hudson’s Bay Company express. They went by boat, along with a number of other travelers. The boats were manned by skilled French Canadian boatmen, and the journey was a good one until they reached the Columbia River.”
“The two priests stayed there four days. They baptized nineteen persons, said Mass, and gave the Sacraments to some who had been long without them.”
“Father Blanchet too, became an outstanding leader of the Church in Oregon. Soon he became bishop, and then archbishop. Father Demers was himself made the bishop of Vancouver Island.”
“Father Anthony J. Ravalli of the Society of Jesus was one of the most beloved men who ever labored in the Rocky Mountains. Today his memory is revered as much as is that of the other great Jesuit missionary, Peter John De Smet. Ravalli County, Montana, in the Bitterroot Valley, is named in his honor.”
I hope those quotes give you a feel for this volume. The book covers a lot of time and a lot of different mission work. It starts San Miguel in March of 1539 and continued until 1880 in Montana. It follows successes and setbacks. It follows different orders and even some lay people involved in spreading God’s word. The language is not politically correct, and many would argue the content. I believe it is our history, and for the most part it is the story of priests, brothers, lay men who wanted to server, who lived for God and who were witness often situations we could not imagine. It is a fascinating read.
As of the fall of 2026 there have been 84 volumes that have been released under the Vision Books for Young Readers series, 43 of which are still in print under Ignatius Press. And 41 that are out of print and were not licensed by Ignatius. Some of the older out of print ones I have read have been excellent, and this one is an excellent read. If you can track it down it is well worth the read.
Note: there are two other new titles in this series in 2026 to look forward to; The Story of J.R.R. Tolkien by Cheri Blomquist and Cheryl C.D. Hughes volume Fulton J. Sheen God's Great Communicator. Any volume in this series would be great additions to any home, school, or church library.
Books in the Vision Books Saints Biographies:
The Cure of Ars
Edmund Campion
Florence Nightingale's Nuns
Fr. Marquette and the Great Rivers
Francis and Clare, Saints of Assisi
Kateri Tekakwitha
Mother Cabrini, Missionary to the World
Mother Seton and the Sisters of Charity
Saint Anthony and the Christ Child
Saint Catherine Laboure and the Miraculous Medal
Saint Dominic and the Rosary
Saint Elizabeth's Three Crowns
Saint Francis of the Seven Seas
Saint Helena and the True Cross
Saint Ignatius and the Company of Jesus
Saint Isaac and the Indians
Saint Katherine Drexel
Saint Louis and the Last Crusade
Saint Philip of the Joyous Heart
Saint Therese and the Roses
Saint Thomas Aquinas and the Preaching Beggars
Saint Thomas More of London
Vincent De Paul: Saint of Charity
The Story of J.R.R. Tolkien
Fulton J. Sheen God’s Great Communicator
…
Out of Print books in the Series:
Catholic Campuses, Stories of American Catholic Colleges
Champions in Sports and Spirit
Children Welcome: Villages for Boys and Girls
Christmas and the Saints
Columbus and the New World
Dear Philippine: Mission of Mother Duchesne
Edel Quinn: Beneath the Southern Cross
Frances Warde and the First Sisters of Mercy
Good Pope John b
Governor Al Smith
In American Vineyards, Religious Orders in the United States
John Carroll Bishop and Patriot
John Neumann, The Children's Bishop
Kit Carson of the Old West
Lydia Longley, the First American Nun
Marguerite Bourgeoys, Pioneer Teacher
Martin de Porres, Saint of the New World
Modern Crusaders
More Champions in Sports and Spirit
Mother Barat's Vineyard
My Eskimos: A Priest in the Artic
Peter and Paul: The Rock and the Sword
Peter Claver, Saint Among Slaves
Pope Pius XII, the World's Shepherd
Rose Hawthorne: The Pilgramage of Nathaniel's Daughter
Saints of the Byzantine World
Sarah Peter: The Dream and the Harvest
St. Augustine and His Search for Faith
St. Francis de Sales
St. Gregory the Great, Consul of God
St. Jerome and the Bible
St. Margaret Mary, Apostle of the Sacred Heart
The Bible Story, The Promised Lord and His Coming
The Ursulines, Nuns of Adventure
…
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