The White Chief of Cache Creek (Faith M. Martin & Charles R. McBurney)

The White Chief of Cache Creek

In 1889, William Work Carithers went to Oklahoma with two urgent goals—bringing the good news of Christ to the Indians, and helping them gain skills necessary to survive the white culture that was about to engulf them. But he had only twelve years before white settlers arrived on the reservation, 30,000 in a single day. The effect on the Indian way of life was devastating. The narrative follows Carithers to the end of his life, when his once successful mission begins to falter, and he assesses what has been accomplished.

Endorsements

“What a treat this wonderful book is! Beautifully written and an accessible and easy read, it is both a scrupulously honest and totally engrossing account of the Reformed Presbyterian Indian Mission to the Comanche-Kiowa-Apache reservation near Fort Sill in what is now Oklahoma.…You have to get this book.” – Gordon Keddie, retired pastor, and author of Prayers of the Bible and Portraits of Christ

“Having lived in neighboring Kansas and known people like the pioneering missionaries described in this book, I was fascinated with the details captured here. Based on meticulous research and a vast archive of letters, it tells a story that is well worth remembering and understanding.” – Robert Wuthnow, professor of sociology, Princeton University, author of What Happens When We Practice Religion: Textures of Devotion in Everyday Life

About the Authors

Faith Martin enjoys nothing more than reading history, especially biographies. She taught English in public schools before serving as executive director of Reformed Presbyterian Home for 36 years.  Faith has traveled to China, Africa, and Europe, and her family lived for a time in Germany before settling in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she and her husband now live in retirement.

Charles McBurney earned a master’s degree in history from the University of Kansas.  He married Mabel (Beth) War, granddaughter of the founders of Cache Creek Mission, and served in the U. S. Navy during WWII.  First teaching in Kansas, Charles spent the bulk of his career on the faculty and in the administration of Geneva College. In addition to his interest in history, he was a consummate musician.  Charles passed away in 2008 at the age of 93.