This two-car garage is on the west side of Center Street bordering the Stewart Campus. We took these photos in October of 2018 and are now sharing them with one and all. It was a bright and sunny day. We were headed towards Minden, and taking the back way, when we saw the door of this building open. The garage sits directly across from the football field and track.
Being curious (some might say nosy!), we stopped. It was the perfect time for a photo op. We took the interior shot by inserting the camera through the door and using the flash option. After all, we didn’t want to be accused of trespassing. All the windows on this beautiful building are broken out and boarded over. The interior has been gutted.
interior of garage
We could not find this garage listed on the map included the application for inclusion of SIS on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
Some might consider this garage to be insignificant compared to the other buildings on the campus. We don’t – we consider each and every building on the grounds to be worthy of restoration.
We realize money is tight; however, start small and work towards restoring the bigger buildings. If people could see a couple small buildings restored, they might be inclined to donate towards the restoration of the larger buildings. Or, the small building restoration might make it easier to obtain grant money for the larger buildings. Just saying…
Boarded up windows on the garage
Note the masonry work on the corners of the garage
This two-car garage sits to the north of the dairy barn on the campus of the Stewart Indian Schoo (SIS). Its building 108 on the map included the application for inclusion of SIS on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The garage has been fenced off and covered with plastic sheeting since 2001.
Front view of the fenced garage
According to a Nevada Appeal story on December 20, 2001 (https://www.nevadaappeal.com/news/2001/dec/20/director-fears-stewart-building-will-be-torn-down/), there were plans to demolish the building. These plans were made despite the fact that the SIS is listed on the NRHP since 1985.
The then director of the Stewart Indian Museum Sheila Abbe, had concerns about the building being demolished despite it being “among the least impressive of Stewart’s structures.” She felt that would set a precedent and would allow any building on the Stewart Campus to be torn down for any reason.
Side view of the fenced garage
The building was one of many at SIS that had been used for training purposes by local law enforcement agencies. Ms. Abbe did not approve of this practice and we believe that due to her efforts, the law enforcement training programs on the Stewart Campus were discontinued.
A memo was issued on April 10, 2001, by state building and grounds administrator Mike Meizel, and then tacked to the doors of Stewart’s buildings.
The memo read:”To all law enforcement agencies:
“Effective immediately, the buildings at the Stewart facility will no longer be used for raid, SWAT and all other law enforcement exercises. Law enforcement training will no longer be allowed in that facility due to the damage being done to the buildings.”
We’re pretty sure that the State of Nevada has either allocated funds or received grants which would allow the building to be rebuilt. However, the garage was not the beneficiary of those funds and has sat untouched for the last two decades.
Perhaps, the 2023 Nevada Legislature could provide the funding to restore the garage. And the thing is, we have Native American stonemasons, trained at SIS, in this area who could do the masonry work, complete the repairs. Wouldn’t that complete the circle? Native American stonemasons repairing a structure built by Native American stonemasons?
The Stewart Barns – Horse Barn, rear and Dairy Barn, front
Here are the dairy and horse barns located on the grounds of the Stewart Indian School (SIS). The barns are at the southern edge of the campus. They are absolutely gorgeous and our favorite buildings. We think all of the buildings created by the Native American stonemasons are gorgeous, however, there is something about these two barns, sitting by themselves in a field that catches our heart.
Note the resemblance of the stones in this print to the stones used at the Stewart Indian School
As best we can determine, these barns were built in the mid 1920s by the masonry staff and students at the SIS. The horse barn has some sort of entry way, which we think was used to have the horses enter and leave the barn.
The south side of the entry way is comprised of carved granite blocks, plus, the first three feet of construction from the ground up is comprised of carved granite blocks.
We believe those blocks came from Benton Stables in Carson City. The stables were torn down after the death of the proprietor, James M. Benton in 1925. The use of stones from the stables in other buildings on the SIS campus has been documented.
Other than the granite blocks, the stones used in the barns are not dressed like the stones used in other buildings on the Stewart Campus. That is, they are not in block form, instead, the stones were used as they were found and almost resemble river rock in the construction technique. Also, note the tin shingle roofs on both barns. We think that the age and patina of the shingles perfectly complements the stones used in both barns.
