Wealaka, Indian Territory

Wealaka was a town originally settled by Creek Indians in Indian Territory during the late 19th century. It is now classified as a populated place by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in southern Tulsa County, Oklahoma, though its population is not separately tabulated in the U.S. census. It is notable as the site of a Presbyterian mission and also the last home of Creek Principal Chief Pleasant Porter, who originally called the area "Fairview". [1]

Town founding

Wealaka was established about 1880 on a tributary of the Arkansas River, and was about 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest of the present town of Leonard, Oklahoma. The name is a Creek word meaning "Rising Water."[2] W. L. Gilcrease, father of oilman Thomas Gilcrease, co-owner of a store and a cotton gin, platted the town and chose the name Wealaka. The second post office in the Tulsa vicinity was named Wealaka, and operated in W. T. Davis' store from 1880 to 1892. The Davis store building was razed in 1942 to make way for a landing field for Spartan School of Aeronautics.[1]

Wealaka Mission

Wealaka Creek Mission was founded in 1882 by Rev. Robert McGill Loughridge,[3] a Presbyterian missionary. The mission was a school for Indian children in the area who attended for free. Area white children attended for a fee of $1.00 per month. The old home of Pleasant Porter, a Creek Chief, was located near the school, and his remains are buried in the mission cemetery.[4] The property was sold to private owners after statehood in 1907. The building burned down in 1935, so only the basement and cemetery remain.[1]

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 (64 km) northwest of Muskogee and 0.5 miles (0.80 km) south of the Arkansas River. The first building was built of brick, three stories high, and 110 feet (34 m) by 40 feet (12 m). 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.[5]

References
  1. Bixby Historical Society."Settlers Claim Land." Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  2. Anderson, Dan. One Hundred Oklahoma Outlaws, Gangsters, and Lawmen, 1839-1939 p. 12. 2007. Retrieved April 24, 2013. Available on Google Books.
  3. Mullins, Jonita. "Three Forks History: First Chisholm Trail came through Green Country". Muskogee Phoenix. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  4. "Tulsa County Historic Sites :: TULSA AND OKLAHOMA HISTORY COLLECTION". cdm15020.contentdm.oclc.org. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  5. Transcription of interview with Lilah D. Lindsay.
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