A Look Back: St. Christopher's Episcopal Mission in Bluff, Utah

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Father Liebler holding church services at St. Cristopher's Mission in Bluff, Utah in 1950. St. Christopher's Episcopal Mission was established in 1943 when H. Baxter Liebler, an Episcopal priest from Old Greenwich, Connecticut came to Bluff to establish a mission among the Navajo people. St Christopher's is named after the patron saint of travelers. When Father Liebler arrived in Bluff, there were no missions, schools, or medical/hospital facilities for the Navajo living in this remote Utah section of the reservation. Before arriving in southeast Utah, Father Liebler studied the Navajo language to make his message comprehensible to the Dineh and compatible with their understanding of harmony. He participated in Navajo ceremonies, wore his hair in the traditional Navajo style-long, pulled back and wrapped.
A year after the mission was established, a school was started which became the only school for the 1,500 Navajo living in the central part of the Utah strip of the Navajo Reservation. A hospital/ clinic building was completed in 1956. An estimated 500 babies were born in the clinic during the years it was in operation.

Salt Lake Tribune archive

Father Liebler recording video at St. Cristopher's Mission in Bluff, Utah, 1950. St. Christopher's Episcopal Mission was established in 1943 when H. Baxter Liebler, an Episcopal priest from Old Greenwich, Connecticut came to Bluff to establish a mission among the Navajo people. St Christopher's is named after the patron saint of travelers. When Father Liebler arrived in Bluff, there were no missions, schools, or medical/hospital facilities for the Navajo living in this remote Utah section of the reservation. Before arriving in southeast Utah, Father Liebler studied the Navajo language to make his message comprehensible to the Dineh and compatible with their understanding of harmony. He participated in Navajo ceremonies, wore his hair in the traditional Navajo style-long, pulled back and wrapped. A year after the mission was established, a school was started which became the only school for the 1,500 Navajo living in the central part of the Utah strip of the Navajo Reservation. A hospital/ clinic building was completed in 1956. An estimated 500 babies were born in the clinic during the years it was in operation.

Salt Lake Tribune archive

Young Navajo girls playing at St. Cristopher's Mission in Bluff, Utah in 1950. St. Christopher's Episcopal Mission was established in 1943 when H. Baxter Liebler, an Episcopal priest from Old Greenwich, Connecticut came to Bluff to establish a mission among the Navajo people. St Christopher's is named after the patron saint of travelers. When Father Liebler arrived in Bluff, there were no missions, schools, or medical/hospital facilities for the Navajo living in this remote Utah section of the reservation. Before arriving in southeast Utah, Father Liebler studied the Navajo language to make his message comprehensible to the Dineh and compatible with their understanding of harmony. He participated in Navajo ceremonies, wore his hair in the traditional Navajo style-long, pulled back and wrapped.
A year after the mission was established, a school was started which became the only school for the 1,500 Navajo living in the central part of the Utah strip of the Navajo Reservation. A hospital/ clinic building was completed in 1956. An estimated 500 babies were born in the clinic during the years it was in operation.

Salt Lake Tribune archive

Young Navajo boys at the St. Cristopher's Mission in Bluff, Utah, in 1950. St. Christopher's Episcopal Mission was established in 1943 when H. Baxter Liebler, an Episcopal priest from Old Greenwich, Connecticut came to Bluff to establish a mission among the Navajo people. St Christopher's is named after the patron saint of travelers. When Father Liebler arrived in Bluff, there were no missions, schools, or medical/hospital facilities for the Navajo living in this remote Utah section of the reservation. Before arriving in southeast Utah, Father Liebler studied the Navajo language to make his message comprehensible to the Dineh and compatible with their understanding of harmony. He participated in Navajo ceremonies, wore his hair in the traditional Navajo style-long, pulled back and wrapped.
A year after the mission was established, a school was started which became the only school for the 1,500 Navajo living in the central part of the Utah strip of the Navajo Reservation. A hospital/ clinic building was completed in 1956. An estimated 500 babies were born in the clinic during the years it was in operation.

