A posed photograph of Native American students sitting at desks outside of one of the dormitories at the Forest Grove Indian Training School. Various maps, drawings, Christian signs and objects such as a music organ, books, blocks, and a globe are arranged around the students, demonstrating the subjects that the students were being taught. The children are separated by gender and organized by age, with younger students at the front. The actual classroom spaces at the school were indoors. The caption notes that this was number 32 in a series of photographs by I.G. Davidson, a photography studio based in Portland. The back of the photograph reads: "Indian Training School, Forest Grove, Capt. M.C. Wilkinson USA, in charge ." I.G. Davidson photoThe series shows how the school taught the children to behave according to the norms of white society. The Pacific University Archives' copy of this photo is a black-and-white reproduction of the original, which would have been a sepia-toned albumen print.
A hand-tinted photograph depicting students at Chemawa School, standing under its entrance arch in Salem in 1905. A caption on the photograph reads: "Entrance to Indian Training School, Chemawa, near Salem, Oregon." The students shown in the image are mostly younger boys, all wearing the military-style school uniform. The Pacific University Archives' copy of this photograph is a reprint made in the late 20th century. The original photograph was issued as a postcard.
This brief history of the Forest Grove Indian School was written in 1904. It was probably by Myron Eells, who edited the text from which it is extracted, 'A History of Tualatin Academy and Pacific University, Forest Grove, Oregon, 1848-1902.' This text was never published but still exists in a typescript copy at the Pacific University Archives. This brief historical sketch notes Pacific's support for the Indian school, its successes, its removal to Salem, and the fate of the Indian school's buildings afterwards. Particularly notable is the mention that one of the dormitories had been converted into a boarding house for male students at Pacific by 1894. Also of note is the editor's background: Myron Eells was the brother of Edwin Eells, who was an Indian Agent in the Puget Sound area during the time when the Indian School was in Forest Grove, and who likely helped to funnel native students to the school.
A hand-tinted photograph of the entrance arch to Chemawa Indian School in Salem, lettered 'Indian Training School.' It depicts Chemawa as it appeared in 1905. The Pacific University Archives' copy of this photograph is a reprint made in the late 20th century. The original photograph was likely issued as a postcard.
A posed photograph of Native American girls in the Forest Grove Indian Training School performing housekeeping skills. The twenty girls of various ages are in western dress and are showing the skills which the vocational classes offered to girls at the school: washing, ironing, making bread, sewing by hand and with sewing machines, and housekeeping. The photograph was posed outdoors with one of the school dormitories in the background. They did this in order to make use of natural light; the actual classrooms were indoors. The caption notes that this was number 43 in a series of photographs by I.G. Davidson, a photography studio based in Portland. The series shows how the school taught the children to behave according to the norms of white society, including the performance of vocational skills such as this one. This photograph was reproduced alongside several other images of the school as an etching in a popular magazine, Harper's Weekly, in 1882.
A posed photograph of Native American boys in the Forest Grove Indian Training School performing shoemaking skills. The names of the children are not identified. The white man is their instructor, Samuel A. T. Walker, who noted the occasion in his diary on June 6, 1881: 'I went out to the Indian School to work before noon and had my picture taken in front of the shop with my shoe maker boys.' The caption notes that this was number 41 in a series of photographs by I.G. Davidson, a photography studio based in Portland. The series shows how the school taught the children to behave according to the norms of white society, including the teaching of vocational skills such as this one. This photograph was reproduced alongside several other images of the school as an etching in a popular magazine, Harper's Weekly, in 1882.
A posed photograph of Native American boys in the Forest Grove Indian Training School performing carpentry skills. The caption notes that this was number 42 in a series of photographs by I.G. Davidson, a photography studio based in Portland. The series shows how the school taught the children to behave according to the norms of white society, including the teaching of vocational skills such as this one. This photograph was reproduced alongside several other images of the school as an etching in a popular magazine, Harper's Weekly, in 1882.
