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A secret that wasn’t a secret


A secret that wasn’t a secret

By Joseph Budd

Native Sun News Today Staff Writer

As news comes to light on the Boarding School issues, facts and locations will surprise almost everyone. However for some, it’s less a surprise, as it is or was, a way of life for thousands of students around the State of South Dakota.

For most people, when the talk centers on Indian Boarding Schools, the first two that come to mind, center on Red Cloud, or the Rapid City Indian School.  However, a report that was just released by the Department of the Interior, showed 30 federal Native American Boarding schools operating in the state, between 1819, and 1969. In just the first volume of data released, and set by the specific criteria, showed over 400 boarding schools, in 37 states, with over 500 children listed as died. The given reports, expects the numbers to increase as investigations into these sites uncover more details.

The Criteria, first off, was benchmarked off 4 items. To qualify as a Federal Indian Boarding School, it had to have:

Housing – Institution ever described as providing housing or overnight lodging to attendees on site.

Education – Institution ever described as providing formal academic or vocational training or instruction.

Federal support – Institution ever described as having federal government funds or other support provided to the institution.

And Timeframe – Institution operational at any time prior to 1969.

Some of the schools on this list, used to be boarding schools that transferred into regular schools over time. Others, for one reason or another, simply closed either due to lack of students or funding. It does make note though, the listing for South Dakota shows 23 sites, but the main Map of Appendix A, lists 31 sites within South Dakota. Some sites, may have served twice, in the same location, making up the other 5 sites.

And likewise, so far 53 burial sites have been discovered, and the number is also expected to increase, according to the report. Currently, specific locations are not public to protect against grave-robbing and vandalism.

One of the first schools on the list, the Ascension Girls Boarding School, was operated in 1880, and was functioning until 1887. Located on the Sisseton Agency, it was held in a house of a Rev. John B Renville. Documents show, a total of 14 girls were housed here, in 1884, and serve as a Mission, Boarding School and a Day School at Iyakaptapi. Spring Grove, the location for the School, is still around today, the township sits just east of the I-29 corridor, and has a given population of 130 people.

The Chamberlain Indian School, was originally opened in 1898, and was in operation until 1909. Functioning as both a Boarding School and a Training School, a number of students the year prior to closure transferred out to the Rapid City school. The land and building would be sold to the Catholic Church, and evolved into the St. Joseph’s Indian School, which is in use today, located north of the City of Chamberlain.

At Forest City, a school was established in 1893, and would last until 1959, called the Cheyenne River Agency Boarding School, or the Forest City Boarding School. Located near Gettysburg, the school’s Superintendent John Frazier stated they would expand, to accommodate students from the Fort Bennett School.  Now, Forest City is much like the school. The town, is considered unincorporated, and the post office closed in 1943. Located near the Missouri River and the Highway 212 bridge crossing, it sits just outside of the Reservation.

In 1959, the aforementioned Boarding School, would be merged with a public school, at Eagle Butte. The school, currently operating as a Bureau of Indian Education school, also had a separate reason for a merger. The former Cheyenne Agency location, now sits under the water of Lake Oahe, after the lake was flooded when a dam was constructed. The Fort Bennett School, also mentioned, was a boy’s only school from the Forest City district, would be closed in 1894, with hopes to reopen, but never did, at a location known as North Stanley.

The original Crow Creek Agency Boarding School, located at Fort Thompson, was settled in 1880, and have a few different titles. It was the Crow Creek Industrial School, Fort Thompson Community School, Fort Thompson Indian School, Fort Thompson Vocational Day School, Fort Thompson Boarding and Vocational Day School and the Victory No.8 School District. While the School would operate until 1920 as a boarding school, it would become simply Victory School, and last until 1940.

Flandreau Indian, a school that is still currently in service, was originally settled in 1872 and was started as the Riggs Institute, a Presbyterian mission school named after Alfred Riggs. It primarily served Santee, Sisseton and Wahpeton Sioux children.

Good Will Mission Boarding School, located in the same town, was started in 1889, and lasted until 1912. Set up as a Mission and a Boarding school, it was operated also under the Presbyterian Church under the Sisseton Agency. Established by Wyllys K Morris as the leader and teacher, the church still stands to this day.

Grace Mission Home Boarding and Day School, located in Crow Creek, got its start in 1887, and would run until 1912. 25 miles north of Chamberlain, the school would be abandoned, and the 20 students joined the class body at the Crow Creek Boarding school.

Grand River Boarding School, founded in 1893, would develop after three other schools merged, from the Grand River Day School, Little Eagle Day School and the Marmot Day School. It would last until 1911.

The Hare Industrial School, which started in 1929 and lasted into the 1970s, was located in Mission, would serve grades 1-10, until it transitioned into a boys’ home in the mid 1930’s. This was a school run under the Presbyterian Church, under the Rosebud Agency.

