Chapter 5 - The Carlisle Indian Industrial School: Mapping resources to support an important conversation

Abstract

Abstract The Carlisle Indian Industrial School (1879–1918) was the first federally managed, off-reservation boarding school for Native American children and young adults. Roughly 8000 students represented hundreds of different nations and tribes across the United States. With the administrative records of the school being recently digitized, detailed information can support new areas for research and exploration. The journeys of individual students can be mapped, showing movement from home to school and to various outing locations. Aggregated data on outings can reveal where students were most often sent, differences by gender, and how outing locations changed over time. Details of the school, including the campus grounds and the school cemetery, can shed light on important aspects of school operations. As new tools for visualization and geographical representation are employed, opportunities to learn from and share this contested history will facilitate a deeper understanding of the Native American boarding school movement.