Outing Program Administration

Richard Henry Pratt informs Commissioner of Indian Affairs R. E. Trowbridge that he would like students to have outings on farms located in Berkshire and Hampshire counties in Massachusetts. According to Pratt's plan, the Bureau of Indian Affairs would pay for the students' transit while students would pay for their food and washing expenses.…

Richard Henry Pratt asks Acting Commissioner of Indian Affairs E. J. Brooks if he will accept his request to place a party of students in Massachusetts for the summer.

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…

Alexander Hyde writes to Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz about his experience as an outing host for three Carlisle Indian School students, Lulu, Stephen, and Frank, in the Summer of 1880. Hyde states that he heard about outing from his daughter, Mary R. Hyde, who works as a girl's matron at Carlisle and that he enjoyed his time as a host…

Richard Henry Pratt requests that he be allowed to extend the outings of certain students until the winter in order to allow them to attend the country schools located near their patrons.

Richard Henry Pratt provides a report on the outing system for the Summer of 1882. Pratt notes that he placed 85 students in homes for the Summer and that he was able to secure transportation costs from patrons as well as a salary for the student. Pratt ends by requesting the ability to visit students who remain on outing over the fall.

Richard Henry Pratt provides the Indian Affairs Office with proposed text for receiving funds for educating Osage students from the Osage trust fund. Pratt notes that if he does not receive the funds for the Osage then he can place more students on outing to reduce costs for running the school.

Richard Henry Pratt requests permission to visit students on outing in order to determine how students are doing and whether they should be able to remain during the winter in order to attend local public schools. Pratt also requests authority to pay for the transportation expenses of certain students on outing to return to the school. 

Richard Henry Pratt details finances to the Office of Indian Affairs regarding returning students to their homes.

Richard Henry Pratt seeks authority to pay expenses of agents visiting pupils on farms and in families. Pratt notes that the cost will be $300 and the funds are already to his credit.

Richard Henry Pratt inquires from the Office of Indian Affairs if he can furnish outing patrons with penalty envelopes for them to mail back outing reports on Carlisle Indian School students. Pratt notes that due to the increase in outing students covering the postage of these reports has become a large expense which could be mitigated through…

Richard Henry Pratt requests authority to spend money allowing Carlisle Indian School staff to visit outing students during the 1889 fiscal year.

Richard Henry Pratt notes that with the completion of the new school building the Carlisle Indian School can accommodate 500 students on its campus. He further indicates that 189 students are currently on outing with only a few in any one district school allowing them to speak English on a more regular basis.

Pratt then discusses that…

Richard Henry Pratt responds to an Office of Indian Affairs letter regarding the responsibilities of Anne S. Ely, Agent for Outing Pupils at the Carlisle Indian School. Pratt indicates that Ely oversees all aspects of the Outing program including corresponding with the students and patrons as well as arranging transportation as well as…

Richard Henry Pratt requests to employ a short hand type writer during July, August, and part of September 1889 in order to correspond with outing students.

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 responds to an Office of Indian Affairs letter which enclosed a letter from W. B. Backus, Superintendent of the Genoa School, in reference to a system of savings for students. Pratt notes that he believes he fills the place of a parent for the students at the Carlisle Indian School, that he considered teaching students about…

Richard Henry Pratt details how various incoming student parties have diminished and he is therefore able to receive additional students from the Crow Agency in Montana as well as the Piegan Agency. Pratt notes that if the Crow and Piegan funds could be used to transport students then they could take as many students as possible.

Pratt…

Richard Henry Pratt requests to employ Miss L. A. Bender as an additional clerk on the irregular rolls in order to assist with outing students.

Richard Henry Pratt responds to correspondence regarding complaints made by labor organizations of Genoa Indian School students being used as laborers on a beet farm. Pratt suggests that the Genoa Superintendent is right but that he should focus on individual outing patrons rather than corporate patrons.