Washington State University Libraries, Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections
PC 82
Chalcraft, Edwin L., 1855-1943
Chalcraft-Pickering Photographs
1862-1941
2.5 Linear feet of shelf space
4 Boxes + Oversize
Various portraits of the Chalcraft-Pickering family and
glass lantern slides of the Chemawa Indian Training School near Salem, Oregon.
Collection materials are in English
Edwin L. Chalcraft was born on November 13, 1855 near Albion, Illinois, where he lived until his marriage to Alice Pickering on October 13, 1880. In 1881, they visited her brother in “Squak Valley” (now Issaquah), near Seattle, Washington. Edwin started an office of civil engineering and Alice became a teacher at the first “Squak Valley” school.
In 1886, an economic downturn induced Chalcraft to enter government service as Superintendent of the Chehalis Indian Reservation and Boarding School, seventy-five miles southwest of Seattle. He worked there until 1889 when he became superintendent of the Puyallup Agency near Tacoma. In 1894, the couple moved near Salem, Oregon and Chalcraft became the superintendent of the Chemawa Indian Training School.
He was dismissed from the school in 1895 and between 1895 and 1900 Chalcraft worked as a surveyor and managed a grocery store and a shingle mill at Mt. Vernon, near Seattle. The Indian Agency reinstated Chalcraft in 1900 and sent him to the Shoshone Reservation in Wyoming. Soon thereafter, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs appointed Chalcraft as Supervisor of Indian Schools in which position he visited and inspected schools across the country. In 1904, he successfully requested to be reassigned to the Salem Indian Training School at Chemawa, Oregon; in 1911, the Agency Commissioner again transferred Chalcraft, this time to the James Male Academy in Oklahoma and again in 1914 to the Siletz Agency in western Oregon as superintendent. He retired in 1925 and he and his wife returned to live in Seattle.
Between 1819 and 1969, the United States operated boarding and day schools which directly targeted American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children in a policy of cultural assimilation which coincided with the taking of Indigenous peoples’ territories. In schools operated by the federal government and churches, children were often forcibly removed from their families, forced to change their names, and forbidden from speaking their languages and practicing their traditions. Many children died while in the custody of these schools from infectious diseases; many suffered physical, emotional, sexual, and spiritual abuse; many children never returned home and the government and churches that ran these schools did not inform their families of what happened to them. For more information, please see The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition and the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative.
The collection consists of two types of materials, Chalcraft-Pickering family
portraits and glass lantern slides of the Chemawa Indian Training School near Salem,
Oregon.
There are 105 family portraits of various sizes, including oversize, depicting Edwin
L. Chalcraft, his wife, Alice Fawcett (Pickering) Chalcraft, their children, Edwin
Pickering Chalcraft and Alice Pickering Chalcraft, as well as sundry relatives.
Included is a portrait of William Pickering, Governor of Washington Territory from
1862-1866, and grandfather of Alice Fawcett Chalcraft. At the end of the series is
seven negatives and an identification folder.
The more substantial and historically significant part of the collection consists of
166 glass lantern slides, assumed to be the work of Edwin L. Chalcraft.
The slides were taken at Chemawa, the Indian Training School near Salem, Oregon
while Chalcraft was superintendent in 1894-1895, and again in 1904-1911. Included
are classroom scenes, sports, music, and work activities of the students, and scenes
from a Chatauqua held at Oregon City, Oregon. Along the glass slide bindings are
descriptive notes by Chalcraft and the students.
The collection is divided into the family portaits and lantern slides. The portraits
are in a rough chronological sequence of familial groupings. Two oversized portraits
are separated for storage purposes. The lantern slides follow Chalcraft's original
order.
This collection is open and available for research use.
Copyright restrictions may apply.
[Item description]
Chalcraft-Pickering Photographs, 1862-1941 (PC 82)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
The Chalcraft-Pickering Family Papers, including these photographs, were acquired by
the Washington State University Libraries in 1986 (MS86-54) from Florian Shasky, a
dealer in out-of-print books and manuscript materials.
In 2024 staff at Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections found that the Biographical Note of this finding aid presented Chalcraft in an unambiguously positive light and did not ascribe Native Americans any historical agency while utilizing language that was insensitive and lacked nuance. A new, well-researched biographical note would be the most desirable outcome; until then, we put in place a new note that, while shorter, lays out the major events of Chalcraft’s career without passing judgment on them. We also added a note on historical context. We welcome feedback or thoughts from our researchers.
The photographs were seperated from the Chalcraft-Pickering Family Papers, 1821-1954 (Cage 560)
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Records, Mss 442, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Chemawa Indian School research collection, WUA128,
Willamette University Archives and Special Collections.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online
catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or
places should search the catalog using these headings.
