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Notes for Using this List:
● The Tribal Nations impacted are listed as they appear in historical documents and may not reflect the names used by the Nations today.
● An asterisk next to the name of a religious community means that the community has verified the dates as accurate.
● This list was last updated on May 5, 2023
Dakota Indian Industrial School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1884–1887
Current Diocese: Sioux Falls
Previous Diocese Involved:
Vicariate Apostolic of Dakota, 1884–1887
On a Reservation: Yankton Agency
On the Department of the Interior List: No
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Yankton Dakota
Notes: The bishop of the Vicariate Apostolic of Dakota opened the school with a federal contract to educate 50 Native American boys. The school was operated by diocesan priests and staffed with lay teachers. It closed in 1887.
Yankton South Dakota
Immaculate Conception Indian School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1886–present [2023]
Current Diocese: Sioux Falls
Previous Diocese Involved:
Vicariate Apostolic of Dakota, 1886–1889
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Order of St. Benedict (Saint Meinrad Abbey, St. Meinrad, IN), 1886–1954*
Order of St. Benedict (Blue Cloud Abbey, Marvin, SD), 1954–1971*
Benedictine Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery (Yankton, SD), 1887–1963
Benedictine Sisters of Watertown, SD, 1963–1971
On a Reservation: Crow Creek Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Santee; Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota
Notes: In 1971, the Crow Creek Reservation took over ownership of the school and it was renamed the Crow Creek Tribal School.
Stephan South Dakota
Our Lady of Lourdes
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1929–present [2023]
Current Diocese: Rapid City
Previous Diocese Involved:
Lead, 1929–1930
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Jesuits (Midwest Province), 1929–present [2023]*
Sisters of the Holy Humility of Mary, 1931–1937
Notre Dame Sisters (Omaha, NE), 1937–2002 and 2010–2017*
On a Reservation: Pine River Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: No
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Lakota
Notes: Our Lady of Lourdes was/is a satellite of Pine Ridge Reservation parish and never operated independently. The boarding school was open from 1937 to 1965. The school has operated as a K-8 school since 1931.
Porcupine South Dakota
Red Cloud Indian School (formerly Holy Rosary Mission)
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1888–present [2022]
Current Diocese: Rapid City
Previous Dioceses Involved:
Vicariate Apostolic of Dakota, 1888–1889
Sioux Falls, 1889–1902
Lead, 1902–1930
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Jesuits (Midwest Province), 1888–present [2023]*
Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity (North American Province), 1888–1939*
Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity (Sacred Heart Community), 1939–1991*
On a Reservation: Pine Ridge Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Oglala Lakota
Notes: The school opened in 1888 as part of the Holy Rosary Mission. In 1969, the school was renamed Red Cloud Indian School. The boarding section closed in 1980. The school was incorporated and a school board created in 1978. The Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity staffed the school, first as part of the North American Mission, which became the North American Province in 1900, and then as part of the Sacred Heart Province (now community) in 1939.
Note about School Archives: Records from Holy Rosary Mission / Red Cloud Indian School are housed at Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI. For more information: https://www.marquette.edu/library/archives/Mss/HRM/index.php
Pine Ridge South Dakota
St. Benedict Indian School (renamed Martin Kenel Agricultural School)
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1879–1919 (see notes)
Current Diocese: Rapid City
Previous Dioceses Involved:
Vicariate Apostolic of Dakota, 1879–1889
Sioux Falls, 1889–1902
Lead, 1902–1906
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Order of St. Benedict (Saint Meinrad Abbey, St. Meinrad, IN), 1879–1884*
Order of St. Benedict (Conception Abbey, Conception, MO), 1884–1906*
Sisters of St. Benedict (Ferdinand, IN), 1878–1882
Benedictine Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery (Yankton, SD), 1882–1906*
On a Reservation: Standing Rock Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Blackfeet; Unkpapa; Yanktonai-Dakota
Notes: In 1879, Abbot Martin Marty, stationed at Fort Yates, applied to the federal government for a tract of land to open an agricultural school for boys. Initially, the school only served boys over the age of 12, but eventually, younger boys and girls attended (girls were taught housework). In 1883, Marty (now the vicar apostolic of the Dakota Territory) transferred the school to government control. The following year the Benedictines from Saint Meinrad withdrew and turned over administration of the school to the Benedictines from Conception, MO. Rev. Martin Kenel was appointed as a school administrator, a post he held until he retired in 1906. At his retirement, the government renamed the school in his honor, and both Benedictine communities withdrew from the school. The school continued to operate with lay teachers until it closed in 1919.
