Wealaka Mission School
| Wealaka Mission School | |
|---|---|
| Opened | 1882 |
| Closed | 1935 |
| Current Status | Demolished |
| Building Style | Single Building |
| Location | Wealaka, OK (near Tulsa) |
| Alternate Names | |
History[edit]
Wealaka was originally settled around 1880 by Creek Indians after moving to Indian Territory, about 2mi NW of present-day Leonard, OK. The name Wealaka means "Rising Water" in the Creek language.
The Wealaka Mission & School was founded in 1882 by Rev. Robert McGill Loughridge, a Presbyterian missionary. The school was to replace the Tullahassee Mission School, which had burned in 1880. The property was sold to private owners after statehood in 1907.
According to an interview with Lilah Denton Lindsey, one of the early staff at the mission, the site was on top of a hill about 40 miles northwest of Muskogee and 0.5 miles south of the Arkansas River; situated along the Sampson Chisholm Trail. The first building was built of brick, three stories high, and 110 feet by 40 feet. The principal and teachers were housed on the first floor, the chapel and school classrooms were on the second floor, while the third floor contained separate dormitories for the boys and girls.
The building burned down in 1935, so only the basement and cemetery remain.