Salt Lake Tribune archive

St. Cristopher's Mission in Bluff, Utah, 1950. St. Christopher's Episcopal Mission was established in 1943 when H. Baxter Liebler, an Episcopal priest from Old Greenwich, Connecticut came to Bluff to establish a mission among the Navajo people. St Christopher's is named after the patron saint of travelers. When Father Liebler arrived in Bluff, there were no missions, schools, or medical/hospital facilities for the Navajo living in this remote Utah section of the reservation. Before arriving in southeast Utah, Father Liebler studied the Navajo language to make his message comprehensible to the Dineh and compatible with their understanding of harmony. He participated in Navajo ceremonies, wore his hair in the traditional Navajo style-long, pulled back and wrapped. A year after the mission was established, a school was started which became the only school for the 1,500 Navajo living in the central part of the Utah strip of the Navajo Reservation. A hospital/ clinic building was completed in 1956. An estimated 500 babies were born in the clinic during the years it was in operation.

Salt Lake Tribune archive

An elder Navajo women at St. Cristopher's Mission in Bluff, Utah, 1950. St. Christopher's Episcopal Mission was established in 1943 when H. Baxter Liebler, an Episcopal priest from Old Greenwich, Connecticut came to Bluff to establish a mission among the Navajo people. St Christopher's is named after the patron saint of travelers. When Father Liebler arrived in Bluff, there were no missions, schools, or medical/hospital facilities for the Navajo living in this remote Utah section of the reservation. Before arriving in southeast Utah, Father Liebler studied the Navajo language to make his message comprehensible to the Dineh and compatible with their understanding of harmony. He participated in Navajo ceremonies, wore his hair in the traditional Navajo style-long, pulled back and wrapped. A year after the mission was established, a school was started which became the only school for the 1,500 Navajo living in the central part of the Utah strip of the Navajo Reservation. A hospital/ clinic building was completed in 1956. An estimated 500 babies were born in the clinic during the years it was in operation.

Salt Lake Tribune archive

Father Liebler talks to a group of people outside the chapel at St. Cristopher's Mission in Bluff, Utah, 1950. St. Christopher's Episcopal Mission was established in 1943 when H. Baxter Liebler, an Episcopal priest from Old Greenwich, Connecticut came to Bluff to establish a mission among the Navajo people. St Christopher's is named after the patron saint of travelers. When Father Liebler arrived in Bluff, there were no missions, schools, or medical/hospital facilities for the Navajo living in this remote Utah section of the reservation. Before arriving in southeast Utah, Father Liebler studied the Navajo language to make his message comprehensible to the Dineh and compatible with their understanding of harmony. He participated in Navajo ceremonies, wore his hair in the traditional Navajo style-long, pulled back and wrapped. A year after the mission was established, a school was started which became the only school for the 1,500 Navajo living in the central part of the Utah strip of the Navajo Reservation. A hospital/ clinic building was completed in 1956. An estimated 500 babies were born in the clinic during the years it was in operation.

Salt Lake Tribune archive

A Navajo woman at St. Cristopher's Mission in Bluff, Utah, 1950.

Salt Lake Tribune archive

The Common Room, also used in church services, at St. Cristopher's Mission in Bluff, Utah, 1950. St. Christopher's Episcopal Mission was established in 1943 when H. Baxter Liebler, an Episcopal priest from Old Greenwich, Connecticut came to Bluff to establish a mission among the Navajo people. St Christopher's is named after the patron saint of travelers. When Father Liebler arrived in Bluff, there were no missions, schools, or medical/hospital facilities for the Navajo living in this remote Utah section of the reservation. Before arriving in southeast Utah, Father Liebler studied the Navajo language to make his message comprehensible to the Dineh and compatible with their understanding of harmony. He participated in Navajo ceremonies, wore his hair in the traditional Navajo style-long, pulled back and wrapped. A year after the mission was established, a school was started which became the only school for the 1,500 Navajo living in the central part of the Utah strip of the Navajo Reservation. A hospital/ clinic building was completed in 1956. An estimated 500 babies were born in the clinic during the years it was in operation.

