Sioux City History and Culture by Bicycle Part 115: WIlliam LaBarthe Steele Part 10: Letter from Bishop Joseph

On May 26, 1906 Bishop Philip Joseph wrote a letter to all of the priests in the Sioux City Diocese. The letter contained more then one topic. Part of the letter is a recommendation about William L. Steele. Bishop Joseph calls Steele W. H. Steele in the letter. I think the H. is a typo. I had mentioned in a previous post that Steele was a devout Catholic and friends with the Bishop. This is further proof of that. Bishop Joseph speaks highly of Steele's abilities and work. This is an impressive endorsement and recommendation by the Bishop. I visited the Diocese of Sioux City offices and met with the archivist, Dan Burns, who helped me with some research on William L. Steele and his relationship with the Diocese and the Bishop. Here is a digital copy of the letter that was found in a scrap book in the archives of the Sioux City Catholic Diocese:


Digtial scan is courtesy of Sioxu City Catholic Diocese.