New Tribes Mission - Early History

Early History

NTM was founded by Paul Fleming from Los Angeles, in 1942. In the '30s, Fleming had worked as a missionary in the British colony, Malaya. The organization sent out its first group in November 1942, to Bolivia. Of the 10 adults and six children, six were killed the following year. According to Time Magazine, five NTM missionaries were killed by aboriginal Bolivians in 1943.

Initially, NTM was based in a former nightclub in Chicago. In 1943, NTM started publishing its magazine Brown Gold. In 1944/45, NTM moved headquarters to Chico, California. Shortly thereafter, it established a "boot camp" (missionary training facility) at Fouts Springs, California.

In June 1950, the first plane bought by NTM crashed in Venezuela, killing all 15 people on board. The second plane bought by NTM crashed in November the same year at Mount Moran in Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming), while on its way to bring missionaries abroad, killing all 21 aboard, including spouses, several children and founder Paul Fleming. In July 1953, 14 NTM members serving as volunteer firefighters died in what became known as the Rattlesnake Fire about 25 miles north of Fouts Springs, California in the Mendocino National Forest.