Forest Grove Indian Training School photographs, 1882-1884
Table of Contents
Overview of the Collection
- Photographer
- Davidson, Isaac Grundy, 1845-1922
- Title
- Forest Grove Indian Training School photographs
- Dates
- 1882-1884 (inclusive)18821884
- Quantity
- 0.2 cubic feet, (2 folders in shared document case)
- Collection Number
- Org. Lot 1408
- Summary
- This collection consists of 24 black and white photographic prints depicting Native American students and the grounds at the Indian Training School in Forest Grove, Oregon, circa 1882. The school opened in 1880 and eventually moved to a location near Salem in 1885, and was renamed the Chemawa Indian School.
- Repository
-
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
Historical Note
The Indian Training School in Forest Grove, Oregon, opened in 1880. The first pupils to arrive were children from the Puyallup Reservation in Washington Territory. Federal policies supported the use of Indian training schools to assimilate Native children into Euro-American culture. The school was directed by Capt. Melville C. Wilkinson, who was a strict enforcer of federal assimilation policies and a believer in manual labor training. Native children were brought from Washington Territory, Oregon, California, Alaska, and Idaho, and enrolled at the school, but were not welcomed by the community in Forest Grove. The community's response, coupled with damage to school buildings from a large fire, eventually led to the relocation of the school near Salem in 1885, where it was renamed the Chemawa Indian School.
Content Description
This collection consists of 24 black and white photographic prints taken by Portland photographer I. G. Davidson. The photographs depict Native American students and grounds at the Indian Training School in Forest Grove, Oregon, circa 1882. Most photographs show groups of children posing; other images show the buildings and grounds at the school, as well as students engaged in blacksmithing, homemaking, carpentry, and shoemaking.
Some of the photographs have printed captions identifying Native children as being from the Spokane, Paiute, Wasco, and Alaska tribes.
Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Use
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.
Preferred Citation
Forest Grove Indian Training School photographs, Org. Lot 1408, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Administrative Information
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Indian school children--Oregon--Forest Grove--19th century--Photographs
- Indian students--Oregon--Forest Grove--19th century--Photographs
- Indians of North America--Cultural assimilation--Photographs
- Off-reservation boarding schools--Oregon--Forest Grove--Photographs
- Paiute Indians--Photographs
- Spokane Indians--Photographs
- Wasco Indians--Photographs
Corporate Names
- Indian Industrial School (Forest Grove, Or.)--Photographs
