Presbyterian missions and cultural interaction in the far Southwest, 1850-1950 /

Relying on the extensive missionary records of the Presbyterian Historical Society and on numerous western library collections, Banker, a member of the history department at the Webb School in Tennessee, recounts the story of 100 years of Presbyterian missions in the Southwest. His account ambitiously discusses Presbyterian work among three "exceptional populations" in the area: the New Mexicans, the American Indians, and the Mormons. Banker gives particular attention to the period between 1870 and 1900, emphasizing the work of Sheldon Jackson, who served as both missionary and promoter of the enterprise, and the crucial support of the Women's Executive Committee of Home Missions formed at the urging of Jackson. According to Banker, the primary concern of the study is the impact of the Southwest on the Presbyterian missionaries. The Presbyterians, he argues, developed more tolerant views of the three southwestern peoples through their experience among them. Although the study does support that thesis to some extent, it is more valuable in its unparalleled, broad description of the advance and decline of this major mission effort. Advanced undergraduate; graduate; faculty; general. L. H. Hoyle; Georgetown College