The Hope Indian Boarding School, originally established in 1879, would remain in operation until 1923, out of Springfield. This one, was interesting as it existed under the Santee Agency in Nebraska, though it was here in South Dakota. The School became an independent boarding school for girls in 1902, but was primarily set up by the Episcopal Church through 1896.

The Immaculate Conception Mission School, located out of Stephan, is believed to have after closing, became a government contract boarding school…called Crow Creek. This school was in operation from 1886 to 1961.

Lower Brule Boarding and Day School, still currently open, was originally 30 miles north of Chamberlain, than was moved to 30 miles from the old Lower Brule agency location. Originally opened in 1895, it went through 4 name changed before the final version, as Lower Brule High School.

At Oacoma, the Lower Brule Industrial Boarding school was in operation from 1882 until 1895, and was mentioned it could hold 50 boarders, and “nearly as many more day scholars.” It did close briefly from 1882-1883, but reopened afterwards.

Oahe Boarding School, located in Peoria Flats, was in operation from 1874 to 1914, opened as a boarding school in 1883, then in 1890s, a second school for young girls. The mission school served students from Standing Rock, Cheyenne River and Rosebud, English was taught in school and religious and moral instruction was given in Dakota.

The Pierre Indian School, opened in 1891, originally opened with a total of 5 students, still is in operation under the BIE. The reexamination by the BIE in 1972, now serves children from 15 different tribes.

Pine Ridge, as well operating under the BIE, originally opened in 1883, as a Boarding school, and now as a high school, with a current building constructed in 1995. The original school opened with 80 children.

Plum Creek Boarding school, in operation from 1895 to 1902, was located in the same location as the namesake, of Plum Creek. Operating by a religious institution and the government, it was listed as both a Mission and a boarding school. Currently a town does not exist, but a Township does, for the nearby ranchers.

Rapid City Indian School, which probably has been in the news more than any other site lately, was a school from 1898, then closed in 1933. Since 1939, it was a Sanitarium on site for Native Americans, was finally closed in the 1960s, to become a TB  sanitarium to treat the patients of TB epidemic amongst the Lakota people in the 1940s and was renamed the Sioux Sanitarium.  Efforts in 2017 regarding a land trust have been ongoing to this day, regarding over 1200 acres of deeded lands.

Red Cloud Indian School, founded in 1888, was first known as Holy Rosary Mission, Holy Rosary Mission Boarding School and Holy Rosary Mission school, was a Catholic boarding school run by the Catholic Church with resources from the federal government. The School is still open, but not as a boarding school. When a former student named Tim Giago, an Oglala Lakota, wrote a book about the school in the 1970s he was lambasted by the Catholic Church and when newspaper reporters called the school to question the staff about what was in the book they almost always denied that he had ever attended the school. And now the truth comes out. Giago’s newspapers have been writing about the boarding schools for more than 40 years.

Rosebud Agency Boarding and Day School was set up in 1895, in Mission, was a boarding and day school, until 1951 saw it closed.

Sisseton Agency Boarding and Day School, opened in late 1873, was a Government boarding school, was operated by the Sisseton agency, closed in 1920 but also was listed as an industrial school in its time of operations.

St Benedict Mission School, founded in 1879, was a Boarding school and Farm school, was located in Kenel, and ran by Benedictine sisters, as part of the St Benedict Mission, under Abbot Martin Marty and Rev Martin Kenel. It finally closed in 1961.

St Elizabeth’s School, out of Wakpala was in operation from 1886 to 1967, has several items of its history located in the Smithsonian, the National Museum for the American Indian, regarding historical and biographical data, including information about its construction, as the first Episcopal mission on the Standing Rock Reservation and Rev. Philip J. Deloria, from the Yankton Dakota, who served as minister until 1925. Nearly 60 Lakota were enrolled there in 1902.

St Francis, currently operating as a school was originally a mission, dating back to 1886. Located in St. Francis, the boarding school portion finally closed in 1932, becoming a regular catholic high school.

St. John’s School for girls, in operation from 1889 to 1902, was located in North Stanley, was owned by the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and maintained in part by the Government. It was also known as the St. John’s William Welsh Memorial School.

St. Joseph’s Indian School, located near Chamberlain was established in 1927, there isn’t a lot of data on federal funding, but a diary entry in 1929 mentions government doctors came to the school to look at the children, and perform multiple surgeries.

St Mary’s School for Girls, another school located in Springfield would operate from 1895 to 1932, was noted as a government and religious society boarding school, operated by the Episcopal Church.

St. Paul’s Indian Mission School, still in operation was founded in 1893, is currently operated by the Yankton Sioux Tribe, and was founded in 1924. Previously operated by the Episcopal Church in 1902 and with a Catholic affiliation in 1932.

Yankton Industrial Boarding School, opening in 1882 and ran through 1920, was through the Yankton Agency its entirety of operation.

James the photo is below.

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