Chalcraft, Edwin L., 1855-1943 -- Archives
Chalcraft, Alice, 1858-1938 -- Archives
Pickering, William T., 1798-1873
Chalcraft, Alice, 1858-1938
Chalcraft family
Pickering family
Chemawa Indian School -- Photographs
Chemawa (Salem, Or.) -- Photographs
Washington (State) -- Photographs
Indians of North America -- Education -- Oregon -- Photographs
Native Americans
Photographs
Oregon
Washington (State)
Chalcraft-Pickering Family
Portraits
1
1
Gov. William Pickering of Washington
Territory
2 items.
1
2
Richard and Emily Pickering; Pickering
coat of arms
5 items.
1
3
Richard and Lucy Chalcraft
3 items.
1
4
Family homes and town views, Albion,
Ill.
4 items.
1
5
Edwin L. and Alice F. Chalcraft and
children Alice P. and Edwin P.
5 items.
1
6
Alice Fawcett Chalcraft
4 items.
1
7
Edwin L. and Alice F.
Chalcraft
3 items.
1
8
Alice Pickering Chalcraft
10 items.
1
9
Unidentified portraits, probably Alice P.
Chalcraft
6 items.
1
10
Edwin Pickering Chalcraft
7 items.
1
11
Edwin P. Chalcraft, wife Alma Ross and son
Walter
12 items.
1
12
Maurice and Mabel Chalcraft and
family
2 items.
1
13
Rosa C. Gooch and son John
3 items.
1
14
Flower family
4 items.
1
15
Henry J. Phillips and wife Mary Pickering
and family
4 items.
1
16
Family and friends
11 items.
1
17
Alma Ross' school; Ross and Edge family
portraits
6 items.
1
18
Mr. John F. Kennedy and Mrs. J. F. Ross
Kennedy
2 items.
1
19
Unidentified portraits
4 items.
1
20
Negatives (7), and one identification
folder
8 items.
OS
Unidentified house with two men and two
women
OS
Panoramic view of Chemawa
Lantern slides
2
1
Site where Chemawa school began (Feb. 25,
1880), Forest Grove, Oregon.
2
2
Entrance to grounds at Chemawa
2
3
Grounds and bandstand at
Chemawa
2
4
School grounds at Chemawa
(tinted)
2
5
Part of Chemawa school grounds
2
6
Part of campus at Chemawa
2
7
Rose Avenue at Chemawa, snow of
grounds
2
8
Rose Ave. looking north from the
superintendent's home
2
9
Rose Ave., superintendent's house at
right
2
10
Rose Ave. at Chemawa
2
11
Unidentified slide (grove of
trees)
2
12
Edwin L. Chalcraft taking photo of rose
bush
2
13
Rosebush growing, building at
Chemawa
2
14
An inspecting officer visiting
Chemawa
2
15
A visiting superintendent at
Chemawa
2
16
Miss Jennie Bowman
2
17
Mr. Cooper and blooming
sweetpeas
2
18
Academic Building
2
19
Employees cottage
2
20
Dormitory for medium size boys
2
21
Mitchell Hall, large boys home
2
22
Commissary
2
23
Domestic Science Building
2
24
Habitat Building
2
25
Mechanics Building
2
26
Steam engineering, heating and electrical
plant
2
27
Unidentified building
2
28
Bakery
2
29
Interior of Bakery
2
30
Wagon made in shop
2
31
Blacksmith shop
2
32
Chemawa graduate in his own Blacksmith
shop at Bellingham, WA
2
33
Harness shop
2
34
Storage room for harness
2
35
Carpenter shop
2
36
Wagon wood work shop
2
37
Part of canned fruit room
2
38
Vegetable storage building
2
39
Laundry
2
40
Wash room in laundry
2
41
Ironing and drying room in
laundry
2
42
Engine room in steam plant
2
43
Boiler room in steam plant
2
44
Filling a silo at dairy barn
2
45
Taking up garbage
2
46
Gathering Chemawa strawberries
2
47
Chemawa boys at work
2
48
Clearing land at Chemawa
2
49
Part of Chemawa farm
2
50
View of Chemawa farm (man
plowing)
2
51
Part of Chemawa farm (cutting grain or hay
with horses)
2
52
Part of Chemawa farm
(cornfield)
2
53
Part of school farm
2
54
View of part of Chemawa farm
2
55
Mealtime in Chemawa stock yard
2
56
Bear pit at Chemawa
2
57
Female deer at Chemawa (a Chemawa
pet)
2
58
A couple of fawns
2
59
Three "Deers" at Chemawa
3
60
Chemawa boys starting out to pick
hops
3
61
Chemawa students picking hops in Charles
MacNary hop yard
3
62
Chemawa boys hauling hops to
dryer
3
63
Chemawa girls going out to pick
hops
3
64
Sorting prunes for drying
3
65
Gathering prunes at Chemawa
3
66
Chemawa prune orchard
3
67
Chemawa prune orchard
3
68
