Five Views: An Ethnic Historic Site Survey for California MENU Introduction pre-1769 Historic Sites Selected References A History of American Indians in California: HISTORIC SITES Sherman Institute (Riverside Perris School) Riverside County The Sherman Institute is located at 9010 Magnolia Avenue between Jackson and Monroe streets, in Riverside, California. Several buildings stand on the site, including dormitories, administrative offices, a sports stadium, and a museum. The museum is the only remaining original structure. Its style is common to railroad depots at the turn of the century, unlike the mission style of other buildings on the campus. A high chain-link fence surrounds the 140-acre area. Named for James S. Sherman, who later became vice president of the United States under President William H. Taft, the institute once occupied two locations, the Perris Indian School, south of Riverside, and the Riverside Indian School at the present location. In 1904, the two schools were consolidated, and the Perris Indian School was relocated to the site on which the Sherman Institute now stands. Sherman housed the first permanent Indian hospital in California. The U.S. Government built it in 1901 in an effort to respond to the serious health problems of California Indians. (Heizer, 1978:118) After having established educational facilities for Indians in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the U.S. Indian Service began to abandon the federal day schools in the late 1920s and 1930s. In spite of its status as an Indian school, the service also began to limit enrollment of California Indian students at the Sherman Institute. As a result of the new enrollment policy, Indian children entered the public schools in greater numbers. In 1964, a U.S. Senate investigating committee wrote a denunciation of both federal and public education for Indian youth. Regarding the Sherman Institute, it stated: | |
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