Historic Kiowa church burns down during Friday wildfires

The over 130 year-old historic Rainy Mountain Kiowa Indian church was destroyed during Friday's extreme weather around the Mountain View area.

Lily Painter, a Kiowa/Winnebago writer and undergraduate student from the University of Oklahoma, reached out to News 9 to share the unfortunate news affecting over 600 church community members.

"It is a major loss for the Kiowa Tribe as a whole," she wrote. "The church historically has included notable Kiowa chief's as members, as well as the late Kiowa Pulitzer Prize winning author N. Scott Momaday."

The donation page reads "The near-70 mph winds knocked down the power lines near the back of the church, creating a live wire spark. Due to the high winds it was difficult to contain the fire as it spread rapidly, engulfing the church in flames. The church had been standing since its November 1949 dedication after a previous fire in 1948."

Painter began a Gofundme site for people to connect and donate for the reconstruction of the storied church.

The site reads, "Proceeds will go towards rebuilding the church - including but not limited to: landscaping/clean up, wiring, plumbing, construction, AC/heat, pews, books/hymnals, etc."