Lenox Mission

The Choctaw Indians placed a high priority on education, and boarding schools and small neighborhood schools existed in Indian Territory as early as 1832. Although tribal funds supported the schools, missionaries were often responsible for establishing and maintaining them. In 1858, Dr. Simon L. Hobbs and his wife established Lenox Mission in the Kiamichi Valley below, and Mrs. Hobbs named it after her hometown in Massachusetts. The mission served more than one purpose, functioning as a church on Sundays and as a school on weekdays for students of all ages. Like many missionaries, Dr. Hobbs was both a medical doctor and a minister. When yellow fever struck the community, Dr. Hobbs and his wife were among the victims, and the mission closed after their deaths in 1884.

Oklahoma · United States