Sherman Indian Museum collection
Collection Scope and Content Summary
The Sherman Indian Museum collection documents the history of the Perris Indian School, Sherman Institute, and Sherman Indian High School as well as the Native American experience in the US and within government-run American Indian boarding schools. The collection spans more than a century and richly documents the experiences of students, representing more than 50 tribal nations, who attended the school since its inception in 1892.
Collection highlights include registration and superintendent ledgers, student rosters and yearbooks, curriculum and administrative records, school bulletins, correspondence, photographs, and scrapbooks. Materials cover a range of topical areas including US federal government assimilation efforts of Native Americans, history of American Indian boarding schools, history of education of Native Americans, and the history of the city and county of Riverside, California.
Dates
- Creation: 1861-2009, Undated
- Creation: Majority of material found in circa 1940-1970
Languages
The collection is primarily in English.
Access
Please contact the Sherman Indian Museum to request access.
Publication Rights
Copyright Unknown: Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction, and/or commercial use, of some materials may be restricted by gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing agreement(s), and/or trademark rights. Distribution or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. To the extent other restrictions apply, permission for distribution or reproduction from the applicable rights holder is also required. Responsibility for obtaining permissions, and for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Historical Background
The Sherman Indian Museum was established to document and perpetuate the history and cultural heritage of the Perris Indian School (1892-1902), Sherman Institute (1902-1970), and Sherman Indian High School (1970-). Materials relating to American Indian education are also part of the museum's collection which serves as an educational resource for students and researchers alike.
The museum is located in the original Administration building of the Sherman Institute (now the Sherman Indian High School) in Riverside, California. Construction of the building was completed in 1902 and it was officially opened as a museum in September 1970. On October 20, 1974 the museum was designated as Riverside Cultural Heritage Landmark Number 16 and was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Extent
243 Linear Feet (202 boxes)
Abstract
The Sherman Indian Museum collection documents the history of the Perris Indian School, Sherman Institute, and Sherman Indian High School as well as the Native American experience in the US and within government-run American Indian boarding schools. Collection highlights include registration and superintendent ledgers, student rosters and yearbooks, curriculum and administrative records, school bulletins, correspondence, photographs, and scrapbooks.
Collection Arrangement
This collection is arranged into eighteen series and four sub-series. Collection arrangement is as follows:
- Series 1. Registration ledgers, 1892-1921.
- Series 2. Student ledgers, 1911-1924.
- Series 3. Student rosters, 1932-1991.
- Series 4. Student grades, 1916-1925.
- Series 5. Alumni registers, 1935-1958.
- Series 6. Superintendent ledgers, 1892-1903.
- Series 7. Curriculum publications, circa 1920-1993, Undated.
- Series 8. Financial records, 1892-1992.
- Series 9. Property & Building records, 1861-1986.
- Series 10. Administrative records, 1893-1992, Undated.
- Series 11. Outing System correspondence, 1895-1903, Undated.
- Series 12. Correspondence, 1891-1982.
- Series 13. Historical materials, 1895-2005, Undated.
- Series 14. Scrapbooks, circa 1970-1972, Undated.
- Series 15. Photographic materials, circa 1900-2007, Undated.
- Sub-series 15.1. Photograph albums, circa 1900-1964.
- Sub-series 15.2. Prints, circa 1900-2007, Undated.
- Sub-series 15.3. Negatives, circa 1920-1970, Undated.
- Sub-series 15.4. Slides, circa 1940-2000, Undated.
- Series 16. Student yearbooks, 1915-2009.
- Series 17. Sherman Bulletin, 1907-1984.
- Series 18. Exhibition items, circa 1900-2010.
Acquisition Information
This collection was established in 1970 with historical materials from the Perris Indian School and Sherman Institute and has been expanded to include materials from the Sherman Indian High School.
Processing History
Processed by Celeste Navas and Serena Rodholm, 2017. Revised by Charlotte Dominguez, 2019.
Processing of the Sherman Indian Museum collection was completed by undergraduate students from the University of California, Riverside. This project was funded by the UCR Library and administered by Eric Milenkiewicz, Manuscripts Curator, and Jessica Geiser, Collections Management Librarian.
Genre / Form
Geographic
Topical
- Title
- Sherman Indian Museum collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Processed by Celeste Navas and Serena Rodholm, 2017. Revised by Charlotte Dominguez, 2019.
- Date
- 2017
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- Description is in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Sherman Indian Museum Repository
9010 Magnolia Ave
Riverside CA 92503