Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-09-19
INDIAN MISSION
STILL STANDING
First School Of Prcsby-
terians Opened in Chcro-
kee Nation Early 1S22.

rAllLEQUAH. Okla, Sept. Ia
Tho only mission 'tation of the Pres
byierian denomination now in opera
ton in what was once the Cherokee
nation, Is tina. known as Dwight. II
has had a very interesting history. IL
IS located near Marble City on the
Is. G :. railway
Dwight mission was established IN
1920 I'm the then western Cherokee ma
tion, at that time included in ArKan-
Sas territory. The founders of the
mission were the Reverouds Ccphas
WaShburn and Alfred Finney, who
acted under the direction of TIE Amer
lean board Of Boston, Mas witch
the ministers were Jacob Hitchcock
and James orr. The site these gen-
;lemen selected foi the mission sta
ton was Oh Illinois creek, shcrt dis
tancc from the Arkansas river 1t was
given the name of Dwight in homo,
of the Reverend Timothy Dwight. II.
ID, then president OF Yale college,
and the first corporate member Of the
Americor board of commit ssiunvrs fui
foreign missions In October, 1870,
two councillors log houses had been
completed. the Mcssrs Hitchcock and
Orr being employed as mechanics,
and ,hc missionaries then returned
east of the Mississippi river for their
families. They returned TO the new
station in the following spring and
worl, was then begun on the school
building. This house was finished ir
several months and school opened on
Jan. /, 1922.
Indians " ere Interested.
A great deal OF interest was taken
IN the new school by the western
ChCrokces and within few years att
or its establishment there were en-
nloyed in addition to Reverend Wash
burn and Finney the following per
sons: Doctor George Weed, as physi-
c.9n and teacher; Iadoh Hitchcock,
steward; James orr, farmer; Miss FL
len Stetson, teacher; Miss cynthia
Thrall, teacher in charge of tho
hool Samuel Wisner ana Ast
Hitchcock. farmers, and the Reverend
Worcester Wiley and wife arrived az
the mission In 1926, coming from Yer
mont
In 1923 the western Cherokecs.
agreeable 70 treaty stipulations with
tho government gave up their lands
down on the Arkansas and removed
many miles westward within the con
fines Of the later Indian territory,
though II was then called western
territory" OF necessity the mission
aries were obliged to remove with the
Indians. and In 1879 Dwight mission
was Te-estabishcd at its present To-
cation near the banks of the plctur-
esQue Sallisaw creek In what was then
called the skin Bayou district Of tna
Cherokee nation later known as Sc
quoyah district In honor OF the dis
COY ercr OF Cherokee tiers and now
as Scpuoyah county
Many Changes Occurred.
Many changes took place in the de-
tadc following the re-estGLlishment.
though the school was at all times
largely attended. In 1899, the Rev
crend Daniel 6. Buttrick. a distin-
guishod missionary who had long la
Dored In the old eastern Cherokee ma
tion. arrived at Dwight and was CON
nccted with the mission until his
death which took place some years
later. lie 10 buried with other mis-
sionary laborers in tho graveyard Of
the mission Among others later lden-
TITLED with the mission were the Rev
orend william Potter and Reverend
Doctor Ellzur Butler. who In 1850 he-
came the first superintendent CT the
old Cherokee female high school NJ
Park Ilill. Doctor Butler was the
companion Of the Reverend Worcester
in the state prison OF Georgia whittier !
they were In prisoned for two years
IoI NdNlIE EtIuNtu lt OlsCOntlnuc
their work among the Indians at the !
command OF the Georgian authorities |
AZ q rcllo Of his Imprisonment, Doctor
Butler kept for many years his CON
vict suit 1t was at Dwigh, that In |
April, 1874, the Reverend DR. Wor- |
cester and Miss Ermina Nash, "A |
teacher IN the mission, were united In |
Children Remained
Dwight was abandoned in civil war (
times with the exception that the Rev
ercnd Worcester Wiley with his chill
drcn remained there until tho occu-
patton Of Fort Gibson by the federal
forces IN 1884. The biogru ply OF this
western missionary Is a record OF
thrilling and fearful Incidents.
one OF the interesting incidents said
tc have occurred while tho Reverend
Washburn was connected with the
early mission was that one dark night
nc was called to tho bedside OF a dy-
Ing man. Old and tcothless and
wrinkled. the aged man tossed upon !.