This is the Field Matron’s Cottage, also known as the Stone Building, and which was built circa 1925 in the locally-unique Stewart Vernacular style of stonemasonry. The construction followed the protocol established at the Stewart Indian School (SIS) in Carson City, Nevada.
According to Wikipedia: “The Field Matron’s Cottage, also known as the Stone Building, was built circa 1925 on the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony in Sparks, Nevada. The cottage was built to support a Bureau of Indian Affairs program to instruct the 20 acres (8.1 ha) colony’s Paiute and Washoe girls in sanitation and housekeeping skills.
A “field matron” was provided by the Bureau from 1919 to as late as 1938. At first, the matron lived in Reno, at some distance from the colony, but in 1926 funding was made available to build a dwelling on colony lands, allowing a closer relationship between the matron and the colony’s inhabitants. The cottage included a library and an infirmary, and served as a community meeting place.”
And didcha know that The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony was established in 1916 by an Act of Congress? And that the term “colony” for a type of Indian territory is unique to Nevada?
We believe that either the apprentices Native American stonemasons at SIS or those stonemasons at SIS created this cottage. We are basing this belief on the similarity between this building and the buildings found on the SIS campus. SIS superintendent Frederick Snyder began his stone building program in 1919 and expanded it to the neighboring communities. For a fee, the trade apprentices at SIS would build stone houses for governmental or residential use. The plumbing, electrical and carpentry apprentices also worked on these buildings.
The Matron’s Cottage is one of the earliest known examples of the Stewart Vernacular style of architecture that is not on the campus of the Stewart Indian School. The vernacular style of architecture is concerned with domestic and functional buildings rather than public or monumental buildings.
We have found some Web sites claiming that this is the only example of Native American workmanship in the Stewart Vernacular style found in the Reno area. We dispute that claim as we have found other examples this style in the Reno area, specifically on Wedekind Road in Sparks and on Plumb Lane in Reno.
In May of 2003, the Field Matron’s Cottage was listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and was the first Bureau of Indian Affairs property in Nevada recognized and honored in this manner. The Cottage was accorded this status on the NRHP due to its long history with the native community and its unique style of architecture (Stewart Vernacular).
For additional information on the field matron program, please visit http://cantonasylumforinsaneindians.com/history_blog/the-bia-field-matron-program/.
For additional information on the cottage, please visit the following: https://www.theclio.com/entry/85048
https://renohistorical.org/items/show/98
https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/media/63816793/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NV/03000416.pdf.
The last Web site is the application for inclusion in the NRHP. Photographs of the cottage are included in the application and appear to have been taken by Mella Rothwell Harmon, who authored the application. We recommend that, if nothing else, this document be read as it contains much information regarding the Native American stonemasons from SIS, where they acquired the stones they used in their projects and their projects.
The application also notes the similarities between the cottages and those buildings found on the SIS campus.
Should you find yourself in the Reno-Sparks area, we urge you to drive by the Field Matron’s Cottage and take a moment to appreciate this building that’s almost 100 years old. Think of the time and effort it took to create this stone building when the equipment and roads were not as sophisticated as they are today.