A group portrait of students and staff from Chemawa School, visiting the original site of the Indian Training School in Forest Grove, showing the remains of one of the school workshops in the background. At the time when this picture was taken, the school had been relocated to Salem and renamed Chemawa. In this photo are Edwin L. Chalcraft, second from right, and Alice P. Chalcraft, his daughter, seated in front with a white hat. Edwin Chalcraft was the superintendent of Chemawa School from 1894-1895 and 1904-1911. This photograph was probably taken around 1910, by which time both of the school's original dormitories had been destroyed, leaving only a few rickety outbuildings on the site of the former campus.
This image is a copy of an earlier version of the photograph. It is most likely based on an original lantern slide located in the Chalcraft-Pickering Photographs collection at the Washington State University Archives.
A group portrait of the second group of Spokane students taken to the Forest Grove Indian School from the band of Chief Lot. This photograph was taken at the I.G. Davidson Photography Studio in Portland, Oregon on July 8, 1881. At the time, the children were en route from their homes to the school. Their names as given on the school roster were: Alice L. Williams; Florence Hayes; Suzette (or Susan) Secup; Julia Jopps; Louise Isaacs; Martha Lot; Eunice Madge James; James George; Ben Secup; Frank Rice; and Garfield Hayes.
The Forest Grove Indian School Superintendent had this photograph made for fundraising and promotional purposes. It was intended to be a "before" picture, which he paired with a later "after" picture that was taken when the children had been at the school for seven months (see PUApic_008035). The intention behind the pair of photographs was to show how the school was assimilating Native children into white society, erasing their Native customs. Sadly, one girl in the first photograph, Chief Lot's daughter Martha Lot, died before the second photograph was made. Martha is believed to be the tallest girl in the back row.
The general public could buy copies of this photograph for 50 cents per print, with the school earning 10 cents on each sale. The caption, "New Recruits -- Spokane Indians," was supplied by the photography studio. The number "43" that appears on this photograph refers to the I.G. Davidson catalog, from which more photographs could be ordered. The image was reproduced alongside several other images of the school as an etching in a popular magazine, Harper's Weekly, in 1882 (see PUA_MS27_081).
The roster of the Forest Grove Indian Training School records information about the names, tribes, entrance and exit dates for the students who attended between 1880-1885. This is a photocopy; the original roster is housed at the National Archives branch in Seattle, WA. For a transcript of this roster in spreadsheet format with additional notes and citations for each student, see the Spreadsheet of Students linked under "Has Version."
An image of the Indian Training School's original campus in Forest Grove. It shows the students in their uniforms, a male teacher (probably the superintendent, Captain M.C. Wilkinson), and other teachers and staff in the foreground, with a dormitory (right), workshop (center) and another dormitory (left) in the background. The caption describes the image: 'One of the main buildings, erected entirely by Indian boys; dormer windows, rustic painting on all. Their work without aid.' It is numbered 36 in a series of photographs by I.G. Davidson, a photography studio based in Portland. The series shows how the school taught the children to behave according to the norms of white society, including learning trades and wearing Western clothing. It was probably taken in 1881 or 1882, based on other dated photographs within the series.
A portrait of an unidentified Native American girl. She probably attended Chemawa School and/or the Indian Training School at Forest Grove. The photograph is a small, 85mm x 185mm image in carte-de-visite format. Although the photographer is not identified on the photograph, it matches other carte-de-visite photographs in this collection by W. P. Johnson of Salem that are dated. It was probably taken between 1886-1888 (Robinson, Oregon Photographers, 1993, p. 394).
A portrait of an unidentified Native American boy. He probably attended Chemawa School and/or the Indian Training School at Forest Grove. He is wearing the military-style school uniform used at Chemawa. The photograph is a small, 85mm x 185mm image in carte-de-visite format. It is stamped and dated on the verso of the photograph as having been taken by W. P. Johnson of Salem in October, 1887.
A portrait of an unidentified Native American boy. He most likely attended the Forest Grove Indian Training School and/or the Chemawa School in the 1880s. Based on the location where this photograph was taken in Tacoma, he may have been a member of the Puyallup tribe.
A portrait of an unidentified Native American girl. She may be a daughter of alumni of the Forest Grove Indian School, or she may have been attending Chemawa Indian School in Salem. The photograph is a small, 85mm x 185mm image in carte-de-visite format. It is stamped on the verso of the photograph as having been taken by W. P. Johnson, and probably dates from between 1886-1888 (See: Robinson, Oregon Photographers, 1993, p. 394).
