ABSTRACT
In a photograph, I am standing next to the restored Presbyterian Church at Goodland, Oklahoma, holding a piece of timber that looks rough and dry from its crude manufacture and age. The wood is from the original church attended by many of my relatives in the 19th century. Today, the Goodland church and mission school are the oldest church and mission school in continuous existence in Oklahoma. The mission site was originally selected by Cyrus Kingsbury after he crossed on the Trail of Tears in 1835 to join the Choctaws in Indian Territory. His continuous work with the Choctaws in Mississippi and with the tribe after its removal to Indian Territory earned him the title of “The Apostle to the Choctaws.” 1
