Wisconsin had at least 10 Institutions for children

 

Wisconsin had at least 10 Native American boarding schools.

Students spent half their day doing hard labor, which financially supported the schools. At 1, so many students were dying they started shipping them off before they died on school grounds. https://t.co/DCZbl1LyvA

— Ruth H. Hopkins (Red Road Woman) (@Ruth_HHopkins) August 25, 2021

 

wisconsin historical society photo: Tomah Indian Industrial School

Wisconsin had at least 10 Native American boarding schools. Here's what to know about them.

Oneida Indian School

This boarding school was established in 1893 on the Oneida reservation and was run by the federal government.

In the book "Oneida Lives: Long-lost voices of the Wisconsin Oneidas," John Skenandore recalls how he lost one of his hands in an accident while working in the school's laundry room. He said he was injured when he tried to put a sheet through a wringer.

Children at the boarding schools were often detailed to work in the laundry. In the book, Skenandore wonders why he never received some kind of compensation for his injury.

"If I was only playing when this happened, I would not expect a thing, but I was put to work among the machinery at the age of twelve," he is quoted as saying.

 

AGENT REPORTS (pdf)(1889) 400+ pages