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[First Page] [203], (1) Lines: 0 to 45 ——— 0.0pt PgVar ——— Normal Page PgEnds: TEX [203], (1) 兵 其 8 Salem Indian Training School,SecondAppointment To occupy the office of superintendent of Chemawa Indian School was to hold the most prestigious position in the Indian Service on the West Coast. Chemawa, a large off-reservation boarding school, obtained a majority of its student body fromWashington,Oregon,California,Idaho, Montana, and Alaska. During his second term as superintendent from 1904 to 1912, Chalcraft oversaw a significant expansion of the Chemawa campus, the construction of several new buildings, including a hospital built in 1909, and a general upgrading of the grounds with sidewalks and landscaping. Seemingly having found genuine contentment in his profession, Chalcraft took pleasure in his memoir re-creating the culture of Chemawa school life. However,as so often proved the case in the Indian Service, factionalism (both personal and political) disrupted the vestiges of harmony as Chalcraft and the commissioner of Indian affairs became embroiled in a contentious struggle that cost the superintendent not only his position at Chemawa but also his reputation in the Indian Service. His use of corporal punishment in violation of government regulations resulted in his transfer to Jones Male Academy, an all-boys Choctaw school in Oklahoma. We arrived at Chemawa on September 17, 1904. On the way from Canon City, memories of the past kept floating through my mind, especially from the time of my reluctant transfer, or “promotion,” as Commissioner Browning called it, from the Puyallup School to Chemawa in 1894; and on down through the subsequent political 203 [204], (2) Lines: 45 t ——— 0.0pt Pg ——— Normal Pa PgEnds: TE [204], (2) intrigue, in which Supervisor Charles D. Rakestraw played a most important part, that caused my dismissal from the Indian Service on March 28, 1895; then the long fight for vindication which ended on April 9, 1900, when I was reinstated by Commissioner Jones and assigned to duty at Shoshone Agency in Wyoming. From then on, my retrospection became more pleasing, especially that part relating to Major Pratt’s letter, and Commissioner Jones’ decision without suggestion from anyone nor knowledge on my part, to remove Rakestraw as Supervisor of Indian Schools, and appoint me to succeed him, which was done on August 14, 1900. And lastly but in no way the least, memory of the Commissioner and the Chiefs of the Indian Office Departments, having had confidence and supported me in every act performed while I served as Supervisor of Indian Schools, and now, to cap it all, we were returning to Chemawa again. The memory of all this, taken in connection with the cordial welcome upon our arrival at the school,caused feelings of gratitude that cannot be fully expressed in words. I must confess that coming back to Chemawa again as its Superintendent after all these experiences caused some feeling of exultation, which I hope may be pardonable; especially as there was a thought in my mind when we left in April, 1895, strong enough to cause me to save some unused printed tags that had been made and attached to our baggage when coming to Chemawa from the Puyallup School. These were used on our baggage coming from Canon City to Chemawa. The Portland, Salem, and other newspapers had much to say about the matter, and all was in my favor showing familiarity with past events and that their friendship and goodwill was assured, which was very gratifying. I quote from the Salem Daily Statesman a short article which indicates the general tenor of all the others: — E. L. Chalcraft, who was Superintendent of the Indian Training School, near Salem, in 1895, was finally reinstated in the service and assigned to the ShoshoneAgency inWyoming,where he was made Superintendent of the agency school. In the year 1895, Mr. Chalcraft was dismissed from the service while he was Superintendent of the Salem school, upon charges made by Supervisor 204 其 Salem Indian Training School, Second Appointment [205], (3) Lines: 58 to 71 ——— 0.0pt PgVar ——— Normal Page PgEnds: TEX [205], (3) Rakestraw. They were trumped up charges, and the real motive was the fact that Chalcraft is a Republican, while Rakestraw is a Democrat of the most partisan stripe. Mr. Chalcraft had been in the Indian service thirteen years, having been at the Puyallup agency for a long time before his transfer to Salem. He did not want the transfer, and had only been here a short...

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