St. Peter’s is the oldest Catholic parish in the Diocese of Baker which encompasses approximately 66,800 square miles of eastern Oregon.  The first mission church in The Dalles was established in 1848 by Rev. Father L. Rousseau and was known as “St. Pierre Mission”. Fr. Rousseau constructed a little log cabin at the foot of the hills  southwest of The Dalles.  Later, a small chapel was built by a French priest, Father Mesplie, which was vacated in 1861 due to an increased congregation.

The subsequent church was a wooden structure 30 by 70 feet that stood on the corner of 3rd and Lincoln Streets.  By 1890 that building was deteriorating and too small for a growing congregation.  It was replaced in 1897 by a larger, high-steepled brick church at the same site, now known as Old St. Peter’s Landmark, which has become a popular tourist destination.

Long-time residents of The Dalles can recall attending Mass in the former St. Peter’s Church, a red brick Gothic-style church situated on the corner of Lincoln and Third Streets.  Then in 1965 due to a growing congregation, local parish leaders began fund-raising to build a larger church.  Fifty years ago, a new and uniquely modern church was constructed on the corner of West 10th and Cherry Heights Road, which was officially dedicated and solemnly blessed by former Bishop Francis P. Leipzig on December 14, 1969.

The present-day St. Peter’s Church is not far from the original Catholic mission built in 1848.  A two-story rectory is directly to the northwest and a parish center is directly behind the church to the south. 

 A little-known fact is that the current St. Peter’s is the fifth Catholic Church to be constructed in The Dalles.