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Dwight Presbyterian Mission was one of the first American missions to the Native Americans. It was established near present-day Russellville, Arkansas in 1820 to serve the Arkansas Cherokees. After the Cherokee were required to move to Indian Territory in 1828, the mission was reestablished in 1829 near present-day Marble City, Oklahoma. The mission is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

A mission was requested by Tahlonteeskee, the Principal Chief of the Western Cherokees, after he had visited Brainerd Mission in 1818. The mission was founded in August 1820 on Illinois Bayou near present-day Russellville, Arkansas by Cephas Washburn. It was named for Rev. Timothy Dwight, president of Yale College and a corporate member of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. After Tahlonteeskee's death in the spring of 1819, the mission was supported by his brother John Jolly.

By 1824, Dwight Mission was a self-contained small town on the frontier. There were at least 24 buildings, including residences for missionaries, students, staff, and visitors; support buildings that included a combination library, post office and pharmacy; a dining hall with kitchen; a storehouse; a blacksmith shop; lathe and carpenter shop; a stable and a barn.) was moved from Union Mission to Dwight Mission. In 1839, the majority of the Cherokee nation was removed to the area from the Southeast on the Trail of Tears.

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thumb|right|alt=A 3 and a half story building sided with wooden shingles. There is a porch with white pillars at the front of the building.

During the American Civil War, many of the mission's buildings were burned down in warfare between pro-Confederate and pro-Union forces. The last religious service was in November 1862. Then it was abandoned. Afterwards, the property was taken over by private owners. By 1884, only two of the original buildings remained. and killing thirteen students. The students were named as: George Wickett (Cherokee), Nighthawk Mclemore (Cherokee), Phillip Correll (Cherokee), Rufus Young (Cherokee), J. P. Chandler, Jr (Cherokee), Kenneth Crutchfield (Cherokee), Delbert Barnes (Cherokee), Wilson Beaver (Creek), George Tiger (Creek), Robert Daniels (Creek), Solomon Bruner (Creek), Newton Goins (Choctaw), and Gilbert Grants (Omaha). The boys, who were aged 9 to 17, were trapped on a screened porch. Their bodies were returned to their hometowns, and a memorial for them was erected in the Dwight Mission Cemetery.

By 1944, the facility was called Dwight Indian Training School. It was then operated by Board of National Missions of the Presbyterian Church USA, and served seventy-one students, mostly Cherokee and Choctaw.

Dwight Mission today operates as a Presbyterian camp, retreat, and conference center between Marble City and Sallisaw, Oklahoma. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Historical markers identify and explain the original location in Arkansas.

In June 2021, Dwight Mission was acquired by the Cherokee Nation.

References

  • Dwight Mission, official site
  • "Dwight Mission" , Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture