Fort Mojave Industrial School

In 1889 President Benjamin Harrison selected Thomas J. Morgan as his new Commissioner of Indian
Affairs to oversee the reformulation of indigenous education policy. In 1890 the United States Congress
allocated funds to establish a boarding school to serve the Hualapai and Mojave Indians. On August 22,
1890 Commissioner Morgan formally turned Fort Mojave over to his choice for superintendent, Samuel M.
McCowan. McCowan oversaw the opening of the school in 1890 and remained its supervisor for six years.
The school was originally called the Fort Mojave Agency and School until March 9, 1891, when it became
known as the Herbert Welsh Institute. By December 1892, the name was changed to the Fort Mojave Indian
School. At various times, the school was also referred to as the Fort Mojave Industrial School and the Fort
Mojave Indian Industrial School.
While at the school, Superintendent McCowan used the guidelines already in use at nearby schools in
Albuquerque, New Mexico and Grand Junction, Colorado. McCowan hired teachers to instruct students in rudimentary English, mathematics, geography, and American history. He received funding to hire a farmer,
blacksmith, and carpenter to teach males vocational skills, and a matron to guide females in domestic skills
such as sewing and cooking. With limited funds, McCowan found himself placing more emphasis on the
vocational curriculum in an effort to provide students with necessities such as food and clothing.
By the mid-1890s, problems associated with the removal of Native American children from their homes
became evident as runaways became a major problem at all schools. Reformers highlighted the hardships
placed on both children and their families who were caught between two cultures.
A movement to reform educational policy began when Theodore Roosevelt appointed Francis Leupp
Commissioner of Indian Affairs in 1905. Between 1905 and 1920 Leupp worked to build a case against offreservation boarding schools. In 1926 Secretary of the Interior Herbert Work commissioned the Institute
of Government Research to complete a thorough study of reservation conditions throughout the country.
Presented to Congress in 1928, the report, titled "The Problem of Indian Administration," known as the
Meriam Report, found United States Indian policy to be a failure and was especially critical of education
efforts.
Utilizing the social momentum of the Meriam Report, Indian policy shifted back toward the expansion of
reservation schools and worked to close the remaining off-reservation institutions. The Fort Mojave Indian
School closed in 1931.

The Fort Mojave Indian School was situated on the east bank of the Colorado River at the
location of the old Fort Mojave military facility. The post was established in 1858 to protect
immigrants and assist in the crossing of the Colorado River. The school, established in 1890
with the closure of the post, consisted of 24 buildings with dormitories, dining room,
kitchen, instructional buildings and cottages for the staff. The school remained in operation
until 1932 when it was closed.