A letter dated April 24, 1885 providing a final report on the accomplishments of the Forest Grove Indian School as it was being moved to its new site near Salem, Oregon. The letter is from George H. Atkinson, Secretary of the Board of Trustees of Pacific University, to L. Q. C. Lamar, Secretary of the Interior of the United States. In this letter, Atkinson makes a final argument in favor of keeping the school in Forest Grove, principally due to how the Native children were integrated with the white community. He describes the original aims of the Indian School and how it was established; the advantages of its site in Forest Grove; the difficult transition of the first students to the school which included resistance from their parents; accomplishments in vocational and academic skills among the students; and advantages to securing 'hostages' against Indian wars. By the time that this letter was written, the school was already in the midst of being relocated to its new site in Salem.
A letter dated December 4, 1884 regarding additional lands added to the campus of the Forest Grove Indian School in an attempt to keep the school from being moved. The letter is from George H. Atkinson, Secretary of the Board of Trustees of Pacific University, to H. Price, Commissioner for Indian Affairs within United States Department of the Interior. At the time this letter was written, the government was already perparing to move the school to a new site.
A letter dated May 26, 1884 regarding reasons to keep the Indian School in Forest Grove, Oregon. The letter is from George H. Atkinson, Secretary of the Board of Trustees of Pacific University, to H. Price, Commissioner for Indian Affairs within United States Department of the Interior. Atkinson provides twelve reasons for keeping the school open in Forest Grove rather than closing or moving it to a new location. His reason include positive conditions in the town of Forest Grove, academic and vocational successes of the students, happiness of the students' parents with the school, moral qualities of the school and advantages to the land chosen for its farm.
A letter dated March 5, 1884 regarding land and conditions at the Forest Grove Indian School from George H. Atkinson, Secretary of the Board of Trustees of Pacific University, to Professor C. C. (Charles Cornelius) Painter. Painter was an advocate for Native rights and was the Corresponding Secretary for the American Missionary Association's National Education Committee. Both Atkinson and Painter were ordained ministers in the Congregationalist Church. In this letter, Atkinson responds to questions regarding the title to the land on which the Indian School buildings sat. This land belonged to Pacific University but would be deeded, Atkinson said, to the Government for the purposes of running the school. Atkinson closes the letter with his hopes that Painter will help the school to secure more funding.
