Stewart Indian School Trail Podcasts

Welcome Message  Executive Director of the State of Nevada Indian Commission, Sherry L. Rupert, gives a welcome and brief history of the boarding school era and the Stewart Indian School.

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Administration Building  The former Administration building, built in 1923, had many uses in its long history. Hear details for the Stewart Indian Cultural Center to be established in the building and how you can help.

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Small Girls Dorm  Hear how Aletha Tom, alumna of Stewart, came to the school on a bus from the Moapa Indian Reservation in Southern Nevada when she was 12 years old. The first time away from her mother and the reservation, she tells of her life in the Small Girls Dorm and the strict rules she had to follow.

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Small Boys Dorm  Everette Willliams shares his memories of working at Stewart in the Boys Department as the Boys Dorm Attendant and the Dorm Supervisor. Hear him describe in detail the strict daily routine of the boys and the duties they were assigned if they didn’t comply.

 

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Auditorium  Daisy Smith, six years old when she arrived at Stewart, shares her memories of the Auditorium and her first Christmas pageant.

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Steam Tunnels  The entire Stewart Campus was heated by steam from underground tunnels which was supplied with coal and wood chips delivered by train on a V&T rail spur. Larry Hale, Stewart Buildings & Grounds Supervisor explains.

 

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New Gym & Classroom Building  Buck Sampson, Stewart alumnus, describes how the new gym was the center for boxing in the Western United States. Buck states, “… Just like New York had Madison Square Garden, we have Moccasin Square Garden!” Buck also describes his controversial American Indian History class that was taught in the two-story classroom building.

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Infirmary  Only 12 years old, and the first time away from the reservation and her family, Florence Millett shares her vivid memories of work at the infirmary and her personal struggle against loneliness.

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Agriculture  Though his primary interest at the Stewart Indian School was electricity, Andy Allen recalls his memories of working in the campus butcher shop and dairy.

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The Quad  A third generation employee of Stewart, William Oliver remembers his life at Stewart as a Guidance Counselor at the Quad and one student who came all the way from Japan just to attend the Stewart Indian School.

 

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Old Gym & Athletic Fields  Judge Robey Willis shares fond memories of being the boxing coach and the assistant football coach for Stewart. He vividly describes some of his favorite moments in both the old gym and on the football field.

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Shops (Carpentry)  Students in the carpentry shop learned how to build various items such as dressers, fences and coffins. Hear Hilman Tobey describe his experiences in the early years (1926-1937) of the Stewart Indian School.

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Bakery/Post Office  The Stewart facility was in many ways a community to itself, it even had its own Post Office. Former Postal Clerk, Daryl Haines shares interesting facts about the Post Office and the campus and surrounding community it served.

 

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Dining Hall  Bernice Gorham, the first woman cook at the Stewart Dining Hall, shares how she overcame adversity and the difficulty of preparing three meals a day for 600 students – and the little secret that helped her.

 

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Band Room  Earl T. Laird, Jr. tells the story of his father, Earl Laird, the beloved Band Director of the Stewart Indian School Band, who arrived from Pennsylvania in 1930 and dedicated 39 years of service to the students of Stewart.

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Wa Pai Shone  Terri McBride, local anthropologist, shares how the first Wa Pai Shone Trading Post was established at the Stewart Indian School. She explains how the Great Basin Native Americans sold their art and how progressive the cooperative was in its early days.

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Older Girls Dorm  Thelma DeLorme, alumna of Stewart, arrived at the Stewart Indian School from the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony when she was 15 years old. Thelma recounts her shared life experiences in the Older Girls Dorm.

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Employee Cottages  Born at Stewart in 1934, Earl T.Laird, Jr. shares his special memories of growing up in the employee cottages at Stewart. Hear Earl’s emotional account of caring for one orphan American Indian boy.

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Superintendent’s Home  Alumna Marion Christensen recalls a Christmas memory from years ago spent at the Superintendent’s home.

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Stone Buildings  Who were the artisans that built the stone buildings on the campus and where were they from? Bernice Wungnema Gorham answers these questions and more.

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