The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1915-05-20
A Visit to ChilOccO, One of the Gov.
ernment's Largest Indian
Schools.


4. ernments Largest Indian
Schools.
Having heard great deal about
Chilocco's great Indian schools and
being only 20 miles from the place
| decided to spend a day in visiting
the institution.
! The schools are situated in Kay
county, Oklahoma's banner county,
surrounded by a beautiful slightly
rolling prairie including over 5000
acres of Oklahoma's most fertile
soil. One can view tho schools for
miles away, over their beautiful
fields Of wheat, rye, alfalfa and
meadows. When we neared the
buildings VIC we're amazed at the
beautiful ivy covered structures. We
drove through tho streets viewing
the different sides of the school
buildings and then went to the sup
erintendents building. We were ad-
vised to wait short time before
starting on our trip. He informed us
that they employed fifty-two instruc-
tors besides number of other over
seers. Finally the noon hour arriv-
ed and we saw from tho building the
girls marching out, keeping time as
the went to their dormitory, march
ing four abreast, which certainly
was a sight, then came the boys in
the same manner, each going to
their room to manicure and prepare
for their noon meal, when ready
marching to their dining hall which
would seat about 800 pupils and ev-
cry place appeared to be filled. They
employ their own cook. When they
arrived at their tables the boys oc-
icripying one side of the room and the
girls the other, remaining standing
until the signal to be seated, and for
the positions to be taken, everything
being done in perfect order After
the dinner was served they came
marching out in the same manner
as they marched in, going to their
dormitory building, lining up in
front, went through a certain form
before commencing their play. They
appeared to be pleasant with each
other and very polite, treating us
livery courteous and friendly.
| At Chilocco there are between 500
and 600 in regular attendance. We
were informed about 40 different
tribes are represented, being no fric-
ton between the different tribes,
and it is said it is good thing to
mix the different tribes in school as
each tribe has different language,
and in this way they are forced to
adopt the English as the common
medium of communication.
The farm has about $500 acres
under cultivation and the remainder
is used for meadow and grazing pur-
poses. We were informed that there
were 1900 acres in corn, including
kaffir corn and broom corn, milo
maize, etc., There were 100 acres in
cane, several hundred acres in oats,
alfalfa, etc., 100 acres in garden.
Everything looked neat and clean,
somewhat late for this country on
account of the late spring. And such
variety, great fields of cabbages,
beans, peas, melons, beets, tomatoes,
etc.
| At the dairy barn we were surpris-
ed at the sanitary condition they
were in, having clean cement floors,
|up-t0-date stanchions. Each boy had
a certain number of cows to care for.
About IS cows are MIXED at pres
ent. Each boy placed his white dairy
uniform on before milking. The
buildings at Chilocco are mostly of
stone, there being a very fine quality
of magnesium limestone found in al
most inexhaustible quantities on the
school farm. All the buildings are
modern in architecture, design and
equipment, heated by steam and
lighted by electricity. The school
maintains it's own electric lighting
plant which also furnishes power
necessary for running the machinery
in the various shops, laundry, cream
cry, etc.
One of the finest, if not the finest,
buildings is the domestic building,
the Leupp hall, named in honor of
the commissioner. of Indian affairs.
1t is large and commodius and of a
beautiful architectural design. The
first building our guide, an Indian
boy about 10 or IA years OF age,
Wiley Chocolate by name, took us
to visit was the Indian print shop
and which has quite we'll earned
reputation as executors OF beautiful
printing and the place to buy real
Navajo rugs and blankets and genu-
inc Indian pottery, besides other real
Indian handcraft, magnificent as
sortment of which we had the pleas
urc OF examining. IL Is truly dill
Indian Roycroft shop. We were then
taken to visit the main school
building, heard some classes recite,
then to the library room where
there were several hundreds of vol
umes neatly placed in their respec-
tive places, then to the auditorium
which cannot be excelled by anoth-
err school of ordinary size. Every
Sunday they march to Sabbath school
and church, boys neatly dressed in
blue uniform and girls in neat
white dresses. 1t would not do in
making Chilocco visit to fail to