Recruitment of Students

Richard Henry Pratt informs the Office of Indian Affairs that the Office letter to William P. Campbell at the Crow Agency does not provide him authority to recruit students from the agency school. Campbell does state that many of the pupils and their parents are willing to have children enrolled at Carlisle.

Richard Henry Pratt provides his recommendations on securing a party of Navajo students for the Carlisle Indian School. Pratt indicates that the agent should attempt to gather 50 students with a minimum of one-third of the party being girls and to have no students under the age of 12. When the party is ready he can have a Carlisle School…

C. E. Vandever, U.S. Indian Agent for the Navajo Agency, responds to an Office of Indian Affairs telegram to have him secure 50 Navajo students for the Carlisle Indian School. Vandever notes that it is difficult to secure Navajo students in normal times but at present the snow makes travel impossible and that he hopes to be able to secure 25…

Richard Henry Pratt informs the Office of Indian Affairs that he has received word from Fletcher J. Cowart that Cowart has 15 students he would like to enroll at Carlisle. Pratt notes that he has written to Cowart that he wants to maintain the gender ratio at the school.

M. D. Baldwin, U.S. Indian Agent for the Blackfeet Agency, replies in response to an Office of Indian Affairs letter that he can obtain 14 students for the Carlisle Indian School. He further requests to be able to send one of the student's parents as an escort. Baldwin ends by asking to be advised on traveling and incidental expenses.

Richard Henry Pratt requests authority to bring in an additional 275 students from various agencies for the upcoming fiscal year. Pratt notes that the school currently has 611 students, but he expects to lose about 175 due to expiration of enrollment terms. Further he states that he was in negotiation to bring in students from various agencies…

Richard Henry Pratt forwards a copy of a letter from M. D. Baldwin, U.S. Indian Agent for the Blackfeet Agency, regarding sending 10 to 20 students to Carlisle. Pratt asks that he be given authority to arrange the transportation, or if the Office of Indian Affairs is arranging the transportation that they provide special instructions regarding…

Byron M. Cutcheon, Congressman from Michigan, responds to a letter from the Office of Indian Affairs regarding 50 pupils from Michigan to be enrolled at the Carlisle Indian School. Cutcheon recommends the office communicate with a former U.S. Indian Agent and Frank W. Wheeler, another Congressman from Michigan.

Richard Henry Pratt requests authority to use the extra $500 remaining in his appropriation for sending Alfred John Standing and a female assistant to recruit students in Michigan.

Pratt also notes that a former student who could have served this role returned home in order to look out for his own interests in regards to the land in…

Richard Henry Pratt requests assistance from the Office of Indian Affairs in securing students for the upcoming school year. Pratt specifically asks for the office to send letters to encourage agents at various agencies to help secure students. Pratt further notes that he is sending Marianna Burgess and Kate Irvine to New Mexico with the…

B. P. Shuler, U.S. Indian Agent for the White Earth Agency, responds to an Office of Indian Affairs letter that he will provide full support to the agent of the Carlisle Indian School to secure students for the school.

C. E. Vandever, U.S. Indian Agent for the Navajo Agency, responds to an Office of Indian Affairs letter that it will be difficult to obtain students from the Navajo Agency for off reservation boarding schools. Vandever cites the fact that four former students died shortly after returning from Carlisle, including two sons of popular chief…

Richard Henry Pratt requests that three crates of smallpox vaccine be sent to the Carlisle Indian School. Twenty-two pupils from the Laguna village are set to arrive at Carlisle shortly, and Pratt notes that his agents who were recruiting in New Mexico found that in six of the seven villages there were smallpox outbreaks, including at Acoma…

Richard Henry Pratt forwards a report from Alfred John Standing regarding his trip to Michigan and Minnesota to recruit students for the Carlisle Indian School. Pratt details the obstacles Standing experienced including maintaining a relatively equal gender ratio and the decentralized nature of the various communities and poor prior experiences…

Charles Hill, U.S. Indian Agent for the Flandreau Agency, reports that in response to an Office of Indian Affairs letter, he went to the homes of children to discuss with parents sending the children to Carlisle. He notes that in most cases parents were hesitant to send their children so far away, and as a result he was only able to get ten…

Richard Henry Pratt responds to an Office of Indian Affairs letter noting that has received no communication from U.S. Indian Agent Charles Hill regarding students from the Flandreau Agency.

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…

A list of students compiled by Reverend George Diffenderfer while out west recruiting new students. Includes names, sex, supposed dates attended school, and occasionally comments regarding the student. The notebook also names and ages of prospective students.

Richard Henry Pratt writes to the Office of Indian Affairs regarding bringing a party of students from the Blackfeet Agency. In addition, he discusses his plan to have agents organize parties of students, because their knowledge of the individuals involved can better protect the school if they act fairly. Pratt then provides his guidelines for…

Richard Henry Pratt notes that due to an increase in the total number of students authorized for enrollment at Carlisle, he requests the Office of Indian Affairs revise its request to the agents in Montana. Agents should be requested to furnish 40 or more students rather than the 25 they were originally asked to recruit.

Richard Henry Pratt proposes sending William P. Campbell to Montana in order to represent the interest of the Carlisle Indian School in selecting students. Pratt states that Campbell will be able to tell the facts about Carlisle better than others who have never been to Carlisle.

M. P. Wyman, U.S. Indian Agent for the Crow Agency, notes that the Office of Indian Affairs instruction to send 40 students to Carlisle is received. However, he notes that the chiefs are protesting and only a few are willing to go. Asks if he should use force to fill quota.

A note on the front indicates the Office has responded that no…

M. P. Wyman, U.S. Indian Agent for the Crow Agency, asks if he is authorized to provide students to William P. Campbell for the Carlisle Indian School from two contract and one agency school in ratio to attendance.

Archer O. Simons, U.S. Indian Agent for the Fort Belknap Agency, responds to the Office of Indian Service regarding sending students from the agency to the Carlisle Indian School. Simons notes that he never received the first letter asking him to send 25 students and indicates that a mistake has likely been made as it would be difficult to…

John B. Catten, U.S. Indian Agent for the Blackfeet Agency, informs the Office of Indian Affairs that after receiving Office instructions to gather a party of students he has done so under the charge of Henry A. Kennerly including 23 boys and 19 girls. Catten further notes that all of the students are in good physical condition and almost all…