Stewart Indian School, Educational complex in Carson City, Nevada.
Stewart Indian School is an educational complex spanning 109 acres with 65 buildings constructed from colored local stone. The structures display a distinctive architectural pattern across the campus, with many buildings remaining intact so visitors can see the original character of the grounds.
The school opened in 1890 and for many decades was Nevada's only off-reservation boarding school for Native American students. It closed in 1980 after 90 years of operation, ending a long chapter in the region's educational history.
The school brought together young people from many different tribes who were expected to abandon their languages, traditions, and identities. Walking through the grounds today, you can see how this forced assimilation shaped the lives of thousands of Native American families across the West.
The Cultural Center and Museum are open on weekdays and feature exhibits about student experiences and Native American heritage. Plan to spend time walking the expansive grounds to see the many buildings and understand the scale of the former school.
Students worked together with Hopi stone masons to construct the campus buildings, creating a rare exchange of building methods between cultures. This collaboration produced structures so remarkable that they earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places.
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