Kenel South Dakota
St. Francis Mission School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1886–1975 (see notes)
Current Diocese: Rapid City
Previous Dioceses Involved:
Vicariate Apostolic of Dakota, 1886–1889
Sioux Falls, 1889–1902
Lead, 1902–1930
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Jesuits (Midwest Province), 1886–1975*
Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity (North American Province), 1886–1939*
Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity (Sacred Heart Community), 1939–1981*
On a Reservation: Rosebud Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: No
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Sicangu Lakota
Notes: In 1916, a campus-wide fire destroyed most of the school’s records. In 1972, tribal leadership approached the Bureau of Indian Affairs and requested funding to take over the administration of the school. BIA funding was not sufficient to operate the school independently, so the Catholic Church agreed to make decreasing payments to the school until 1980. The Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity staffed the school, first as part of the North American Mission, which became the North American Province in 1900, then as part of the Sacred Heart Province (now Community) in 1939.
Note about this school’s archives: In addition to onsite materials, records from St. Francis Mission are housed at Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI. For more information: https://www.marquette.edu/library/archives/Mss/SFM/SFM-history.php
St. Francis South Dakota
St. Joseph’s Indian School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1927–present [2023]
Current Diocese: Sioux Falls
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Priests of the Sacred Heart (Hales Corners, WI), 1927–present [2023]*
Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, 1928–1933*
Benedictine Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery (Yankton, SD), 1934–1975
Dominican Sisters of Oxford, MI (now the Dominican Sisters of Peace), 1972–1973*
Oblate Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament (Marty, SD), 1973–1975*
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas*, 1975–1977
On a Reservation: No
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Brulé Lakota; Cheyenne River Sioux; Crow Creek Reservation; Pine Ridge Reservation; Sans Arc Lakota; Santee Dakota; Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota; Standing Rock Reservation
Notes: In 1927, the Priests of the Sacred Heart purchased the buildings of the former Columbia College and opened St. Joseph’s Indian School. In 1982, the girls’ dormitories were converted into family living units and the following year units for boys were constructed. In 1995, St. Joseph’s Indian School became accredited as a Native American Group Living Services.
Chamberlain South Dakota
St. Paul’s Indian Boarding School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1922–present [2023]
Current Diocese: Sioux Falls
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Order of St. Benedict (Saint Meinrad Abbey, St. Meinrad, IN), 1922–1954*
Order of St. Benedict (Blue Cloud Abbey, Marvin, SD), 1954–1975*
Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, 1922–1972*
Oblate Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament (Marty, SD), 1935–1975* (see notes)
On a Reservation: Yankton Sioux Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Yankton Sioux
Notes: In 1975, the Yankton Sioux tribe took over ownership of the school, which was renamed the Marty Indian School. The Oblate Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament continued to teach at the school until 1984.
Note about St. Paul Mission Archives: Photographs from St. Paul’s Mission are housed at Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI. For more information: https://www.marquette.edu/library/archives/Mss/SPM/SPM-sc.php
Marty South Dakota
Tekakwitha Indian Mission Orphanage
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1938–1986
Current Diocese: Sioux Falls
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (United States Province), 1938–1986*
Sisters of the Divine Savior, 1938–1973*
On a Reservation: Lake Traverse Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: No
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate
Notes: The school was known by several names, including Tekakwitha Indian Orphanage, Tekakwitha Sioux Indian Orphanage, Tekakwitha Catholic Indian Orphanage, Tekakwitha Catholic Sioux Indian Orphanage, Tekakwitha Children’s Home, and Tekakwitha Home. The Central United States province of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate staffed the orphanage.
Sisseton South Dakota