Salt Lake Tribune archive

Father Liebler helps a Navajo man find the right size pair of shoes at St. Cristopher's Mission in Bluff, Utah, 1950. St. Christopher's Episcopal Mission was established in 1943 when H. Baxter Liebler, an Episcopal priest from Old Greenwich, Connecticut came to Bluff to establish a mission among the Navajo people. St Christopher's is named after the patron saint of travelers. When Father Liebler arrived in Bluff, there were no missions, schools, or medical/hospital facilities for the Navajo living in this remote Utah section of the reservation. Before arriving in southeast Utah, Father Liebler studied the Navajo language to make his message comprehensible to the Dineh and compatible with their understanding of harmony. He participated in Navajo ceremonies, wore his hair in the traditional Navajo style-long, pulled back and wrapped. A year after the mission was established, a school was started which became the only school for the 1,500 Navajo living in the central part of the Utah strip of the Navajo Reservation. A hospital/ clinic building was completed in 1956. An estimated 500 babies were born in the clinic during the years it was in operation.

Salt Lake Tribune archive

An elderly Navajo woman holding a child at St. Cristopher's Mission in Bluff, Utah, 1950. St. Christopher's Episcopal Mission was established in 1943 when H. Baxter Liebler, an Episcopal priest from Old Greenwich, Connecticut came to Bluff to establish a mission among the Navajo people. St Christopher's is named after the patron saint of travelers. When Father Liebler arrived in Bluff, there were no missions, schools, or medical/hospital facilities for the Navajo living in this remote Utah section of the reservation. Before arriving in southeast Utah, Father Liebler studied the Navajo language to make his message comprehensible to the Dineh and compatible with their understanding of harmony. He participated in Navajo ceremonies, wore his hair in the traditional Navajo style-long, pulled back and wrapped. A year after the mission was established, a school was started which became the only school for the 1,500 Navajo living in the central part of the Utah strip of the Navajo Reservation. A hospital/ clinic building was completed in 1956. An estimated 500 babies were born in the clinic during the years it was in operation.

