Mission to Arizona, 1916-1940: Father Augustine Schwarz, O.F.M.
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LAB MSS-153/26.131 |
Soon after Fort Apache Military Post closed, Congress passed an act (January 24, 1923) that established Theodore Roosevelt Boarding School on the grounds of the old fort. The first students at the school were Navajo, and Father Augustine photographed them in 1924 by the old post chapel (1897), where the first classes were taught. |
LAB MSS-153/26.132 |
LAB FILM S119:19 |
In the beginning, the old cavalry barracks was used for student housing. |
LAB MSS-153/26:130 |
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Apache students later attended the school exclusively, where vocational skills such as farming and animal husbandry formed a major part of the curriculum. |
In 1932, the Works Progress Administration constructed sturdy new dormitories from local sandstone. Now, in 2002, the boys' dormitory has been boarded up and closed for some time, while the girls' dorm has become co-ed and still in use.
LAB FILM S119:14 |
LAB FILM S119:15 |
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