Pipestone Indian Industrial Training School

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Established in 1893, the Pipestone Indian School was built on land taken from the Yankton reservation at the Pipestone Quarry. The Yankton people long contested that loss and won before the Supreme Court in 1926.

In 1894 the formation of the Pipestone Indian Training School was authorized on the uninhabited Yankton Pipestone reservation. At that time the majority of Native Americans in Minnesota were Ojibwa and they dominated the school's enrollment throughout its history. The school had grades 1–8 with a split curriculum, mornings and afternoon groups switching: academics and occupation skills. The school fielded both girls and boys sports teams Post WWI, the Pipestone student body became more diverse, but White Earth remained the primary source of students until the school closed. Attendance was voluntary and students needed to apply for admission. The School superintendent made recruiting visits to the various reservations, besides Minnesota's, to gain or maintain student enrollment. The last year the school was open over 300 students wanted to attend, however due to budget reductions just 130 from Minnesota were accepted. Post WWII newspapers portray the school as also being an orphanage in its last years of operation. Leaders of the Chippewa were against closing Pipestone School until something could be done to place the kids in permanent situations.

1895 The Superintendents of the Indian schools at Pipestone and Pierre S.D. both went to White Earth looking to enroll students. Pipestone got 8 or 9.

1897 The Saint Paul Globe reported 67 Ojibwa from the Detroit Lakes were en route to the Pipestone school.

1901 Pipestone's Chippewa students won 12 "individual' bronze medals in Agricultural Products at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. Winners of awards had to pay for the manufacture of their medal. The exhibition executive committee issued Certificates of Award that were needed to order the medal won.

1902 School enrollment reported at 135 mostly Chippewa.

1905 The White Earth Tomahawk newspaper was cited for reporting the Pipestone School matron, Miss Roy, returned for the new school year accompanied by many White Earth students.

1905 White Earth Chief William Madison worked as the Boys Advisor at Pipestone.

1906 The first 3 students to graduate at Pipestone were Clem Fairbanks, Willie Coffey, and Willie McIntosh from White Earth. In 1906 enrollment was 215.

1912 the students began publishing a school newspaper making it the first indigenous newspaper in the country.

1914 Two girls displaying a large example of Ojibwa beadwork at Pipestone.

1914 The boys made the Tri-state Indian school championship.

1916 The BIA allocated Indian schools $167/student while PITS was spending $224/student.

1918 School enrollment reported at 165: Chippewa 75, Sioux 55, Winnebago 19, Omaha 19. During commencement PITS displayed a service banner with 35 stars for former students in uniform for WWI.

1927 school enrollment was 340 the school's maximum, many applications were turned down.

1930 school enrollment was 315. In 1932 Pipestone had the largest enrollment, 375. The football team went 7–3 scoring 220 pts vs. their opponents 72. It was notable as almost all their opponents were High schools and Pipestone only went to the 9th grade. The team represented 11 tribes: Chippewa 5, Sioux 5, Gros Ventre 2, Arikara 2, Sac-Fox 2, Winnebago 1, Omaha, 1, Oneida 1, and Cheyenne The hardest fought contest was against the team from the Flandreau Indian School.

1940 Applications for enrollment far exceeded school capacity with many turned down to get to the desired h8 number of 320.

1941 The boys basketball team made the news. It was reported that they had won a tournament two years running and were returning. They were noted for defeating the opposition routinely by 15–25 points. Because of this they had to travel over 100 miles to play teams they would or could compete with them.

1948 the BIA proposed closing all Indian schools. The people of Pipestone said all the other schools could close except Pipestone. Because of the historical significance of the adjoining Reservation it should be exempted.

1948 The Minnesota Welfare Board insisted that the Pipestone Indian School reopen. The governor of Minnesota wrote numerous letters that "many of these children have no homes, family's, or places to go".

1949 The school had nearly 400 applications but only 125 were accepted due to reduced funding. Most of those were year round residents. They did not have homes to return to during summer because they were orphans.

1949 Both the Minnesota Senate and House of Representatives sent letters to the President and Congress to provide for continual operation of the Pipestone school and the reopening of the School Hospital for Native Americans.

