"After the Indian wars, many Americans still believed that the only good Indian was a dead Indian. But at Ganado Mission in the Navajo country of northern Arizona, a group of missionaries and doctors--who cared less about saving souls and more about saving lives--chose a different way and persuaded the local parents and medicine men to allow them to educate their daughters as nurses. The young women struggled to step into the world of modern medicine, but they knew they might become nurses who could build a bridge between the old ways and the new. In this detailed history Jim Kristofic traces the story of Ganado Mission on the Navajo Indian Reservation. Kristofic's personal connection with the community creates a nuanced historical understanding that blends engaging narrative with careful scholarship to share the stories of the people and their commitment to this place"-- Provided by publisher.

Foreword : Ghosts in the graveyard --Prologue : The last night -- Peace time on bad soil -- The red house man -- Greenhorn clergymen -- Like real men -- Mechanical tendencies of mind -- The house with the pointed top -- The walking doctor -- Into a large place -- Water from the rock -- These dark-minded Indians -- A miracle in five million pounds of gray stone -- Practicing medicine in the desert -- Red women in white -- The flying lady -- The Indian child is not capable -- Fast slipping away -- No longer feel suspicion -- Both feet out of the grave -- We can begin yesterday afternoon -- A nest of stars -- An oasis in the desert -- Teenagers first, Navajos second, Indians incidentally -- Adventurous, challenging, and enchanting -- English only -- The waste places -- Work with them day to day -- When she leaves it the task is done -- A slave camp -- A flower of our civilization -- Out into the country -- This situation has run the length of its course -- The Ganado Mission High School -- They had no other choice -- We have reached a critical point -- A colorful eroded desert place -- Epilogue : Chusk'eh Daa' : at the bank's edge.