Catholics settled in the Jamestown area as early as 1872,[2] and the first Mass was celebrated in the town on January 10, 1879.

He raised $6,000 to build a frame church that measured 86 by 60 feet (26 by 18 m), and a small rectory next door.

He established St. John's Academy, added a sacristy to the cathedral, renovated the rectory, and convened the first Catholic Congress of the Dakotas in 1891.

Edward J. Geraghty and Michael Murphy, a local banker and contractor who led the building committee, the Hancock Brothers of Fargo designed a new church in the Gothic Revival style.

The basement of the church was transformed into a parish hall and the interior of the worship space was updated.

On October 26, 1988 Pope John Paul II elevated St. James Church to the rank of a minor basilica.

The Apostolic Brief, which raised St. James to the basilica status, is located near the southwest entrance into the church building.