Page 235

REPORTS CONCERNING'INDIANS IN              MINNESOTA.            235 
and cinders; laying 250 yards of walk; building five storm houses over the
entrances 
to the dormitory and school house; putting the bell upon the kitchen roof;
grubbing, 
grading, and seeding into grass the part of the campus heretofore in its
natural state; 
planting evergreens, box elders, and flowers in front yard; fencing and grading
a drive- 
way from the barn to the highway on one side and to the garden and pasture
on the 
other, thus making them accessible without passing through the campus; building
picket 
fence on two sides of campus; adding 40 acres to the pasture, and the usual
paint- 
ing of roofs, wainscoting, and floors, calcimining walls, and such general
repairs as 
are needed to put the plant in a first-class condition constitute the improvements.
The installing of the boilers in the dormitory last winter makes it unnecessary
to 
huddle the children upon the radiators to keep them warm. With the addition
of the 
laundry equipments, boiler for pumping and running the laundry, and a heating
plant 
for the employees' building, estimates for which have been made, this plant
will be 
second to none in the service. 
Good work has been done in all the departments, the farm being the weakest,
and 
we can not hope to make good farmers and stock raisers of our boys till they
receive 
better instruction and have a better example set before them. 
WILLIAM R. DAVIS, Superintendent. 
REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT OF WILD RICE RIVER SCHOOL. 
WHITE EARTH AGENCY, MINN., August 31, 1905. 
Attendance for first quarter, 47; second, 77; third, 83 ; fourth, 84. The
attendance 
has always been far in excess of the rated capacity, and as the parents desire
to put 
their children in school, it becomes difficult to fix a proper limit. 
Buildings are old wooden ones, utterly unfit for school purposes in their
present 
condition. It is impossible to repair them thoroughly without almost rebuilding.
Such 
repairs as are possible are made from time to time, but new buildings are
needed. The 
work in all departments is of course hampered by this lack of adequate accommodations.
Industrial work consists of ordinary household duties-cooking, laundry, sewing,
care 
of dormitories, etc., care of stock and garden of 3 acres, cutting wood,
and hauling 
water in barrels from the river, one-fourth of a mile away. 
Schoolroom work has been fairly good, but too much interrupted by unavoidable
change of teachers.                                  VIOLA COOK, Superintendent.
REPORT OF TEACHER OF PORTERVILLE DAY SCHOOL. 
DUANE, MINN., August 31, 1905. 
This school is located 26 miles north of the White Earth Agency. The nearest
ship- 
ping point is Fosston, Minn., on the Great Northern Railroad. It is 15 miles
north of 
the school. Good crops of wheat, flax, and oats are raised in the vicinity
of the school. 
During the last year a post-office, Duane, Minn., was established at this
place and for a 
time was in the school building, till other quarters could be found for it.
Attendance.-On the opening day of this school 13 pupils presented themselves
for 
enrollment. From that time there has been a steady increase, the enrollment
for June 
of this year being 26 and an average attendance of nearly 20 being maintained
for the 
year. 
Literary.-The pupils had an unusual interest in school the past year, and
conse- 
quently made good progress. 
Industrial-The boys assisted in cutting the brush, removing oak roots, and
In prepar- 
ing the land for a garden. A fine crop sufficient for the school, consisting
of potatoes, 
rutabagas, cabbage, carrots, beets, onions, and squash, was harvested. Each
pupil har- 
vested from his little individual garden his crop which he planted on his
temporary 
allotment in the spring. 
The girls assisted in preparing the noonday lunch, setting table, washing
dishes, sweep- 
ing, etc. The larger girls have been taught to make bread and do other plain
cooking. 
In the industrial room the smaller girls do such sewing as basting, hemming
towels, etc. 
The larger girls are taught to make their own dresses, aprons, and underwear.
FRANK C. HEIER, Teacher. 
REPORT OF TEACHER OF WHITE EARTH DAY SCHOOL. 
WHITE EARTH AGENCY, MINN., June 30, 1905. 
This school is in White Earth, Minn., an Indian village of about 200 inhabitants.
It is 
near the agent's office and the White Earth boarding school. 
Only the children from the village and the immediate vicinity attend the
day school. 
They are in school the entire day. Little or no effort is made in the school
to give the 
pupils a practical industrial training. They have made rapid progress in
the literary 
subjects. The course of study and suggestions of the superintendent have
been adhered 
to as close as possible. 
In addition to the regular school work, the pupils have read extensively
from books of 
various kinds placed upon a table in the room. The books used are choice
juvenile works 
suitable for the different grades. The children were permitted to read the
books at the 
intermissions and during study hours when they have prepared all work assigned
them. 
They enjoyed the reading of the books. The books used were from my own private
library 
and the few "books that belong to the school. Great good can be accomplished
If the 
proper books and periodicals were available. 
The attendance has been very regular and good. The average daily attendance
for the 
year was 26 pupils. The school Is now organized into grades, as planned In
the course of 
study. Much enthusiasm was manifested in the work by the pupils. 
LEONIDAS L. GOEN, Teacher.