1949 The office of Minnesota U.S. Senator Hubert H. Humphrey sent letters on behalf of the PITS remaining open.

1951 Pipestone Boys advisor was Roy Buffalo.

In 1952 $135,000 was authorized to fund Pipestone's last year of operations. That figure equals $1,582,819.32 in 2024 dollars or $12,662/student for 125 students. Last day was 1 July 1953.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Records Relating to Land, 1949–1953 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Correspondence of Field Dentist Dr. David D. Stitt, 1934–1944 National Archives at Kansas City
referencedIn Records Relating to Forestry, Logging, and Mills, 1949–1967 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Statements of Classification of Pupils, March 31, 1894–March 31, 1900 National Archives at Kansas City
contributorOf Alphabetical Correspondence of Superintendents Robert E. Daniel and Nick Conner, January 9, 1914–September 1, 1917 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Quarterly Day School Reports, March 1911–June 1911 National Archives at Kansas City
referencedIn Residential Housing Surveys, 1949–1950 National Archives at Chicago
referencedIn Correspondence with Off-Reservation Boarding Schools, October 12, 1909–May 3, 1922 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Letters Received from the Supervisor of Indian Employment, 1910–1919 National Archives at Kansas City
referencedIn Decimal Correspondence Files, 1949–1971 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Civilian Conservation Corps Indian Division Decimal Correspondence Files, 1937–1943 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Student Citizenship Compositions, 1913–1914 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Copies of Letters Sent, 1899–1925 National Archives at Kansas City
contributorOf Applications for Enrollment in Indian Schools, 1905–1951 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Rehabilitation Ledgers and Related Correspondence, 1937–1959 National Archives at Kansas City
contributorOf Numerical Correspondence, October 12, 1912–July 31, 1918 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Pipestone School: Photographs, 1930–1950 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Rehabilitation Loan and Grant Agreements, 1937–1945 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Correspondence with Field Installations, 1911–1929 National Archives at Kansas City
referencedIn Case Files of Students Attending Off-Reservation Schools and Colleges, ca. 1913–1959 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Building Construction Dossiers, 1914–1917 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Correspondence Received from the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, 1913–1926 National Archives at Kansas City
contributorOf Education Subject Correspondence Files, 1917–1953 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Quarterly School Reports, 1894–June 30, 1927 National Archives at Kansas City
contributorOf Correspondence with Other Schools and Agencies, 1892–1931 National Archives at Kansas City
contributorOf Extension Correspondence Files, 1949–ca. 1980 National Archives at Kansas City
referencedIn Subject Correspondence Files, 1907–1922 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Agriculture and Extension Production Reports, October 1921–1926 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Social Welfare Student Information Cards, ca. 1938–ca. 1950 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Correspondence Received from the Supervisor of Indian Education, 1894–1916 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Register of Completion Classes and School Enrollment, 1897–1948 National Archives at Kansas City
referencedIn Correspondence Related to the Pipestone Indian School, April 4, 1934–October 15, 1951 National Archives at Kansas City
contributorOf Relief Correspondence, 1935–1949 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Decimal Correspondence Files, 1925–1952 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Correspondence with the Birch Cooley Day School, 1909–1920 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Records, 1912-1939. Pipestone County Historical Society
contributorOf School Correspondence, 1926–1934 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Circulars Received from the Office of Indian Affairs, 1917–1922 National Archives at Kansas City
contributorOf Correspondence with Off-Reservation Indian Schools and Related Records, October 7, 1922–1954 National Archives at Kansas City
contributorOf Subject Correspondence, September 30, 1907–June 10, 1919 National Archives at Kansas City
contributorOf Administrative Subject Files, 1949–1961 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Individual Indian Money Ledger Cards for Tribal Council Operations, 1942–1951 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Correspondence of Civilian Conservation Corps Indian Division Officials, 1934–1943 National Archives at Kansas City
contributorOf Correspondence with Agencies and Schools, 1909–1947 National Archives at Kansas City
contributorOf Annual Forestry, Grazing, and Blister Rust Reports, 1949–1961 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Quarterly Returns of Property Reports, 1901–1914 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Descriptions of School Buildings, 1913–1931 National Archives at Kansas City
contributorOf Records Relating to the Civilian Conservation Corps--Indian Division, 1949–ca. 1980 National Archives at Kansas City
contributorOf Correspondence with Other Agencies, 1915–1941 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Commissioner's Office Letters, 1914–1917 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Student Case Files, 1910–1954 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Cash Receipts Ledger, 1938–1954 National Archives at Kansas City
contributorOf Correspondence Files, 1909–1925 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Loan Ledger, 1938–1954 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Abstracts of Individual Indian Money Accounts and Special Deposits, 1924–1947 National Archives at Kansas City
contributorOf Decimal Correspondence Files, 1949 - 1980 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Quarterly Returns of Property Reports, 1895–1905 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Permanent School Census Cards, 1942–1952 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Payrolls of Employees and Related Records, 1915–1918 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Copies of Letters Sent to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, April 15, 1895–December 6, 1926 National Archives at Kansas City
referencedIn School Subject Correspondence Files, 1921–1935 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Correspondence with Members of Congress, 1920–1928 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Individual Indian Money and Special Deposits Ledger, 1914–1918 National Archives at Kansas City
contributorOf Correspondence with Indian and Public Schools, 1893–1955 National Archives at Kansas City
contributorOf Subject Correspondence Files, 1892–1941 National Archives at Kansas City
creatorOf Pipestone Alumni Association Correspondence, September 4, 1914–June 7, 1916 National Archives at Kansas City
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith United States. Bureau of Indian Affairs. corporateBody
associatedWith United States. Office of Indian Affairs. corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
Minnesota--Pipestone
Pipestone Indian Reservation (Minn.)
Subject
Indians of North America
Indians of North America
Mdewakanton Indians
Trade schools
Occupation
Activity

Corporate Body

Active 1912

Active 1939

Information

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SNAC ID: 75692803