Chemawa prunes
3
69
Chemawa prune orchard in bloom
3
70
Chemawa prune orchard in bloom
3
71
Thanksgiving display at Chemawa
(potato)
3
72
Thanksgiving display at Chemawa
(apples)
3
73
Thanksgiving display
(potatoes)
3
74
Thanksgiving display (potatoes, cabbage,
squash)
3
75
Thanksgiving display
3
76
Floral display
3
77
Pupils room at Chemawa
3
78
Pupils room at Chemawa
3
79
Interior of pupils room
3
80
Interior of pupils room
3
81
Interior of pupils room
3
82
Classroom at Chemawa
3
83
Classroom at Chemawa (sewing,
tailoring)
3
84
Classroom at Chemawa
3
85
Classroom at Chemawa
3
86
Classroom at Chemawa
3
87
Classroom at Chemawa
3
88
Joe Purns (with tuba) at rest
3
89
Bandstand at Chemawa (gazebo)
3
90
Schoolband at Chemawa
3
91
Chemawa band on parade grounds
3
92
Special band at Chemawa
3
93
Special band at Chemawa
3
94
Musical trio (violinist, cellist,
pianist)
3
95
Y.M.C.A. group at Chemawa
3
96
Y.M.C.A. girls at Chemawa
3
97
A literary society group
(girls)
3
98
Mrs. Smith and her literary society boys
at Chemawa
3
99
Nesika Club at Chemawa
3
100
Dona May? Smith (baby sitting in
tuba)
3
101
Edwin Smith and daughter Dona
May
3
102
Edwin Smith and daughter Dona
May
3
103
Visiting football team at
Chemawa
3
104
Football team; Edwin Smith,
coach
3
105
Football sic. team at Chemawa School, i.e.
Baseball
3
106
Football team at Chemawa
3
107
Chemawa football team
3
108
Joe Dillstrom, Chemawa student
3
109
Joe Yebo, football coach and player at
Chemawa (in baseball uniform)
3
110
Chemawa girls basketball team
3
111
Baseball game at Chemawa
3
112
Athletic sports at Chemawa
3
113
Relay race (Salem to Portland)
3
114
Salem-Portland relay race
3
115
Relay race, YMCA
3
116
Relay race, Chemawa member
4
117
Student parade on athletic grounds at
Chemawa
4
118
Group of Alaskan boys and girls at
Chemawa
4
119
An Alaskan pupil at Chemawa
4
120
Two Chemawa students
4
121
A group of girls at Chemawa
School
4
122
A new group entering school at
Chemawa
4
123
Nora and Rena Mann, Chemawa
students
4
124
Fourtunato Jayme, a Philipino student at
Chemawa
4
125
Chemawa student officer at Oregon City
Chatauqua
4
126
Chemawa students camp at Oregon City
Chatauqua
4
127
Chemawa students "Dining Hall" at Oregon
City Chatauqua
4
128
Chemawa students camping at Oregon City
Chatauqua
4
129
Attending Chatauqua session at Oregon City
(l to r, Edwin Pickering Chalcraft, Mrs. Alice F. Chalcraft, Alice
Pickering Chalcraft)
4
130
Chemawa students "cook," Tent at Oregon
City Chatauqua
4
131
Charlie Larsen at Oregon City
Chatauqua
4
132
David Brewer, a most worthy
man
4
133
David Brewer, a most worthy
man
4
134
Indian family, unidentified
4
135
Unidentified Indian woman, child and white
girl
4
136
Unidentified Indian woman
4
137
Two unidentified Indian man
4
138
Unidentified Indian family
4
139
Unidentified Indian man
4
140
Unidentified Indian man
4
141
Unidentified Indian man
4
142
Unidentified Indian man
4
143
Two unidentified Indian man
4
144
Unidentified little girl
4
145
Mrs. Woods and daughter Evaline at
Chemawa
4
146
Alice Pickering Chalcraft,
"Hallie"
4
147
Hallie (Alice Pickering Chalcraft) at
Chemawa, Oregon
4
148
Alice Pickering Chalcraft, "Hallie"
(tinted)
4
149
Alice Pickering Chalcraft,
"Hallie"
4
150
Edwin L. Chalcraft at Silver Creek Falls
camp, Oregon
4
151
Family group (Chalcrafts and
Pickerings)
4
152
Grandpa Pickering, Hallie and
Marie
4
153
Cemetery at Wanborough,
Illinois
4
154
Old mud house at Wanborough,
Ill.
4
155
Old mud house at Wanborough,
Ill.
4
156
Old mud house at Wanborough,
Ill.
4
157
Albion, Illinois, from Richard Chalcraft
farm
4
158
Bridge over "Deep Cut," Albion,
Ill.
4
159
Block house at Grand Ronde, built by
General Sheridan
4
160
Horace Craigs house, Canyon City,
Colorado
4
161
Where [we?] lived in Canyon City,
Colo.
4
162
Unidentified house
4
163
Unidentified houses
4
164
Two unidentified houses