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Salt Lake Tribune archive Father Liebler holding church services at St. Cristopher's Mission in Bluff, Utah in 1950. St. Christopher's Episcopal Mission was established in 1943 when H. Baxter Liebler, an Episcopal priest from Old Greenwich, Connecticut came to Bluff to establish a mission among the Navajo people. St Christopher's is named after the patron saint of travelers. When Father Liebler arrived in Bluff, there were no missions, schools, or medical/hospital facilities for the Navajo living in this remote Utah section of the reservation. Before arriving in southeast Utah, Father Liebler studied the Navajo language to make his message comprehensible to the Dineh and compatible with their understanding of harmony. He participated in Navajo ceremonies, wore his hair in the traditional Navajo style-long, pulled back and wrapped. A year after the mission was established, a school was started which became the only school for the 1,500 Navajo living in the central part of the Utah strip of the Navajo Reservation. A hospital/ clinic building was completed in 1956. An estimated 500 babies were born in the clinic during the years it was in operation. Salt Lake Tribune archive Father Liebler recording video at St. Cristopher's Mission in Bluff, Utah, 1950. St. Christopher's Episcopal Mission was established in 1943 when H. Baxter Liebler, an Episcopal priest from Old Greenwich, Connecticut came to Bluff to establish a mission among the Navajo people. St Christopher's is named after the patron saint of travelers. When Father Liebler arrived in Bluff, there were no missions, schools, or medical/hospital facilities for the Navajo living in this remote Utah section of the reservation. Before arriving in southeast Utah, Father Liebler studied the Navajo language to make his message comprehensible to the Dineh and compatible with their understanding of harmony. He participated in Navajo ceremonies, wore his hair in the traditional Navajo style-long, pulled back and wrapped. A year after the mission was established, a school was started which became the only school for the 1,500 Navajo living in the central part of the Utah strip of the Navajo Reservation. A hospital/ clinic building was completed in 1956. An estimated 500 babies were born in the clinic during the years it was in operation. Salt Lake Tribune archive Young Navajo girls playing at St. Cristopher's Mission in Bluff, Utah in 1950. St. Christopher's Episcopal Mission was established in 1943 when H. Baxter Liebler, an Episcopal priest from Old Greenwich, Connecticut came to Bluff to establish a mission among the Navajo people. St Christopher's is named after the patron saint of travelers. When Father Liebler arrived in Bluff, there were no missions, schools, or medical/hospital facilities for the Navajo living in this remote Utah section of the reservation. Before arriving in southeast Utah, Father Liebler studied the Navajo language to make his message comprehensible to the Dineh and compatible with their understanding of harmony. He participated in Navajo ceremonies, wore his hair in the traditional Navajo style-long, pulled back and wrapped. A year after the mission was established, a school was started which became the only school for the 1,500 Navajo living in the central part of the Utah strip of the Navajo Reservation. A hospital/ clinic building was completed in 1956. An estimated 500 babies were born in the clinic during the years it was in operation. Salt Lake Tribune archive Young Navajo boys at the St. Cristopher's Mission in Bluff, Utah, in 1950. St. Christopher's Episcopal Mission was established in 1943 when H. Baxter Liebler, an Episcopal priest from Old Greenwich, Connecticut came to Bluff to establish a mission among the Navajo people. St Christopher's is named after the patron saint of travelers. When Father Liebler arrived in Bluff, there were no missions, schools, or medical/hospital facilities for the Navajo living in this remote Utah section of the reservation. Before arriving in southeast Utah, Father Liebler studied the Navajo language to make his message comprehensible to the Dineh and compatible with their understanding of harmony. He participated in Navajo ceremonies, wore his hair in the traditional Navajo style-long, pulled back and wrapped. A year after the mission was established, a school was started which became the only school for the 1,500 Navajo living in the central part of the Utah strip of the Navajo Reservation. A hospital/ clinic building was completed in 1956. An estimated 500 babies were born in the clinic during the years it was in operation. Salt Lake Tribune archive St. Cristopher's Mission in Bluff, Utah, 1950. St. Christopher's Episcopal Mission was established in 1943 when H. Baxter Liebler, an Episcopal priest from Old Greenwich, Connecticut came to Bluff to establish a mission among the Navajo people. St Christopher's is named after the patron saint of travelers. When Father Liebler arrived in Bluff, there were no missions, schools, or medical/hospital facilities for the Navajo living in this remote Utah section of the reservation. Before arriving in southeast Utah, Father Liebler studied the Navajo language to make his message comprehensible to the Dineh and compatible with their understanding of harmony. He participated in Navajo ceremonies, wore his hair in the traditional Navajo style-long, pulled back and wrapped. A year after the mission was established, a school was started which became the only school for the 1,500 Navajo living in the central part of the Utah strip of the Navajo Reservation. A hospital/ clinic building was completed in 1956. An estimated 500 babies were born in the clinic during the years it was in operation. Salt Lake Tribune archive An elder Navajo women at St. Cristopher's Mission in Bluff, Utah, 1950. St. Christopher's Episcopal Mission was established in 1943 when H. Baxter Liebler, an Episcopal priest from Old Greenwich, Connecticut came to Bluff to establish a mission among the Navajo people. St