The community traces its history to Mother Johanna Zumstein and Sisters Magdalene Suter and Rosalia Ruebli, who left Sarnen on September 26, 1882, eventually reaching Gervais, Oregon.

[3] In 1909, John Uhlenkott, whose two daughters had both joined the convent, invited the sisters to relocate to Cottonwood and start a school, donating 10 acres for the purpose on a promontory overlooking the town.

Given the labor shortage in the area following World War I, some of the resident nuns helped quarry and transport the stone to the building site.

The structure rests on a three-quarter-story stone foundation, with a grand stairway leading to the balustraded front entry porch, presenting an imposing view.

The high altar, a gift from a brother of one of the founding sisters,[2] was built in 1928 in Sigmaringen, Germany, "by a company whose master recently had been awarded the insignia "Pro Papa Et Ecclesta" (for the Pope and Church) for outstanding service to the cause of religious art.