I submit this as my annual report of the conditions of the
Creek Schools during my term of office as Superintendent of Public
Instruction for the Muskogee Nation.
Financial reports of the expenditures of school expenses have
been rendered to your office quarterly during the year; you have
them.
The condition of the schools during my incumbency of office has
been fairly well with the exception of the prevalence of small pox
which has been severe at Coweta, Wealaka, and Euchee National
Boarding Schools. Also at a number of the Creek neighborhood
schools. Pneumonia and malarial fever have been prevalent at the
Eufaula High School, seemingly on account of the bad water supply
and also to the limited spaces of the bed rooms of the pupils
causing a too crowded condition in those sleeping apartments,
antagonistic to the good health of the school. The same condition
exists at the Euchee National Boarding School, although the Euchee
school has been more exempt from the fevers mentioned. The Creek
Orphan Home with the comfortable and commodious design of the
building, under the charge of the most excellent fatherly
superintendent of that institution, an institution budding from
the deepest fountains of the hearts of every Muskogee Indian, an
institution baptized with the tears and dying prayers of loving
parents of youths of misfortune, an institution not of charity,
but that of the inheritance of the Muskogee Indian children
residing there; demands every comfort we would extend to our own
children at home. Shady groves should surround the building where
the wild birds would blend heaven endowed songs of comfort to them
that have sorrowed. Tributes of flowery beauty should adorn the
paths that would lead them onward to happier days than the bitter
hours they have passed through. It should be a home in every sense
of the term from the cold drink of pure water to the pillow where
pleasant dreams should linger with them during their darkest
hours. Many minor necessities of this home require attention to be
perfect. The available water supply is unreliable being cisterns
which fail during dry season. I am informed that the well water
possibilities are not good. The land is fertile and capable of
producing excellent agricultural supplies for the home. There is
no timber or shade trees on the grounds of this orphan home. The
usual appropriations are too limited, too inadequate to do this in
one season.
Industrial training of the pupils may largely accomplish these
necessary results if the prairie sod was broken and fenced for
them. This proposition will apply to all the other national
boarding schools more or less. Broad acres then would yield much
to the support of these schools that is being purchased with cash
out of the school funds. Fruit, vegetables and other luxuries may
even be produced over and beyond the needs of the schools which
could be sold and the proceeds placed to the credit of the school
producing same. I would recommend that consideration be made to
this end by the Creek Council. I would further recommend that a
kit of blacksmith’s tools and one of carpenter’s tools with
necessary agricultural implements be allowed each one of the
nation boarding schools and one text book on the use of the
mechanic’s tools be furnished with each kit of tools, and an act
of Council direction the instruction of the school boys in the use
of these tools be enacted. This would result in the saving of much
expenditure for the cruder portions of such work and would better
advance the pupils of these schools to better meet the world after
attaining majority than they would without such industrial
training. I would further recommend that a system of teaching the
Indian children the English language by direct tuition be adopted
for the classes of the Creek schools. The intense patriotism of
the Euchees of this Nation causes them to still cling to the
language of their fore-fathers, their language seems to them to be
a part of their very lives. Unfortunately there has never been an
English and Euchee pronouncing dictionary constructed. The lesson
in their case would have to be oral. A majority of the Euchees do
not speak the Muskogee language. The Alabamas, Natchez, Quasadas,
and Hitchitas, tribes originally of different languages from the
Muskogee, now all speak the Muskogee language fluently, and are
really more of an English speaking people than the Muskogees and
the Euchees are. Rev. R. M. Loughridge who was long a
missionary among the Creeks and is yet remembered by the oldest of
the present generation of Creeks, compiled an excellent
dictionary, pronouncing in the English and Muskogee Languages.
That work reveals the fact of the immense volume of the variations
of the verb in the Muskogee language. Vastly more than any known
language found. Its descriptive powers renders it an open and
overflowing revelation of mind thought on the tip of the Muskogee
Indian tongue. It is the reason why the Muskogees are
so persistent in speaking their own native language. There are a
few volumes of Mr. Loughridge’s dictionaries in existence yet,
but I believe them to be out of print. In such case it may be
necessary under such conditions to teach such lessons orally
unless a volume of Mr. Loughridge’s dictionary can be furnished
to each Creek Indian School.
