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 Mission was founded in 1882 by Rev. Robert McGill Loughridge, a Presbyterian missionary. 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.[3]