In 1889 the U.S. commissioner of Indian Affairs declared, "We must either fight Indians, feed them, or else educate them. To fight them is cruel, to feed them is wasteful, while to educate them is humane, economic and Christian." He suggested using boarding schools to prepare Indian children to live in American society. At boarding schools, Indian children would be introduced to English, vocational skills and Christianity.
On January 3, 1893, the U.S. government opened an Indian boarding school at Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. It offered a nine-year program, beginning with kindergarten. By 1911 the Mt. Pleasant school had eleven buildings, including dormitories for both the girls and boys.
Although the school grew from an original enrollment of 59 students to more than 300 students a year, it created tension among the Indian community. Some Indian parents opposed sending their children away to learn "the white man's ways." However, the poverty and hopelessness of living on reservations led other parents to hope that these boarding schools promised their children a better life. Sometimes, the government took Indian children and forced them to attend the school.
Life at the boarding schools was often a shock. One girl recalled being held down as her hair was cut short. She later explained, "among our people" only "cowards" wore short hair. Another student remembered that attending a boarding school was like being "suddenly dumped" into "another world, helpless, defenseless, bewildered, trying desperately and instinctively to survive it all."
Students awoke to reveille, dressed in military-style uniforms, marched to class and went to bed with taps. Half the day was spent in class; the other half was spent in vocational training. The students also kept vegetable gardens and apple orchards and cared for livestock. During the summer months, they worked as seasonal laborers on area farms.
English was the school's official language, and students might have their mouth washed out with soap if they spoke their native Indian language. Students were also encouraged to take a Christian name in place of their Indian name. They had little privacy, sleeping in dormitories with 30 to 40 students in a large room.
Violating the rules led to punishment, which could be harsh. Sometimes students were beaten with a strap or rubber hose. Some endured the school; others ran away.
The Mt. Pleasant Indian School closed in 1933. In exchange for the buildings, the state of Michigan agreed to allow the Indian children to attend public schools.
PHOTO CREDITS: (top) Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant.
(bottom) Mt. Pleasant Indian Industrial School c. 1910. Collins & Wightman c1910, Library of Congress #LC-USZ62-123519
Click for two amazing panoramic photos!
Also check out this set of modern day photos from the Mt. Pleasant State Home by bleeding.patriot on Flickr.
For more great stories on Michigan's past, look to Michigan History magazine. For more information or a free trial issue, call (800) 366-3703 or visit http://www.michiganhistorymagazine.com/.
9 Comments
my mom says she was a student at this school............
i hate how she lived.....understand how she is now, can you give me more info?
thanks!
marylin*
My mother was a student at Mt. Pleasant Indian School around 1930. She remembered it as a place where, among other things, she could get three meals a day, medical and dental care, a safe place to sleep, none of which was available at her home. Another of the children from her home village was still there in 1933 when the school closed, and she did not want to leave, she told me so a few years ago. The National Archives in Chicago has a collection of records and correspondence to & from families and students at the school. I have personally read some of the letters from Indian children expressing their eagerness to go to Mt. Pleasant. Some of the letters describe the prejudice and discrimination these children received at their local schools (paid for by their parent's tax dollars). Yes, some of the students ran away from the school. The National Archives has a document describing what happened to two boys who were completing their course of study at Mt. Pleasant. They wanted to be admitted to another school out west where they could have vocational training. They were refused admission due to budget cuts. These two boys ran away from Mt. Pleasant, got on a train going west, and presented themselves at the other school, where they were admitted after all. Yes, those Indian schools were really terrible. The description posted here is very one-sided, very politically correct.
Marilyn: The article appeared in Michigan History Magazine and it's the sum total of my knowledge of the school!
Art: I think that your comment demonstrates a neat thing about the web. It allows folks with divergent viewpoints of the same thing to share them. Thank you for posting your mother's experiences.
thanks for writing back! i would love to hear of other former students at this school...your mom sounds like her experience was good. however, my aunt and mom were not well treated and in fact, were beaten at this school. even now, they cannot hardly talk about it. please post here, or email me at mcdmomforpeace@yahoo.com also, they were not offical members of the tribe, as far as i can tell. however, they are Chippewa. how can the tribe not recognize their lives?
thanks, marylin*
I work at the Mt. Pleasant Center, which used to be the indian school. I know very little about the history of this place and would like to. I have never saw inside the old buildings and would love to walk through them. I wonder thugh how you got in them since they are locked. Email me back.
Christie Guernsey
To anyone interested. I am currently attempting to preserve the Native history of these buildings. I am eager to obtain first hand accounts of those who attended this school in hopes to complete my research. I feel it is crucial to preserve the history of the Native people in full truth. It is my feeling that if these buildings are destroyed, this will only be yet another part of Native history that will be swept under rug. I am tired of the constant preservation and the idealistic views of mainstream White historians who neglect to include accurate accounts of Native history within our Country. I am seeking grants and funding that would allow these buildings to stand and allow those who visit to become aware of their historical importance in everyones history. Please contact me if you have questions or would like to be included in this study. kromerk@student.gvsu.edu
My name is Amber Martin, and I attend CMU in Mount Pleasant. I am currently researching the history of the old Indian Boarding School for an article in an online magazine, and I wish to get personal testimonies from either people who attended the school, or their direct relatives. Please, if anyone knows anything, let me know. Email me with any questions, comments, or testimonies that you may have at marti7am@cmich.edu . Thank you so much for all of your help!
I'm trying to find out if someone would know how I could get a list of the names of the female students that went to this school abt. 1900 c. What I do know about her is very skerchy at best. I know that her name was Rose or Rosie Bell(e) and she worked at a neighbors farm during the summer months. The family finally adopted my G.Mother and from what I understand the records were destroyed. The name of the family was "Maggo" If anyone has any information about her or can help me in anyway I would be in your debt. Please e-mail me at my address with Rose Belle in the subject line.
Thank You!!
I too live in Mt. Pleasant and though i have no real reasoning, i would like to share my concern for the cause. I am a caucasian male, however, in the last year i have become quite interested in the wisdom, majesty, and humbleness of many past Native Americans. I am attempting to recover documentation that could help me map out my ansestry, so that i may generate a ruff estimate of my native heritage. It is scenarios such as this that complicate efforts of people like myself. If there is any way that i could support the preservation of these native buildings and their truthful history i would be much abliged. sincerely Ed McDaniel Oasis High school Mt Pleasant MI bitchesnblunts69@yahoo.com
Post a Comment