ulded is still plainly visible. These relics
are treasured by Mr. Abbott who keeps them in a desk, over a century old, in one of the musty rooms in the oldest section of this ancient, roomy structure, the shrine of many pilgrims, —"Hillside Mission:"
John Murdock was the pioneer founder of Hillside Mission. In 1882, this traveling missionary was sent here by the Friends Association of Philadelphia. Like William Penn, he held meetings in the groves and immediately had considerable success. There were few white people here at that time; but all the mixed-bloods and most of the full-bloods understood and talked some English.
Murdock proposed to build a permanent church. The few who first gathered to hear him agreed to aid him The forest was the only source of building material; he shouldered his broad-ax and marched like a hero into the primeval forest, followed closely by his faithful, fightless followers. They felled the trees and Murdock hewed the logs. A fine set was soon hewed, ready to haul out and raise. This work was soon done. Then they felled a great oak, rived clapboards and covered the church. In this rough structure, without doors or floors, they worshipped. After a time they split puncheons and made a door and laid a floor.
This structure answered well for the summer time, but as winter drew near these devout worshippers found it necessary to chink the cracks. A log-rolling was held and on the logs a kiln of lime was burned. With this lime, sand was mixed, and the cracks were plastered with the mixture. This building was raised on what is known as the Vance place, on Bird Creek.
When the church was completed, the Friends, under Murdock’s leadership, proceeded to build a parsonage. They erected it in much the same way as they had the church, but did not build it alongside the church, as is done so often to-day.
We would suppose that all the troubles had been passed, but not so. Every wilderness enterprise has its vicissitudes and opposition. The location of the church proved unhealthful. The region was infested with malaria; and the mosquitoes multiplied so much faster than converts that Murdock found it impractical to carry out his cherished idea of founding a school on the site. He believed that to convert the Indians permanently a school should be established in connection with
the Mission. The site was insanitary; but to test it out; he sent to Arkansas and procured a young lady teacher. The enrollment included a dozen greasy urchins. We say "greasy" because the children had learned that by mixing certain pigments with coon grease and applying this mixture, mosquitoes would not bother them so much. But not so with the teacher. After heroically battling the singing and stinging insects for two weeks, her face and hands looked as though she had a severe case of measles.
In the meantime, Murdock made a fair showing of converts, mostly children. He made a report and sent it to the association at Philadelphia with a request for funds with which to build a better school building. The funds were promptly sent.
In the spring of 1884, Murdock called together the following faithful followers: William Lloyd, Bill Cannon, and a man by the name of Galliger. They hauled lumber from Coffeyville, Kansas, this being the nearest railroad point where lumber could be secured. It took five days to make the trip, and sometimes when Caney River was high, it took two weeks or more before they could ford the stream.
The present site of Hillside Mission was selected for the school. The south side of the Mission was built. A substantial church house was also constructed about eighty feet west of the present house. Malaria and mosquitoes were not so bad on this high location and moreover the mosquitoes could be screened out of the frame building, while they swarmed through the cracks of the log houses. Malaria was checked by the use of quinine, which folks took with as much nonchalance as they did a chew of tobacco.
From 1884 to 1885 there was quite an influx of "non-citizens," they were called. They were permitted by the Indians to f