I am indebted to Mr. Charles Gibson for many valuable
suggestions in the direction of teaching Indian children the
English language. He shows to the public by his recent sarticles
in the public press his observations of the Indian student being
taught words by sound without comprehending the meaning of the
word rendering it a burden without any realized benefit. In that
language alone will our opportunities depend. It is most important
that a special study of the language be devised for the use of our
schools. It has been deemed advisable by the United States
Supervisor of Schools for the Creek people that the advanced
students of the Indian schools be assigned to higher grade classes
at the Eufaula High School and primary grades to the other
national Creek schools for Indians. I have concurred with such
advice for I am impressed that such was the intention at the
original institution of the Eufaula High School and would prove an
advantage of more rapid progress to the advanced students of our
schools.
Some repairing has been done on buildings of the National
Boarding Schools during vacation months on roofs that were leaky
and flues, furnaces, and other apparatus that endangered the
buildings to fire and for protection from the weather. This work
has been done at Tullahassee and Pecan Creek National Boarding
Schools by the superintendents who had saved a large surplus of
the appropriations by last Council for said schools. I would
recommend that Council by act make such surplus appropriations
available or that portion of them that may be needed for such
special repairs mentioned above. Repairs are badly needed at
Eufaula High School, the southwest porch being now a veritable
death trap and all the other three porches are dangerous to the
occupants. Much repairing is needed on doors and windows to make
the building comfortable during cold weather. The surplus of the
appropriations were too small to attempt any repairs and the
superintendency of the school having been a matter of contention
for some time. Nothing had been done towards the repairs needed.
The boys dormitory buildings at the Colored Orphan Home was burned
last spring and no appropriation being in sight to have the
dormitory rebuilt by the new regulations and modifications as per
treaty by the Secretary of the Interior received at Mr. J. D.
Benedict’s office September 3, 1901; Architects will have to be
sent to estimate specifications, plans, and costs before the
contracts for repairing and building can be let. Therefore I would
recommend that a proper amount should be appropriated by act of
the Council to defray the expenses of architect’s fees as above
mentioned, including repairs on the Nuyaka National Boarding
School, as Mr. Robe the superintendent there states repairs are
needed there too as the building will have to be repaired or the
school suspended on account of the condition of the buildings
there. If an arrangement could be made to have a sufficient amount
appropriated to do the repairing and building after the
architect’s estimates were made, such work could be proceeded
with, without delay. The lives of the occupants of some of these
school buildings are at dangerous risk until the buildings are
rendered secure requires prompt action.
The barn at the Orphan Home was burned last summer. Mr. J. E.
Tiger had over $900.00 saved out of the appropriation last year.
He obtained permission of the School Board to rebuild the barn
right away as the Orphan Home stock and hay required a barn badly.
Therefore I would recommend that Council by act allow the
settlement of the repairs done on Tullahassee National Boarding
School and the rebuilding of the barn at the Creek Orphan Home
which has been done before the Secretary of the Interior forwards
his rules and regulations as per treaty. I further recommend that
Council by act make available by appropriation necessary for
architect’s fees on specifications, plans and estimates, and for
repairs on the Nuyaka National Boarding School building and for
rebuilding the boy’s dormitory building that was burned last
spring at the Colored Orphan Home. The repairs above mentioned at
Tullahassee, Pecan Creek and Orphan Home national boarding schools
will cost less than the surplus the superintendents have saved
over and bills, if approved will be due settlement at the end of
the first scholastic quarter, Nov. 16th next, the bills to be
presented by the superintendents with their reports of school
expenditures at that date. Inspection of the work is to be made
prior to the settlement of the accounts by the Supervision and the
office before settlement and pay is allowed. If necessary an
architect will be employed to assist in the inspection.
You are aware that our school system as now instituted is yet
new, being but a few years ago when the present extensive
up-building of the extraordinary fine system of schools were build
with the newly acquired school fund by the Oklahoma sale a few
years ago. Before that time the school fund of the Nation was
insufficient to accomplish much with. Those that received advanced
education in those small schools are now mostly in other
employment. Therefore we have very few of our educated people in
the school work; a host of new students of this new system
preparing to teach and aid in the schools of their fellow men.
