Food and Dining

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 forwards a contract between the Carlisle Indian School and Glatfelter and Nace for the latter to provide 600 barrels of flour for the 1885 fiscal year.

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 provides a list of property which has become unserviceable and requests authority from the Office of Indian Affairs to drop them from his property returns.

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

Richard Henry Pratt requests authority to spend $400 a year for traveling and incidental expenses of school agents to visit students on the outing program. In addition, he requests $60 to purchase ice for the hospital, kitchen, and school use during the fiscal year.

Richard Henry Pratt requests authority to purchase $150 dollars worth of postage stamps and another $150 in the open market for canned goods, fruit, crackers, etc. for the special diet of hospital patients.

Louis L. Robbins, Superintendent of the New York Warehouse, asks for instructions for shipping 5,000 pounds of hominy from Omaha to Chicago for the Carlisle Indian School as there is no provision for transportation. Robbins also provides details about purchasing hominy in New York as compared to Omaha.

Richard Henry Pratt requests authority to purchase a new range for the teacher's and employee's mess hall along with a galvanized boiler.

James A. Cooper provides his report to the Office of Indian Affairs regarding his inspection of the Carlisle Indian School. Cooper covers the buildings, the number of pupils, the staff, clothing and diet of students, and discipline. Cooper also covers the industrial and traditional educations at Carlisle and ends by comparing the students at…

Estimate of funds for the first quarter of 1892 amounting to $54,367.65 for support of the school, transportation of Indian supplies, and stock cattle.

Richard Henry Pratt notes that C. R. Dixon, School Physician, recommends that pupils have a liberal supply of fruit available. With the delay in dried fruit, Pratt requests authority to purchase 110 bushels of apples.

Charles H. Thompson forwards an inspection report of the Carlisle Indian School on March 2, 1892. Thompson's report examines a wide range of topics related to the school including the buildings, health of students, food, student's social lives, industrial training, outings, and academic training.

Thompson also includes a number of…

Richard Henry Pratt responds to an Office of Indian Affairs letter regarding the rations used at the Carlisle Indian School and a comparison between the Indian School rations and Army rations. Pratt notes the differences mainly in what the school can produce on its own as well as the need for more soap to properly clean buildings and people. He…

Correspondence related to claims from parents on the Cattaraugus Reservation of children at the Carlisle Indian School related to the return of their children. A. W. Ferrin, U.S. Indian Agent for New York Indians, relative to their claims from their children that they do not receive enough food to eat. Richard Henry Pratt suggests that these…

Richard Henry Pratt responds to a request from Betsy White for the return of her grandson Ely S. Parker from the Carlisle Indian School. Pratt notes that he has made an inspection of the kitchen and dining room and interviewed students and found no complaints among the students. He also provides the weight of the students from the Seneca Nation…

Mary M. Kennedy provides Thomas J. Morgan two letters regarding claims made by students at Carlisle regarding their punishment over complaints that they are not receiving enough food to eat. She further states that Richard Henry Pratt punishes students when he hears they have written home complaining and to not show the letters to him.

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Mary M. Kennedy requests the return of her granddaughter from the Carlisle Indian School. Kennedy notes that the students like the school but they do not have enough to eat and that the students are sick despite Richard Henry Pratt claiming otherwise. Kennedy further states that her granddaughter is homesick because Pratt is scolding the New…

Richard Henry Pratt responds to complaints of Bertha Parker regarding her brother Ely Parker and her cousin Nellie Kennedy both of whom are students at the Carlisle Indian School. Parker further claims that both have claimed that they are not getting enough food to eat and that Pratt is lying when he tells them that they are gaining weight. In…

Daniel Dorchester, Superintendent of the Indian Schools, comments on his investigation regarding a letter written by Adela Rankin to Theodore Roosevelt about student abuse, as well as complaints of New York Indians regarding a lack of food at Carlisle. Dorchester relates that he has tried to follow up with Rankin but has not gotten a response…

Richard Henry Pratt replies to an Office of Indian Affairs letter concerning to the estimate of funds for the third quarter of 1893. Pratt goes through various ways he has already reduced costs and notes that if needed he will send students on outing earlier to further reduce expenses.

Mary M. Kennedy writes to the Office of Indian Affairs requesting that the New York students at the Carlisle Indian School be returned. Kennedy claims that the students are not receiving enough food to eat. In addition, one student whose father requested his return was claimed to be healthy by Richard Henry Pratt but upon his return he was…

A. W. Ferrin forwards petition of the Cattaraugus Reservation requesting the return of certain pupils from the Carlisle Indian School. The petition claims that parents were misinformed and that some students were taken without consent, parents are unhappy with the treatment of their children, that students are not getting enough academic…

Richard Henry Pratt informs the Office of Indian Affairs that Minnie M. Birch is unqualified for the position of dining room matron and requests a new candidate.