Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-03-26
EARLY DAY MISSIONARIES IN
THE OLD INDIAN TERRITORY
Pioneer Ministers Who Travelled Through Dangerous Country

conference. Among them were the
Reverend John Iiarrell, Reverend
Young Ewing. Rev. John l.. Boot, IA
full-blood Cherokees, who won fame
as powerful speaker In his native
tongue; Rev. w. A. Duncan, long
prominent in Cherokee national af-
fairs. and others who in their time
were known throughout the territory.
Notable Missions
The American Board of Boston,
Mass. next to the Moravians, was
the first denomination to take up
work among the Cherokees. This
board withdrew its missionaries from
the old nation during the troublous
period preceding the expulsion of the
Indians and took up the work In the
new nation west. Two of the notable
missions in Indian Territory were
Dwight and Park Hill. Rev. Or.
Butler was long in charge of Dwight.
which Is near the present railway sta
ton Of Bunch on the X. C. s. rail-
way In the mission burial ground
a number of the early instructors are
buried, among them Doctor Butter,
who died several years previous to the
war Of 1SG1-5. Reverend Worcester
Wiley was stationed at Dwight when
the war began and decided to remain.
He was, so far as known. the only
missionary of any demnomnation to
stay in the Indian country during the
prevalence of the great conflict. ana
his experiences were most trying, lie
personally witnessed many deeds of
cruelty and violence. a number of
times the mission station was robbed
and the missionary was compelled to
make his way to the mountains and
remain in hiding for days at time.
fearing that he would be slain by
some of the desperate guerrillas in
Testing the country.
The Park Hill Mission came into ex-
istence in 1886. having been removed
from a place called Forks of Illinois.
where in 1880 Il mission had been es-
tablished among the western Chero-
KEGS. This mission was In charge of
Rev. DR.. Samuel A. Worcester, who
as n young man had begun work in
the old nation in Georgia. Doctor Wor-
cester was largely instrumental in
supplying the Cherokees with a trans
lation of the scriptures from the
English into the Cherokee. This
work was begun in the old nation,
with the assistance of Elias Boudinot
and Reverend stephen Foreman. At
Park Hin the Reverend Foreman
continued to aid in the translation. In
order to supply the Indians with the
translation and to facilitate the work |
Doctor Worcester established print
ing office which it seems was the first
in Indian Territory. Among those asso- |
ciated with this missionary at Park |
Hill were teachers from several of
the New England states, and a num-
Der of them finished their careers H.
the Irdan country.
Baptist Pioneers.
The Baptist denomination was like
wise early in the Indian missionary
field and in the old nation and in the !
new had stations at various points.
The two most notable names in the |
missionary history of this denomina-
ton are those of the Jones, father
and son. In both the nations, east |
and west. their influence, especially |
among the full-bloods, was great and |
as result there were. as there are |
now. more full-blood Baptist ministers
than among any other denomination.
Away back in the early days, be-
fore the coming of the missionaries. |
the Cherokees believed in the power
of the Great Spirit They saw him
in the clouds and heard him i'm the |
wind" and they had various and in
teresting ceremonies. Like many |
other Indian peoples. they could not |
understand why Christians, or those |
so protesting. could give themselves |
to oppress and injure their fellows, |
and for that reason no doubt the first |
attempts OF missionaries early in the |
eighteenth century to gain permission
to woik among them was fruitless.