First, I will go back to 1858. At that time the Mission Schools were in full force under the Presbyterian Board. There was Stick Bridge, of which Rev. C. Byington was Superintendent, located in the Eastern part of the Nation; Wheelock Academy of which Rev. Edwards was Superintendent; another school under Rev. Wright. I have forgotten the name of this school. Pine Ridge, located near Doakesville of which Rev. Cyrus Kingsbury was Superintendent; Old Spencer Academy North of Doakesville had as its Superintendent the Rev. J. J. Reid. Goodwater Mission was located in what was then Kimichi County; I do not remember the name of the Superintendent. Old Goodland was located at its present site and had as its Superintendent the Rev. O. P. Stark; and the last was Spring Bluff under the Rev. Ebenezer Hotchkin.

In 1861 the Civil war began and all of these schools were closed. As near as I can remember about 1866 the old buildings at Spencer Academy were repaired and I helped on the job, and the school was reopened. In 1870 I moved from Towson County to a new location one half mile west of Goodland and settled the place where I now live. This place was allotted to me as an inter-married citizen of the Choctaw Nation. In 1871 Ex-Governor LeFlore purchased what was known then as the Rueben Bowland place and moved from Ft. Towson to Goodland, and the home of LeFlore bought adjoined that on which was located the Goodland Mission.

The original church and school house were still standing but badly out of repair. As we were badly in need of a school of some sort the neighborhood got together and organized a school which my sister, Mrs. Carrie LeFlore taught at her home. This school had as a pupil a boy named Silas Bacon of whom you will here more later.

The Old Goodland church and school house were constructed of hewn cedar, the frame work was of the same material. The church was repaired first in 1884, the school was taught in this structure as the old school building was in such a bad state of repair that we did not think it advisable to try and repair it. Instead the old building was torn down and much of the material was used in repairing the church. Some time between the year of 1871 and 1875 a man by the name of Cente taught the neighborhood school in the old church. During 1890 Rev. J. P. Gibbons moved in here from Goodwater and he was employed as teacher in the school. In 1894 Mrs. Elizabeth Rood from St. Charles, Mo. came into the school and the Assembly's Committee of Home Missions took charge of the school as there were a good many white children in the community and the school was for Indians only. The Committee furnished one and the two schools were combined. Another old timer, Rev. Lloyd, of Bennington, Okla., filled the pulpit here at this time.

It was about this time that the boarding school question arose and we decided to build a dormitory. During the year 1894 the building was constructed of logs. Before this place was built some of the Indian children were cared for by Silas Bacon, Rev. J. P. Gibbons and I myself had a goodly number. At this time I was running a saw mill near Hamden, and when the question came up as to whether we should build a new church and school building I furnished the lumber for the work, the amount of which I kept no account. The Choctaws in and around Goodland hauled the lumber from my mill at Hamden. In building these buildings Mr. Wilson Jones took a prominent part in the work of constructing and overseeing the work in these new buildings.

Respectfully,

H. L. GOODING

May 1st, 1920.

Note - Mr. Goodling's parents came to Ft. Towson soon after the Fort was established. Both of them are buried in the old Army Cemetery at Fort Towson.