Rev Dr Sheldon Jackson

• American

Christ, Education and Reindeer

Reverend Sheldon Jackson was a notable Presbyterian missionary of the western frontier, served as superintendent of the church's work across Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, Utah and Dakota before becoming the first agent of the United States Bureau of Education in Alaska. In the Alaskan Territory he gained lasting notice for introducing domesticated reindeer, convinced that reliable food and warm skins were more urgently needed by the impoverished Native communities than the schools he had originally been sent to establish. His career reflects the wide reach of 19th-century mission work and the practical, often improvisational efforts to sustain remote settlements across the American West. - AsNotedIn