Students Working on School Farms

Page one opened with information, including statistics, from the Annual Report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs about Carlisle and other schools as reported by Indian agents. Page two contains more arguments for, and accounts of support for, educating Indian youth. The article "Our Dining Hall" describes the physical space, the work the…

The August edition opens with an article on the need to be useful the Carlisle Children feel, and how badly the writer felt when unable to work while sick. It continued onto page four. Page two brings Samuel Townsend (Pawnee) stepping down as editor with Charles Kihega (Iowa) taking his place. There is also pieces on the possibility of moving…

A booklet of information and photographs assembled by the Carlisle Indian School for their 23rd year, circa 1902.  Includes a short history of the school and the town and school demographic information.  Includes pictures of arriving students, students during classroom and extracurricular activities, the buildings on campus, farmwork…

Richard Henry Pratt states that last year both the Secretary of the Interior and Commissioner of Indian Affairs agreed that he should rent a farm adjoining the Carlisle Indian School to teach male students how to farm "general crops" and female students how to care for dairy cows. Unfortunately, he was only able to rent two parcels of land…

Stailey Norcross writes to his former outing patron William Balderston regarding his current work on the Carlisle Indian School farm.

Richard Henry Pratt responds to Thomas Metoxen's request to either be sent home or receive additional pay to remain at Carlisle. Pratt notes that Metoxen choose to stay as part of the band when asked (in order to travel to and perform in Chicago) and that the possibility for increased pay depending on the appropriation. However, at the moment…

Richard Henry Pratt protests the decrease in the ration allowance table recently made by the Office of Indian Affairs.

Richard Henry Pratt requests authority to pay for repairs as well as student labor on the school farm. Pratt notes that the farm is three miles away from the school and serves as an outing experience for the students.

Richard Henry Pratt requests authority to pay six individuals to work the entire day at the school farms of the Carlisle Indian School. Pratt also requests to purchase 200 pairs of shoes on the open market.

Richard Henry Pratt requests authority to employ students over the summer at the school farms, industrial shops, and other skilled work. 

Richard Henry Pratt requests that the position held by Anna F. Bennett be changed from Assistant Cook to Housekeeper. Pratt provides the justification for the request due to the increase in duties in cooking for students working on the farm.

Edgar A. Allen requests authority to pay the wife of Oliver Harlan, Assistant Farmer, for her services as a housekeeper during the summer months while students live on the school farm.

Richard Henry Pratt provides a report detailing agriculture production at the Carlisle Indian School during 1903.

William A. Mercer requests authority to pay an additional $600 to pay for student labor over the 1906 summer.

Carlisle Indian School Superintendent Moses Friedman requests to abolish two housekeeper positions, held by Annie R. Cranford and Elizabeth Egolf, at $180 per year. Friedman explained that the two housekeepers work at the "first farm" (the Parker Farm) at the school, but the farm is so close to the school that it would be best for the students…

The typed transcript of C. K. Ballard's testimony before the Joint Commission to Investigate Indian Affairs. At the time Ballard was the assistant farmer at the school.

In his testimony Ballard answers questions about his role as second farmer and his opinions about what crops would be most productive on the land he works.

In the…

The typed transcript of W. J. Ryan's testimony before the Joint Commission to Investigate Indian Affairs. At the time Ryan was the dairyman for the school.

In his testimony Ryan answers questions about his role as dairyman (including number of cows in his care and the structures he uses) and describes difficulties with the male students…

The typed transcript of William B. Gray's testimony before the Joint Commission to Investigate Indian Affairs. At the time Gray was working as a farmer at the school.

In his testimony Gray answers questions about his work on one of the farms that served Carlisle at the time. He discusses what is grown on the farm, students' role in the…

This material includes documents regarding Superintendent Oscar H. Lipps' request for authorization to pay students to work on the farm over the summer.

These materials include correspondence regarding a request to pay irregular student labor for harvesting grain planted at the Carlisle Indian School which exceeded the previous fiscal authorization.

Carlisle Indian School Superintendent Oscar H. Lipps requests to spend $500 from the "Indian School, Carlisle, Pa., 1916" account to pay students for irregular labor on the school farms and gardens.