Jonita Mullins

5 days ago | muskogeephoenix.com | Jonita Mullins

In 1821, the American Baptist Mission Board opened one of its first missions among the Cherokees. It was located at Valley Town, North Carolina in the far western corner of that state. Joining this mission was Rev. Evan Jones, a Welch minister who had arrived in America that same year. Jones would spend the remainder of his life working among the Cherokees. Besides preaching at Valley Town, Jones also traveled a circuit to preaching points among the Cherokees in Tennessee and Georgia.

1 week ago | muskogeephoenix.com | Jonita Mullins

Samuel Checote is often referred to as the "great chief" of the Muscogee Nation. He served as chief for 12 years following the Civil War and is credited with achieving peace after that volatile conflict. But Checote was first and foremost a minister of the gospel, a role he was drawn to while still young. He was born in Alabama in 1819 and as a small boy attended a baptismal service held by missionaries. He wanted to be baptized right then, but he was considered too young and his wish was ignored.

2 weeks ago | muskogeephoenix.com | Jonita Mullins

It was a typical stormy April day in 1942. Oklahoma natives were storm savvy and knew to keep an eye on the sky since weather-predicting equipment back then was much less sophisticated and accurate than it is today. A robust civil defense watch system would have been in force since America was at war in 1942. Spotters would use radios to give alerts if tornado funnels were detected. Unfortunately the tornadoes that struck on April 27, 1942 were not typical.

3 weeks ago | muskogeephoenix.com | Jonita Mullins

The first Christian mission in Oklahoma was Union Mission. This Presbyterian work opened in 1821 at a location on the Neosho River among the Osages. The following year, the Presbyterian mission board opened Dwight Mission in Arkansas among the Cherokees. Dwight Mission was located on the Illinois Bayou near Russellville. It was named for Timothy Dwight, a president of Yale College, and founder of the American Board of Missions. Reach Jonita Mullins at [email protected].

1 month ago | muskogeephoenix.com | Jonita Mullins

The United States entered World War II just a day after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. Soon the United States was also at war with the Axis nations in Europe. To fight a war on two fronts would require far more munitions and manpower than America had at the time. Ramping up the production of weapons and training soldiers was an immediate necessity. Oklahoma was deemed a good site for infantry training because of its central location, good natural resources, and availability of land.