Stewart Indian School
a.k.a. Stewart Institute;Carson Industrial School;Carson Indian Sch
S of Carson City off US 395, Carson City (Independent City), NVThe Stewart Indian School is exceptionally significant for its association with twentieth-century Native American education and for the role the School played in western Native American cultures. The Complex is architecturally significant as an intact example of a U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs rural boarding school and is distinguished by a unique collection of Vernacular design buildings dating between 1910 and 1944. The architectural character of the site can be attributed to Frederick Snyder, a career veteran of the B.I.A. and a life-long advocate of Native American education, who served as Stewart's Superintendent from 1919 to 1934.
Stewart's founding in 1890 coincides with the B.I.A.'s directive to provide adequate off-reservation schooling for Native American children, The School was one of twenty-five such institutions in the nation operating at the turn of the century, and it is the only one in Nevada's history. In addition, the School included the only secondary school for the State's native population.
In 1887, the Nevada State Legislature established an Indian School Commission to develop a school for Native Americans in Ormsby (now Carson) County. The School was named after Senator William M. Stewart who promoted the concept in the U.S. Congress. In 1889, a large Colonial Revival dormitory and school building were erected and the School was officially opened on December 17, 1890. Stewart Indian School thus became "the only education facility in the United States created for non-citizens of the Federal Government by use of the State funds. Furthermore,... Stewart became the only Federal Indian School to be created by an act of a State Legislature. "
The off-reservation boarding school was intended to teach students basic trades in preparation for a self-sufficient life. It was also intended to assimilate young Native Americans into White culture--the logic behind locating such schools as far removed from reservations as possible. Stewart Indian School implemented a program of assimilation with characteristic prohibitions against speaking native languages and practicing native customs. Unlike many such schools, the application of these policies at the Stewart Indian School was filled with compromise.
Under the guidance of Superintendent W.D.C. Gibson, the School enrolled 105 students in 1890. With the dormitory capacity at 100, excessive demands were immediately placed on Stewart's single, two-story structure. The need for additional space was a problem throughout Stewart's history. During the first ten years of Stewart's existence, site improvements included the construction of a girls' dormitory, a building for an acetylene gas system, and two warehouses. In addition, the School's surrounding open space was placed in cultivation and the foundation for a new shop building was laid.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.