Portrait of an unidentified Native American woman. She is sitting in front of a painted studio backdrop of a piano, and is holding a magazine or newspaper. She was likely a former student at the Forest Grove Indian Training School. The choice of props may have been intended to symbolize her education in reading and music. The back of the photograph includes a handwritten note by the subject, describing herself as an 'ugly girl' who worked hard, did dress-making, and was a musician. The note may have been addressed to Minerva 'Minnie' J. Walker, whose husband Samuel was the shoemaking instructor at the school (see a similar inscription on the back of another photograph, PUApic_008315). The photograph is a tintype, a format that was uncommon by the late 1880s, but which was cheap and easy to send in the mail.
Portrait of Frank Carson, a Native American from the Siletz Agency. He entered the Forest Grove Indian Training School in September 1884. When the school relocated to Salem in 1885 (where it was renamed Chemawa Indian School), he went with it. This photograph was taken in Salem, possibly as a graduation portrait. A note on the back side states that it was taken on July 12, 1887. He is wearing the jacket of his school military dress uniform and a chain with a horseshoe charm, possibly a reference to his blacksmithing skills. He likely learned the trade at the school. He worked as a blacksmith later in life.
Portrait of Jacob Helm, a member of the Piute tribe from the Yakima Agency. He entered the Forest Grove Indian Training School in April, 1883 and graduated from Chemawa School in 1885. He is wearing a small lapel pin possibly spelling 'OV' or 'OA.' Based on his age and the dates of activity of the photographer, a woman named Myra E. Sperry, this photograph was probably taken around 1889-1891.
Portrait of Anna (or 'Annie') Pierre, a member of the Tututni tribe who came from the Siletz Agency. She attended the Indian Training School in Forest Grove and its successor, Chemawa School, from September 1884 through April 1889, according to the school's roster. For another portrait identified as Anna Pierre, see PUApic_008309. For an image of a relative who attended with her, Sarah Pierre, see PUApic_008377
Portrait of Sarah Pierre, a member of the Tututni tribe who came from the Siletz Agency. She attended the Indian Training School in Forest Grove and its successor, Chemawa School, from September 1884 through April 1889, according to the school's roster. For portraits of a relative who attended with her, Anna Pierre, see PUApic_008309 and PUApic_008379
Letter from John Eaton Jr., Commissioner at the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Education to Joseph W. Marsh, thanking him for his remarks on the text 'Deterioration and Race Education', and wishing prosperity for the Forest Grove Indian Training School. Joseph Marsh was Pacific University's first librarian and the brother of the school's first president. John Eaton was the second U.S. commissioner of education and a Civil War veteran. He was greatly responsible for developing the influence of the U.S. Bureau of Education.
Portrait of a child of David and Katie Brewer. David Brewer was a member of the Puyallup tribe who was in the first group of students to attend the Forest Grove Indian Training School in 1880. He was employed as the 'disciplinarian' at Chemawa School from 1885-1902 and 1905-1908. Katie Brewer, an Alaskan native, also attended the Indian Training School and worked at Chemawa. The two were married in 1883 and eventually had seven children together. A handwritten note on the back of the picture identifies this as Ernest Brewer, the couple's oldest son. However, the photograph was printed in April 30, 1886, which was several months before he was born. The picture may be of his older sister, Gertrude, who was born in 1884.
Portrait of Alex (or Alexander) Duncan, a member of the Clatsop tribe who attended the Forest Grove Indian Training School and Chemawa School. He entered the school at age 16 in November 1884. He is leaning on a book in this photograph, possibly indicating that this was a graduation portrait. Based on other similar photographs in the Pacific University Archives and on the dates when the photographer was active, this photograph was most likely taken in Salem between 1886-1888. (See: Robinson, Oregon Photographers, 1993, p. 394.)
Portrait of Pengra Logan, a member of the Tututni tribe from the Siletz Agency who attended Chemawa School beginning in September, 1885. He is listed in the class roster as being from the 'Fortootna' tribe, which is a misspelling of 'Tututni.'
