Perris Indian School

Perris Indian School; also Perris School (Perris, Calif.), Indian School (Perris, Calif.), United States Indian School (Perris, Calif.). Established in 1892 in Perris, Calif. by the Office of Indian Affairs; Perris School closed in 1905; beginning in 1900, students moved from Perris to Sherman School during a five-year transition.

In 1890, Mr. Horatio N. Rust was instructed by the Commissioner of Indian Affairs to find a suitable site in Southern California for an Indian school. In 1892 the first Indian school in Southern California was located in Perris, Ca. The student population was primarily from California Indian tribes, but there were eight Pima students in attendance.
In 1897 Superintendent Harwood Hall realized the need for a better location, as the water supply at Perris was inadequate. Mr. Hall appealed to James Schoolcraft Sherman, Chairman of Indian Affairs in the U.S. House of Representatives and later U.S. Vice President, for funds to build a school in the area of Riverside, Ca. On May 31, 1900, Congress authorized $75,000 for the construction of Sherman Institute on its present site.

On July 18, 1901, the cornerstone of the old school building was laid.

SIHS was founded by the United States Government in order to assimilate Native Americans into the mainstream society.

SIHS was originally known as the Perris Indian School, which was established in 1892 under the direction of Mr. M. S. Savage. This was the first off-reservation boarding school in California. The enrollment then consisted of Southern California Indian children from the Tule River Agency to San Diego County. Students ranged in age from 5 years old to early 20s. The main subjects taught were agriculture and domestic science.

The 80-acre (320,000 m2) site in Perris, California was at the corner of today's Perris Boulevard and Morgan Street. Due to an inadequate water supply to conduct the primary subjects at the school, a better location was sought. By 1901 a site in the city of Riverside was selected, at the corner of Magnolia Avenue and Jackson Street. On July 19, 1901, the cornerstone was laid for the new school building of Sherman Institute. Perris Indian School remained in operation until December 1904 when the remaining students were transferred to Riverside.

Perris Indian School; also Perris School (Perris, Calif.), Indian School (Perris, Calif.), United States Indian School (Perris, Calif.). Established in 1892 in Perris, Calif. by the Office of Indian Affairs; Perris School closed in 1905; beginning in 1900, students moved from Perris to Sherman School during a five-year transition.