1869
In our country, the doctors cannot cure De Smet of his deafness, but that does not prevent him from collecting money. He travels through Belgium, the Netherlands and France. As usual, De Smet also takes the necessary time to visit his family. He attends a communion party.
He will return to the U.S. in June. back, this time aboard the City of Dublin.
At the beginning of July there is another heat wave in St. Louis. The journey to Europe and the heat have exhausted De Smet again. He has to keep room and rest for a long time. He still suffers from Bright's disease. When autumn brings more cooling, De Smet gradually feels better. So good in fact that he can accompany six sisters on their way to Omaha on a mission to the Blackfoot Indians. He pays for their travel expenses and ensures that they have the necessary comforts as far as Fort Benton. De Smet covers 1,930 kilometers there and back. In November De Smet visits the mission of St. Mary in Kansas. That is also 1,287 kilometers round trip. His visit to St. Mary is a deep disappointment. Again and again he is confronted with the bad influence of the whites on the Indians. The Potawatomi are in very bad shape. In December, De Smet will travel to Chicago and Milwaukee to raise money.
1870
After the spring, De Smet feels a bit better. He plans to travel all the way to Fort Berthold. On June 1, De Smet will leave with the Far West, accompanied by Father Ignatius Panken. Panken is a Dutchman who went to the U.S. with the 1857 batch. Their goal is to establish a mission station in the Grand River country (near present-day Mobridge, South Dakota). The Indians welcome the initiative. De Smet and Panken baptized a hundred Indians between the Whetstone Agency (north of Fort Randall) and the Grand River Agency (south of Fort Rice). In Grand River, he seeks out Eagle Women, who lives alone with her daughters after Galpin's death. De Smet abandons his plan to travel via Fort Rice to Fort Berthold and thus visit more tribes. Feeling too weak again, he returns to St. Louis as soon as possible in August. This is his last journey west. He has to keep room and works on the history of the Jesuits in Missouri.
1871
In February, President Grant, himself a Methodist, decides that the Indian reservations should be run by persons of religious background. Columbus Delano invites De Smet to participate in this plan. The first meeting in Washington D.C. brings together representatives of 13 religions. The Catholic community is entitled to many reservations, for all together the Jesuits, Franciscans, Oblates and other Catholic communities in the west have built up 43 missions and thus exert influence over more than 100,000 Indians. But it turns out differently. The Protestants can count on more political support and the facts are adjusted a bit. De Smet is not completely blameless either, because he has not thoroughly prepared the Catholic case. In particular, he seems to have insufficient information to be able to refute the claims of the opposing party. The result is that Catholic missionary work comes off badly. They are only allowed to appoint an agent for four reservations and thus lose their influence on no less than 39 Indian nations, including the Coeur d'Alêne, the Blackfoot and the Potawatomi. Grand River is one of those four assigned agencies. John Connor is appointed as an agent and fathers Francis Kuppens and Peter De Meester become missionaries. However, the corrupt administration of President Grant does not come up with the necessary money, so that De Smet once again feels obliged to look for funds in Europe himself.
On July 1, De Smet will travel with the City of New York to Liverpool, where he will arrive on July 14. He travels through Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, England and Ireland to raise money.
Meanwhile, Kuppens and De Meester try to fathom the Sioux language with the help of Two Bears, a Yankton chief.
On October 10, a grand celebration is organized at the University of St. Louis to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the entry of Van Assche and Verreydt into the novitiate of Florissant. Together with Father Van Quickenborne and De Smet, these pioneers have built the Jesuit community in St. Louis. Unfortunately, De Smet is not able to celebrate this important milestone.
1872
The begging tour demands a lot from De Smet's strength and in January he has to take some rest in our country. He gives Father Francis Deynoodt permission to collect his letters and publications for a biography. On February 12, during a lecture in a Brussels college, De Smet suddenly becomes unwell. He is in pain and losing a lot of blood. His family is so shocked that they travel to Lourdes.
When De Smet recovers, he wants to return to his adopted homeland as soon as possible. On April 7, De Smet leaves Belgium for the last time via Antwerp with the City of Paris, this time with nine recruits and 66,000 francs (12,000 $) in his pocket. The amount is sufficient to start the planned mission. 18 days later, De Smet arrives in St. Louis.
In the meantime, Delano has appointed De Smet as advisor. But he thanks for the honour, he is too sick and has to stay home.
1873
Honouring the famous missionary, captain La Barge names his newbuilt steamer the De Smet. It is a nice gesture and De Smet accepts sponsorship of the new vessel. To baptize the brand new ship, he agrees to be taken by carriage to the port of St. Louis on May 13. But after a short ceremony, De Smet quickly hurries back to his room in the university building. It is his last public appearance. The next day, De Smet also celebrates his last mass. On May 20, he receives the sacraments of the dying and three days later, on May 23, 1873 at 2:15, Father Peter John De Smet, S.J., better known to the Indians as the Great Black Robe, dies.
On May 24, the deceased missionary is buried. Father Van Assche conducts a funeral service in the St. Franciscus Xaverius church. Those in attendance include the Archbishop of St. Louis, Monsignor Kenrick, David Frost, Bishop Patrick Ryan and General Harney. In St. Louis, thousands of people mourn when De Smet is buried in the cemetery of the St. Stanislaus novitiate in Florissant, next to Van Quickenborne, De Theux, Elet, Van de Velde, Smedts and Verhaegen.
The obituary reaches Captain La Barge via the telegraph in Sioux City, Iowa. With the flag at half-mast, the De Smet brings the sad news to all the forts, settlements and Indian villages on the banks of the waterway De Smet knew so well.
De Smet's estate is $6,000. The amount will be allocated to the mission work in Oregon.
In all, De Smet has covered about 290,000 kilometers in 30 years.
It is certain that with the passing of Peter John De Smet the Indians have lost a friend and a sincere ally.