Arguments have been used against the Creek people that their
vast school system has failed to develop graduated students not
accounting for the short period of the existence of these schools.
This accusation amounts to a very galic belch from professors who
are most profoundly interested in saying that very thing without
noting records. I must say that I am highly encouraged with the
prospective good results of the great interest the Creek people
are taking in their schools. The pupils of Indian blood excel in
penmanship, spelling, and reading. They are apt and quick
mathematicians, they are fond of history and geography. They have
superlative strong nerve and steady hand for the finer arts. They
have strong passions and supreme resisting wills that they are not
easily discouraged with their tasks.
Full classes of the primary rudiments of music should receive
more attention than is being done. As I said before, the English
language should be specially taught to all Indian pupils who do
not understand that language or speak it imperfectly. Industrial
training in the trades should be taught the boys. Housekeeping and
cooking might prove a merry romp each day for the future
housekeepers among the Creek people if the school girls could only
be given a chance to show the folks what they could do in that
time.
I would recommend that the superintendents of each of the
national boarding schools be authorized by act of the National
Council to take measures to take allotments of forty acres each
for their respective schools as provided by the recent treaty.
These school superintendents each being the business head of their
respective schools, they alone have the information of evidence
required at the land office as to the occupation of the lands
describing the bounds and location and the previous holding of
their own personal knowledge during the term of their service and
transfers from preceding superintendents. These questions will
have to be answered of their own personal knowledge and not by
hearsay evidence renders these superintendents the only competent
qualified officers to comply with the rules of filing for the
national schools as such school lands. A sufficient fund should be
appropriated by act of the National Council to aid in defending
these school allotments from persons who have or may presume to
file on or contest these filings as in the case at the Eufaula
High School where filings have been made on the school farm and
show inclination to contest the allotment on the cultivated land
of the school farm. The certificates of these school lands, deeds,
and etc., should be help by the superintendents of these schools
for each school.
Upon my entrance to this office I found that a good supply of
school books had been secured for the schools with the exception
of a few editions which were short. On the 6th instant an order
was on Mr. J. B. Bleser of Wichita, Kansas for:
250 Baldwin’s Primers
100 Baldwin’s First
Readers
300 Baldwin’s Second
Readers
100 Baldwin’s Third
Readers
200 Milne’s Elementary
Arithmetics
150 Redway & Hinman
Natural Elementary Geography
250 Small Slates
250 Medium Slates
2500 Slate Pencils
10 Gross Steel
pens for copy book use
500 Lead Pencils
50 Black Board
Erasers
Up to this writing, nothing has been heard from them yet.
Find appended as Exhibit copies of the statistics of the Creek
schools furnished this Office by Miss Alice Robertson, Supervisor
of Schools in the Creek Nation.
Near all the teachers’ reports have been made to that Office.
The original records are deposited in Miss Robertson’s charge
and through her kindness, I obtained of that office the appended
statistic sheets.
The costs of the National Board Schools are more correctly
$50,470.40, the appropriations are $57,500.00. The expenditures
for the neighborhood schools are $12,366.92. The Nuyaka Boarding
School contract $5,600.00. I would recommend that $9,000 each be
appropriated for Eufaula High School, Wetumka National Boarding
School and Tullahassee Colored Boarding School. That $7,200 be
appropriated for the Euchee Naitonal Boarding School. That
$6,666.66 be appropriated for the Creek Orphan Home. I would
recommend that the sum of $5,600.00 be appropriated on the
contract for the Nuyaka Boarding School. I would recommend the
sums of $4,500 for the Wealaka, Coweta, and Pecan Creek (Colored)
National Boarding Schools each. I would recommend that the sum of
$3,333.33 be appropriated for the Colored Orphan Home and $12,500
for neighborhood schools of the Creek Nation.
I respectfully ask that you submit the several recommendations
herein stated to the National Council of the Muskogee Nation for
the above specified considerations and appropriations.
Respectfully
Your Humble Servant,
James R. Gregory
Superintendent of Public Instruction for the Muskogee Nation
(Document # 38800, J. R. Gregory file, Creek Indian Files, Indian
Archives of the Oklahoma Historical Society Library, Oklahoma City.
Transcribed by Barbara Cox.)
James Roane Gregory
