Food and Dining

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…

An excerpt from the Annual Report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs to the Secretary of the Interior for the fiscal year ending 1906, containing the Twenty-Seventh Annual Report of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. The report, submitted by Superintendent William A. Mercer, includes discussions of health, building projects, agriculture…

Female students posed in rows, standing in front of the dining pavilion. In the foreground a black man stands beside an outdoor cooking grill with pots and pans on it. Another man stands, wiping his face, beside a pile of wood. At far left a female student in Native-style clothing poses with a boy and arrow. Behind her a female student wearing…

Telegram from Richard Henry Pratt to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs requesting $2,000 for food at the Carlisle Indian School and to cover expenses for a recruitment trip in the West. Pratt notes that he is leaving for Winfield, Kansas soon.

Richard Henry Pratt reports that the Rosebud delegation that visited Carlisle consumed 1,103 pounds of beef during their visit.

George Kellogg of the Medical Division of the Bureau of Indian Affairs provides a sanitary report on the buildings, appliances, and children at the Carlisle Indian School. He recommends replacing some old brick drains with terra cotta pipes. He finds the buildings to be of a satisfactory condition, particularly commending the hospital - though…

Richard Henry Pratt requests authority to purchase food for students instead of using the government-issued rations. Pratt requests to spend up to 17.5¢ per student per day and to be able to choose food for the students so that they can receive better nutrition.

Note: This item was copied from U.S. National Archives microfilm reels (M234…

Richard Henry Pratt requests authority to pay for the school's contingent expenses in the current quarter, which he estimates to be $1,280.

Note: This item was copied from U.S. National Archives microfilm reels (M234), which were filmed from the original documents found in Record Group 75, Entry 79, "Letters Received by the Office of…

Richard Henry Pratt requests to spend $2,125 on beef and flour for students.

Note: This item was copied from U.S. National Archives microfilm reels (M234), which were filmed from the original documents found in Record Group 75, Entry 79, "Letters Received by the Office of Indian Affairs, 1824-80."

Richard Henry Pratt requests authority to purchase fruits, butter, eggs, milk, and berries for students' health during the 1881 fiscal year.

Note: This item was copied from U.S. National Archives microfilm reels (M234), which were filmed from the original documents found in Record Group 75, Entry 79, "Letters Received by the Office of…

Richard Henry Pratt requests to spend $90 on the purchase of butter, milk, eggs, and fruit for sick students and the "general health of the school."

Note: This item was copied from U.S. National Archives microfilm reels (M234), which were filmed from the original documents found in Record Group 75, Entry 79, "Letters Received by the…

Estimate of Funds for the fourth quarter of 1880 amounting to $1,880 for beef and flour, $1,000 for clothing and material to manufacture clothing, and $700 for fuel, stamps, water, and other contingencies.

Note: This item was copied from U.S. National Archives microfilm reels (M234), which were filmed from the original documents found in…

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…

Richard Henry Pratt requests to purchase a four foot extension to the school's cooking range and two copper boilers totaling $126. He explains that the current range is too small to accommodate the recent increase in students.

Note: This item was copied from U.S. National Archives microfilm reels (M234), which were filmed from the…

Richard Henry Pratt requests to spend $90 on butter, eggs, milk, and other food that the school physician believes is necessary for the students in poor health.

Note: This item was copied from U.S. National Archives microfilm reels (M234), which were filmed from the original documents found in Record Group 75, Entry 79, "Letters Received…

Richard Henry Pratt requests to spend $645 on flour and $1,686 on beef for the first quarter of 1881.

Note: This item was copied from U.S. National Archives microfilm reels (M234), which were filmed from the original documents found in Record Group 75, Entry 79, "Letters Received by the Office of Indian Affairs, 1824-80."

Richard Henry Pratt seeks additional funding to purchase food to meet the requirements outlined by the school surgeon for ill children, including butter, milk, and eggs.

Richard Henry Pratt requests a reduction in various rations in order to purchase additional cows for providing a greater milk supply to students. Pratt cites a visit from Dr. Cornelius Rea Agnew and his recommendation that for a healthy student body students be allowed to drink as much milk as they want in the morning and evening. To follow…

Richard Henry Pratt forwards letter from D. M. Riordan, U.S. Indian Agent for the Navajo Agency, discussing the hardships involved in overseeing the agency. Pratt also discusses various matters at the Carlisle Indian School.

Richard Henry Pratt transmits to the Bureau of Indian Affairs plans for a building at the Carlisle Indian School to include a kitchen, dining room, laundry, and a sewing room along with a cellar for commissary supplies, root cellar, and coal bin. Pratt notes that using School labor and materials he can cut the cost down from the estimates given…

Specifications for the proposed dining room.

Richard Henry Pratt informs the Office of Indian Affairs that he has on hand a larger number of boy's sizes of hose than he can use. As a result he requests he be provided with 20 dozen of boy's size 8 and 140 dozen of men's size 9, 10, and 11. In addition, he requests his estimate for coffee be reduced to 2,500 pounds and no tea.

Richard Henry Pratt returns statement of funds for the third quarter of 1885 and advises commissioner he did not request cornmeal. An explanatory cover letter is attached.

T. S. Childs makes a report to the Office of Indian Affairs on Carlisle Indian School and the Indian Training School at the Hampton Institute. Childs report was prompted by complaints made against the Hampton Institute related to the health and discipline of students. Childs report focuses mostly on Hampton while examining Carlisle in order to…

Richard Henry Pratt requests authority to purchase various food supplies along with scarlet braid and cord. Pratt encloses form used to advertise the contracts.