Update: We found these pictures of the two stone barns plus a wood barn in the 1946 Stewart Indian School year book. What we thought was a entry way on the horse barn appears to be a connecting passage between the horse and dairy barns. The wood barn is no longer standing, however, portions of its foundation and floor remain.
The three barns
Diary and Horse barns, rear
It appears that that after the agricultural programs at Stewart were discontinued, the barns were used for storage by the General Services Administration (GSA) or the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) or some other alphabet agency. We base this on the faded signage affixed to the front of the building.
Buildings 112 and 114 are in the lower left-hand corner
In the building inventory of the National Register of Historic Places – Application , the barns are classified as significant. The National Register of Historic Places defines significant as “The property must embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, represent the work of a master, possess high artistic values, or represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction.”
We feel that the barns more than meet that definition. (https://publicworks.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/publicworksnvgov/content/Documents/03_Historic_Resources_Inventory_1982_Page_141.pdf)
These are not the only examples of barns built by the Native American stonemasons. We found a barn on the Duck Valley Indian Reservation in Owyhee, Nevada. This barn resembles the dairy farm found at SIS. We think that stonemasons who built the Owyhee barn were trained at Stewart, which accounts for the resemblance.
Photo – Society of Architectural Historians
According to the Society of Architectural Historians, “One of the tallest buildings in Owyhee, this large barn has stone walls rising one story to meet the flared edges of a steep, shingled gambrel roof. The faces of the gable ends are sheathed with short horizontal wood boards. Above the south door in the gable is a closed up opening for a hay door, flanked by two small square windows. Above the hay door, the gambrel roof projects to a point at which a pulley could be attached to hoist hay.” (see https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/NV-01-NO67)
Signage, Horse Barn
More signage, Horse Barn
Diary Barn, rear
Window keystones, Dairy Barn
Diary Barn, profile – note the resemblance to the Owyhee Barn
This house was built by Randall Wungnema and members of the Wungnema Family for his wife, Mama Hope, as an anniversary present. When the family moved out, the house had a second life as a bar, the Sniveler’s Inn.
Unfortunately, it was demolished and a bank/office building were constructed on the site. This is a sad reminder that we need to protect and preserve our historic buildings.
When the house was the Sniveler’s Inn
This building sits on the site of the Sniveler’s Inn
Corpus Christi Catholic Church, 1950. Photo: 1950 yearbook, Stewart Indian School
This is the Corpus Christi Catholic Church on Snyder Avenue. While the church is not on the campus of the Stewart Indian School, it is immediately adjacent to the school grounds.
Corpus Christi Catholic Church, present-day
“On 15 of June, 1949, the Bureau Indian Affairs granted the Catholic Bishop of Reno permission to use an acre of land at the Stewart Indian School in Stewart, Nevada, to use as a mission and school. Later that year, with the help of Native American stone masons Joe Burkeheart and Randy Wungnema, construction commenced on a 2,900 square foot building.
By May of 1950, the church was ready, and the first mass was celebrated by Bishop T.K. Gorman. Stone for the church was taken from the Federal quarry east of Carson City. The church owes its unique look to the fact that the inside mortar was mixed with brick dust, and the outside mortar was mixed with coal dust.” (http://www.ccchurchcc.org/our-story.html)
The Wungnema Family was known to use coal and/or dust in the mortar they used in their masonry projects.
The entry way and grotto was added by members of the Wungnema Family in the late 1970s. The stonemasons on the addition were Randall Wungnema, Donald Talas, and Inez Raymond. The supervising foreman was Louis K. Koontz.
The Grotto
The entryway
In 2009, the parish moved to Douglas County, Nevada where a new Corpus Christi had been built. The beautiful pipe organ was moved from the original church to the new church in August of 2015.
stone walkway alongside the church (photo taken prior to the property transfer)
The original Corpus Christi Catholic Church building on Snyder Avenue was returned to the Washoe Tribe on February 1, 2016. Prior to the tribe taking ownership of the building, the altar and all sacred items were moved to the new Corpus Christi Catholic Church building.
The original Corpus Christi Catholic Church building is now on private land. As such, please do not trespass. Instead, you may admire this fine example of Native American workmanship from across the street.
Note the stonework on the portion of the roof leading up to the crucifix. Such pride in workmanship for a portion of the building most people would not notice
