Stories From the Silver State: Thomas D. Benjamin and the Stewart Indian School Oral History Project

Stewart Indian School Oral History Project

Stewart Indian School opened in 1890 three miles southeast of Carson City, Nevada and was operated by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs until it closed in 1980. The school was initially created to forcibly assimilate and educate children from Nevada's Great Basin tribes—Washoe (Waší:šiw), Northern and Southern Paiute (Numu and Nuwuvi), and Western Shoshone (Newe). The school grew to include over 200 tribes from other western states. Over the years, attendance became voluntary and students chose Stewart as a place to learn among their own community members.  

In 2015 the Nevada 150 Foundation awarded the Nevada Indian Commission a $20,000 grant to fund an oral history project about Stewart Indian School. Eight listening sessions were conducted in tribal communities in Battle Mountain, Nevada; Schurz, Nevada; Peach Springs, Arizona; Moapa, Nevada; Ibapah, Utah; and Fort McDowell, Arizona. In total, fifteen individuals were interviewed. Participants told stories of attending or working at Stewart from the 1940s through the 1970s.  

This blog will be highlighting three of the oral history participants: JoAnn Nevers, Roger Sam, and Thomas D. Benjamin. Their oral histories give a glimpse into the lives of indigenous people who were part of the Stewart Indian School community. The past two weeks we featured JoAnn Nevers and Roger Sam. This week we are highlighting Thomas D. Benjamin.

Thomas D. Benjamin

Thomas D. Benjamin grew up on Campbell Ranch, a Paiute reservation near Yerington. Mr. Benjamin attended public school in Yerington and went on to study at the Haskell Institute in Lawrence, Kansas. After receiving his trade certification from Haskell, Mr. Benjamin served in the military for two years. In 1973, Mr. Benjamin got a job as an educational aide at Stewart Indian School. While at Stewart, he also coached the track and cross-country team. Mr. Benjamin worked at Stewart until 1975 when he accepted a job with the State of Nevada.  

In his oral history, Mr. Benjamin discusses how he enjoyed working with the students at Stewart, particularly as a coach. He describes how proud he was when the track team won the state championship in 1973 after a lot of hard work and training. 

Thomas D. Benjamin's Oral History Interview

Audio Recording

Listen to the audio recording of Thomas D. Benjamin's oral history interview:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Recording courtesy of Stewart Indian School Cultural Center & Museum.

Transcript

Read the transcript of Thomas D. Benjamin's oral history interview.

You can access transcripts of all the Stewart Indian School Oral History Project interviews at the Nevada State Archives or the Stewart Indian School Cultural Center & Museum. You can access audio recordings of all the Stewart Indian School Oral History Project interviews at the Stewart Indian School Cultural Center & Museum.

The Stories From the Silver State exhibit is open to the public Monday-Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm at the Nevada State Archives. 

To learn more about the national and state America250 storytelling initiatives or to contribute your own story, see:

Funding provided by the National Historical Publications & Records Commission.