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.'
Letter from Joseph W. Marsh to Adkins requesting the supply of texts on Indian-related laws and reports for Pacific University research. Joseph W. Marsh was Pacific University's first librarian and the brother of its first president. He functioned as interim president between others serving. While the letter does not specify, 'Adkins' may actually be George H. Atkinson, the secretary of Pacific University's Board of Trustees, who represented Pacific's interests for the federal government.
Portrait of an unidentified Native American girl. She probably attended Chemawa School and/or the Indian Training School at Forest Grove; she may also have been the daughter of alumni. The photograph was taken in Salem on January 26, 1887 according to a note on the back. This may be the same girl who is depicted in another image in the collection, PUApic_008385
Portrait of James Stewart, a Nez Perce man who attended the Forest Grove Indian School beginning in 1883, and graduated from the school in its new location in Salem in 1885. He continued working at the school for some time afterwards. In this picture, he appears to be wearing the school's military-style school uniform. Based on the dates of activity of the photographer, this image was probably taken between 1885-1888 (Robinson, Oregon Photographers, 1993, p. 394).
Henry Steve (or Steeve) of the Tulalip Agency was admitted to the Forest Grove Indian School on March, 1885, at the age of 18. The school's roster listed his tribe as Snohomish, but in later documents, he identified as a member of the Duwamish Tribe. Both tribes are Lushootseed speakers originally from the Seattle area. Henry arrived in Forest Grove at a time when the school had begun relocating to its new location in Salem where it would be called Chemawa School. This photograph was taken in Salem on November 8, 1887, according to a note on the back of the photograph. He graduated from Chemawa the next year, and he worked there as the head printer for the school. He married a fellow student, Ella Lane of Puyallup. Later in life, he returned to live in Tulalip, where he became a tribal leader.
Letter dated May 18, 1880 from Capt. M. C. Wilkinson to Joseph W. Marsh. Marsh was a professor at Pacific University and was functioning as its interim president. At the time of writing this letter, Wilkinson was serving as the first superintendent of the Forest Grove Indian Training School, while concurrently serving as a professor of military science at Pacific University. The Indian School had opened just a few months before this letter and Wilkinson was apparently working on accounting for all the related expenses. Wilkinson warmly addresses Marsh as 'Brother' due to their common religious beliefs. He notes that he hopes to return soon with more children for the school. The school's roster shows that he did indeed return to Forest Grove on May 28 with six more children from the Puyallup Agency. The letterhead on which this note is written is printed with the addresses of both Pacific University and the Indian Education Department of the Department of the Interior because Wilkinson was working for both of them at the time.
Portrait of Walter Burwell, a Native Alaskan Tlingit from Sitka. He attended the Forest Grove Indian Training School and Chemawa School beginning on April 25, 1881 and graduated in 1886. He died on September 2, 1887. This photograph was printed in May 1887, just four months before his death. He is wearing a "B" pin on his lapel. In the last year of his life, Burwell worked as the head baker for the school.
Portrait of Addie Hill taken in Corvallis, Oregon. Addie was a member of the Shasta Costa tribe of the Siletz Agency. She enrolled at Chemawa Indian School in September 1885, just after it had moved from its original campus in Forest Grove. She graduated from Chemawa in 1888 at age 20. This photograph likely dates from around that time. Addie wrote a note on the back of the photograph, addressed to 'Mrs. M. J. Walker': 'From your sewing room girl, Addie Hill.' The addressee was Minerva 'Minnie' Jane Walker, who served as a sewing instructor at Chemawa Indian School. She was also the wife of Samuel A. T. Walker, the shoemaking instructor at the school. The photographer, Samuel B. Graham, is known to have been active in Corvallis in 1889 (See Robinson, Oregon Photographers, 1993, p. 309).