Christopher's is named after the patron saint of travelers. When Father Liebler arrived in Bluff, there were no missions, schools, or medical/hospital facilities for the Navajo living in this remote Utah section of the reservation. Before arriving in southeast Utah, Father Liebler studied the Navajo language to make his message comprehensible to the Dineh and compatible with their understanding of harmony. He participated in Navajo ceremonies, wore his hair in the traditional Navajo style-long, pulled back and wrapped. A year after the mission was established, a school was started which became the only school for the 1,500 Navajo living in the central part of the Utah strip of the Navajo Reservation. A hospital/ clinic building was completed in 1956. An estimated 500 babies were born in the clinic during the years it was in operation. Salt Lake Tribune archive Father Liebler talks to a group of people outside the chapel at St. Cristopher's Mission in Bluff, Utah, 1950. St. Christopher's Episcopal Mission was established in 1943 when H. Baxter Liebler, an Episcopal priest from Old Greenwich, Connecticut came to Bluff to establish a mission among the Navajo people. St Christopher's is named after the patron saint of travelers. When Father Liebler arrived in Bluff, there were no missions, schools, or medical/hospital facilities for the Navajo living in this remote Utah section of the reservation. Before arriving in southeast Utah, Father Liebler studied the Navajo language to make his message comprehensible to the Dineh and compatible with their understanding of harmony. He participated in Navajo ceremonies, wore his hair in the traditional Navajo style-long, pulled back and wrapped. A year after the mission was established, a school was started which became the only school for the 1,500 Navajo living in the central part of the Utah strip of the Navajo Reservation. A hospital/ clinic building was completed in 1956. An estimated 500 babies were born in the clinic during the years it was in operation. Salt Lake Tribune archive A Navajo woman at St. Cristopher's Mission in Bluff, Utah, 1950. Salt Lake Tribune archive The Common Room, also used in church services, at St. Cristopher's Mission in Bluff, Utah, 1950. St. Christopher's Episcopal Mission was established in 1943 when H. Baxter Liebler, an Episcopal priest from Old Greenwich, Connecticut came to Bluff to establish a mission among the Navajo people. St Christopher's is named after the patron saint of travelers. When Father Liebler arrived in Bluff, there were no missions, schools, or medical/hospital facilities for the Navajo living in this remote Utah section of the reservation. Before arriving in southeast Utah, Father Liebler studied the Navajo language to make his message comprehensible to the Dineh and compatible with their understanding of harmony. He participated in Navajo ceremonies, wore his hair in the traditional Navajo style-long, pulled back and wrapped. A year after the mission was established, a school was started which became the only school for the 1,500 Navajo living in the central part of the Utah strip of the Navajo Reservation. A hospital/ clinic building was completed in 1956. An estimated 500 babies were born in the clinic during the years it was in operation. Salt Lake Tribune archive Father Liebler helps a Navajo man find the right size pair of shoes at St. Cristopher's Mission in Bluff, Utah, 1950. St. Christopher's Episcopal Mission was established in 1943 when H. Baxter Liebler, an Episcopal priest from Old Greenwich, Connecticut came to Bluff to establish a mission among the Navajo people. St Christopher's is named after the patron saint of travelers. When Father Liebler arrived in Bluff, there were no missions, schools, or medical/hospital facilities for the Navajo living in this remote Utah section of the reservation. Before arriving in southeast Utah, Father Liebler studied the Navajo language to make his message comprehensible to the Dineh and compatible with their understanding of harmony. He participated in Navajo ceremonies, wore his hair in the traditional Navajo style-long, pulled back and wrapped. A year after the mission was established, a school was started which became the only school for the 1,500 Navajo living in the central part of the Utah strip of the Navajo Reservation. A hospital/ clinic building was completed in 1956. An estimated 500 babies were born in the clinic during the years it was in operation. Salt Lake Tribune archive An elderly Navajo woman holding a child at St. Cristopher's Mission in Bluff, Utah, 1950. St. Christopher's Episcopal Mission was established in 1943 when H. Baxter Liebler, an Episcopal priest from Old Greenwich, Connecticut came to Bluff to establish a mission among the Navajo people. St Christopher's is named after the patron saint of travelers. When Father Liebler arrived in Bluff, there were no missions, schools, or medical/hospital facilities for the Navajo living in this remote Utah section of the reservation. Before arriving in southeast Utah, Father Liebler studied the Navajo language to make his message comprehensible to the Dineh and compatible with their understanding of harmony. He participated in Navajo ceremonies, wore his hair in the traditional Navajo style-long, pulled back and wrapped. A year after the mission was established, a school was started which became the only school for the 1,500 Navajo living in the central part of the Utah strip of the Navajo Reservation. A hospital/ clinic building was completed in 1956. An estimated 500 babies were born in the clinic during the years it was in operation.

The Salt Lake Tribune

· May 1, 2015 7:33 am

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The Salt Lake Tribune occasionally presents images from its archives in a special series called A Look Back. Today we feature historic photos of St. Christopher's Episcopal Mission, which was established in 1943 when H. Baxter Liebler, an Episcopal priest from Old Greenwich, Connecticut came to Bluff to establish a mission among the Navajo people.