An historic Native American Baptist Church was destroyed March 14 in a blaze that was part of an onslaught of wildfires driven by hurricane-strength winds across Oklahoma.

The Rainy Mountain Kiowa Indian Baptist Church building, established in 1921, perished in the conflagration. The church was built in 1921 at a cost of $9,000, which was raised entirely by the Kiowa people except for $500 donated by the American Baptist Home Mission society.

The church’s dining hall was damaged as well, but firefighters managed to save it.

The church is located near the towns of Mountain View, and Gotebo in Southwest Oklahoma. Nearby Old Rainy Mountain Cemetery is reportedly the burial site of many well-known Comanche, Kiowa, and Apache Indians.

A Go Fund Me account is being set up to help offset expenses in rebuilding the structure.

Jason Yarbrough, state director of Oklahoma Baptist DR said, “while the winds have calmed down today, there is significant damage across our state from yesterday and some fires are still burning, or new ones have started today.”

Yarbrough said Oklahoma Baptist DR feeding teams are already activated and preparing meals.

“We are currently working to set up a feeding site in Stillwater to serve at the shelters in Stillwater, Guthrie and Pawnee,” he said.

Interior of the Rainy Mountain Kiowa Indian Baptist Church building.

State officials reported more than 130 wildfires in 44 of the 77 counties in the state March 14. Major blazes were reported in Mannford, Stillwater, Guthrie, Leedey, Norman, Oklahoma City and Little Axe. Flames also flared up in Alfalfa, Beckham, Blaine, Canadian, Choctaw, Cleveland, Comanche, Creek, Dewey, Grant, Grady, Dewey, Harper, Johnston, Kay, Kingfisher, Latimer, Lincoln, Logan, Love, Major, Marshall, Mayes, McClain, McIntosh, Murray, Muskogee, Oklahoma, Okfuskee, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Payne, Pittsburg, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, Roger Mills, Seminole, Sequoyah, Stephens, Tulsa, Wagoner, Washington, and Woods counties.
For future updates or to make a tax-deductible donation to Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief, visit https://www.okdisasterhelp.org/donate/