Saturday, October 22, 2011

Stewart Indian School

Jill's Journal: These lovely buildings of the Stewart Indian School near Carson City belie a sad time in U.S. history. Opened in 1890 with 37 students from local Washoe, Paiute, and Shoshone tribes, the Stewart Indian School removed children from their tribes and their families when they were as young as four years old. It was all part of the time when the Bureau of Indian Affairs forced assimilation into American culture on many Indian children.

Eventually, the school grew and allegedly became a happier place. It featured over 60 buildings in this stunning native stone, most built by students learning stone masonry. The school was the only off-reservation boarding school for Native Americans in Nevada before closing in 1980 due to federal budget cuts.

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