Stewart

What can we say about the Stewart Indian School (SIS) that hasn’t already been said?  So much has been written about the school, that there’s really nothing for us to say.

We can start by reminding people that the school is the only Indian Boarding School that is not on a reservation.  That the Nevada Legislature authorized its construction and funded that construction, then sold the school to the federal government – the only Indian Boarding School ever to be built in this manner.

We can tell you that the SIS is located on 109 acres south of Carson City and that the campus holds powerful memories (good and bad) for its alumni and their descendants.

We can tell you that the 2015 Nevada Legislature (https://www.leg.state.nv.us/) charged the Nevada Indian Commission with providing oversight for the use, preservation and protection of the SIS.

We can tell you that the many of the buildings on the campus are in dire need of restoration. These functional pieces of art tell the story of the students who attended the school, who created the buildings.  If the buildings fall past the point of repair, then the stories of their creators are lost to time.  We believe that history forgotten is history repeated.

Some of the photographs in this post show the decay and disrepair.  Those photographs are not meant as disrespect.  Rather, they are here to illustrate the immense amount of work required to restore SIS to her former glory and to honor the students who attended and built the school.

The State of Nevada owns SIS and with ownership comes responsibility.  No doubt money – and lots of it – is required to undertake the Herculean task of repairing/restoring the buildings on the campus.  We can start with asking the 2023 Nevada Legislature for funds.  Then, understanding that funding from the legislature is iffy, we can look elsewhere for the money or other means of restoring the buildings.

First, SIS is on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).  This means that there are tax breaks, grants and other endowments available to the State of Nevada as the owner of the property.  These financial opportunities are only available to properties listed on the NRHP.  We believe that this is something the State’s financial experts should consider and explore.

Second, there is a housing crisis in Carson City.  There are homes at SIS that could be used to offset the crisis if they were restored.  The State could partner with a non-profit – such a Habitat for Humanity – and working with the families on a wait list, restore the homes one by one. Perhaps, Lowe’s or Home Depot could be approached for donations of building materials.  Once restored, the homes could be rented out for a reasonable rate. We believe that the SIS alumni and their descendants should be first on the wait list, then Native Americans, then all others.

And lastly, we like to reiterate that we have heard whispers that the State of Nevada wants to renovate the dormitories and the cafeteria. Once renovated, the rooms could be rented to over-night visitors who would be able to take their meals in the cafeteria, which still has all of its original kitchen/baking equipment.

Perhaps, the cafeteria could focus on Native American cuisine.  People in Carson City and the surrounding communities are always looking for new eating experiences and they are faithful to the ones that provide good food along with a sense of community.  We think an operational cafeteria at Stewart would fill both those requirements.

The kitchen and bakery has the capacity to feed 500 students and staff three times a day. So, it seems that between the kitchen, bakery, dining room and dorms, at least that many guests could be accommodated daily. 

Plus, consider this – mail order baked goods.  We believe that providing baked goods from the bakery at Stewart is a viable and profitable option. The goodies could be sent via UPS, Fed Ex or the USPS. And get this, if the cafeteria also feeds the state employees working on the campus, there are tax breaks associated with the operation of the cafeteria.

The money generated from the house and room rental plus the revenue from the food/baked good sales would be deposited into a special budget category dedicated to the preservation and maintenance of Stewart. Those funds would not be deposited into the State’s General Fund. The financial wizards at the State should have no problem setting up this special budget category. After all, they’re wizards! 

With all that being said, we’d like to share with you some of the many photographs we’ve taken of Stewart over the past five years. Note that not all of the photographs are captioned.

Please enjoy and if you have memories or photographs, you like to share, we’d love to see them!

Stewart –

Night Moves –

Reservation Principal’s House –

We believe this is the Reservation Principal’s House. What’s does a Reservation Principal do? Good question! Don’t have a clue! We’ve looked and other than being identified as an employee at SIS, we could not find a job description for Reservation Principal.

What we find interesting is that the house is not on the Stewart Campus. It’s located off-campus on the west end of Gibson Avenue. And, when the federal government signed Stewart over to the State of Nevada, this property was not included in the transfer. The house, and the property it sits on, belongs to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).

This is a gorgeous home, just in need of a little TLC. We have vague memories of playing here with child hood friends. As such, it makes us sad to see it ignored for so long. Perhaps, the BIA would consider selling it to someone who would restore and live in it (hint, we would!).

V&T Depot –

Did you know that there is a railroad depot on the grounds of SIS? Yes, there is! The V&T Railroad operated trains to and through the campus from 1906 through 1946. Passenger and freight service was provided to the School once a day for 40 years. The V&T ceased operation in 1950 and all the rails were removed by 1953. So, sadly, there’s no chance of incorporating the School into the route of the V&T Railway (a modern day version of the V&T Railroad).

Train #2 arrived at SIS every day at approximately 9:35 a.m., dropping goods, supplies and passengers at the Stewart Indian School train station, then it headed south to Douglas County.

There are only two V&T depots in Carson City – one is located in Carson City at the corner of Carson and Washington Streets and the other depot is this one on the Stewart Campus. The depot in Carson City is constructed of wood while this depot is a fine example of the stonework executed by the masonry instructors and students at SIS.

Note: Over the 4th of July Weekend 2022, the Nevada State Railroad Museum will be hosting the Great Western Steam up, celebrating all things V&T, including celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the completion of Nevada’s famous Virginia & Truckee Railroad Other railroad museums and railroads are graciously sharing their locomotives for this occasion,

For event information and to purchase tickets, see https://greatwesternsteamup.com/. Also, the State of Nevada and the State of California are trading historic locomotives for two years (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9v-0mT9pK4).

S Hill –

Did you know that there is a school tradition, found primarily in the west, of painting the hills or mountains near a high school or university with the school’s initials? Stones are placed in the shape of a school’s initials and then painted white. For some reason, these stone initials are known as “Mountain Monograms.”

These monograms are generally seen only on the West Coast due to the rugged terrain (i.e., steep hills and mountains) found west of the Mississippi. Generally speaking, the initials are located on a steep hill or mountain near the school. The locations are generally accessible only by foot or 4 wheel drive.

This tradition began in the early 1900s. The initials were used as an identifier for a school. A school’s initial was/is a matter of pride and painting the hills with initials is a practice that continues to this day for many schools.

The students at Stewart participated in this tradition and painted a “S” on the hills north of the school. They maintained the “S” until the school closed in 1980. The “S” is still visible today and even though it hasn’t officially been maintained since that time, it still looks vibrant. We remember back in the day when it came time for the “S” to be repainted – there would be a flurry of activity on the hill, people climbing while the trucks carrying the paint and equipment made a slow climb up the hill.

You know what? We could organize a group of people to climb/4 wheel to the “S” and repaint it. Wouldn’t that be fun? It’d take some doing to organize, however, it could be done! What do you think?