Indian School #6
Magazine reader Mary Haunsreiter sent in a picture of her mom, Marvel Pearce Bruce (far left, with her dog) in front of her one-room school, Indian School #6, on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Mary isn't sure where the school was located, but knew her mother's family lived near the Black Tail River Area. 6 Comments
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oh…thank you. I’m pleased to see that photograph here. It has always been a favorite of mine of my mother as it explains her love of the Lakota people as well. I’ve tried to locate the area when I’ve been in the Hot Springs/Oelrichs area but was told that their house had been sold when my grandfather moved up to Custer State Park to build a cabin and then the property went to someone else. Still haven’t found “Black Tail” precinct. Thank you for sharing my photo -
Comment by MaryH — November 6, 2007 @ 5:48 pm
MaryH: I have a large plat map of Shannon County dated 1915 showing all land owners at the time – would that help you? It also shows all the school locations but none are “labeled” with numbers. I also have a different map that shows “Big Blacktail Creek” running from Fall River Co east into Shannon Co where it meets up with the “White River”.
Was the school you are looking for in Shannon Co or Fall River Co? My 1915 plat map does not show any schools located along the “Big Blacktail Creek” area, at least on the Shannon Co side. Maybe a school was built after 1915 in that area? Any idea of the date of your photograph?
Comment by Mike — November 6, 2007 @ 8:59 pm
Yes, it probably would!!! The names I’m looking for are Pearce and Overstreet. I think the photo was taken around 1920. I have no idea where the school was - close to their home I would imagine. Those areas were full of little home schools run by moms who had gone to school themselves. One of my Aunts, Lillian Overstreet Strouse, taught out in prairie schools for many years in that same area.
My grandparents always said their ranch was on Rez property…they had many Lakota friends and I’m not sure if perhaps their ranch allotment ran between both counties . How clear were the property lines in those days when we’re talking about 300 acres? I don’t know. I would love it if you could find the Pearce name on one of those maps. I had found some land ownership records one time but can’t find them now, that lists the property my grandfather owned and where it was but I had no way to figure out where the property was. Some of it was purchased as late as in the 1950’s which seemed odd to me unless he never sold some of it.
Any help is much appreciated. My email is above. I had a genealogist from SD tell me once that there was no way a little “white rancher’s daughter” could attend an Indian day school. Well… we had a small secret in the family. (no longer secret) She qualified - I’m actually, to this day, not even absolutely sure that I don’t have her and her best friend in the middle of the photo mixed up.
Mary
Comment by MaryH — November 7, 2007 @ 12:48 pm
Mike, my email is marykh@mindspring.com. I found the land information I had found before.
Comment by MaryH — November 7, 2007 @ 1:01 pm
http://www.amazon.com/Bead-Anthill-Delphine-Red-Shirt/dp/0803289766/ref=sr_1_5/105-8329974-4087669?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1194460029&sr=8-5
http://www.amazon.com/Turtle-Womans-Granddaughter-American-Indian/dp/0803289960/ref=sr_1_3/105-8329974-4087669?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1194460029&sr=8-3
The above links are to books by the author and Yale teacher, Delphine RedShirt (Oglala Sioux). She mentioned in one of the books, I think it was the “Turtle-Woman’s Granddaughter”, that her grandmother attended a government school #6. It seems it was just into the Nebraska border south of the Pine Ridge. The author could probably be contacted easily to find our more.
Barb
Comment by Barb — November 7, 2007 @ 1:11 pm
Barb,
Omigosh…..Guy Red Shirt was on of the family’s good Lakota friends. I grew up hearing about Guy Red Shirt and Antoine Shangreux. My mother’s uncle was rounding up strays with Guy and Antoine when he was thrown from his horse. The two Lakota’s quickly took him to the Oglala market but he died there before help could arrive. I wonder if one of the little girls in that photo is Delphine’s grandmother. I have another photo of that same group sitting on a log that goes across a little river. Its a very pretty photo and taken by my grandmother. I’ll follow the links. Thank you so much. I’m really not intending this to be a genealogy search - we’ve just always been curious as to where the ranch was. Been there twice but unable to find it.
again..thank you…
Comment by MaryH — November 8, 2007 @ 7:25 pm