Timeline

1866 Cherokee Nation deeds land for the creation of a school for Indian Children

1882 Congress authorizes a non-reservation boarding school to be built on the land deeded by the Cherokees

January 3, 1884 Major James Haworth, the first Superintendent of Chilocco Indian School, makes the final preparations for soon to arrive students

January 20, 1884 “Major Haworth’s Pet”, the first building on Chilocco’s 1191.06 acres, is opened to 100 students

July 12, 1884 President Chester A Arthur signed an Executive Order assigning an additional 7449 acres to Chilocco

1884 Home Two built and houses smaller boys

1893 Home Three erected, houses larger boys

1894 – First graduating class of 15 students

1899 Home One built, it has only 10 rooms

1903 Additions to Home One, Home 4 is built for girls

1907 Fire destroys the school building, when it is rebuilt it named “Haworth Hall”

1909 More additions to Home One

1923 Larger boys moved from Home 3, small girls move in. Home One is also completed

1927 Declining enrollment forces officials to close the elementary school

1930′s Because of the stock market crash of 1929, enrollment begins to rise

1931 Home 5 built, it houses Jr and Sr girls

1932 Home 6 built for Jr and Sr boys

1960′s Homes 1, 2 and 3 are demolished.

1967 a new dormitory, eventually named “Wheeler Hall”, is erected to house boys.

1968 a Student Union is completed and opened.

1975 Wheeler Hall is converted to a classroom building and dining hall when Leupp Hall and Hayworth Hall are declared unsafe and comdemmed.

1980 – The last graduating class of 27 students

June 3, 1980 the doors to the Chilocco Indian School are closed. They will not open for 11 years, and then only to be a drug rehab center.

At it’s height, the campus has over 100 buildings, including a printing press, golf course, gas station, fire station, a lumber shed, grainary, garages, tennis courts, swimming pool, a water tower, and several dorms, a hospital and a National Guard Armory (Co. C, 45th Division) with over 150 students as citizen soldiers.

Some Chilocco Facts: 5,542 students received a high school diploma from Chilocco. They represented 126 Tribes. Over 18,000 students actually attended Chilocco from 1884 – 1980.  The Cherokee had 688 graduates, Choctaw – 573, Navajo – 545, Creek – 452. Female graduates – 2,741 and males – 2,801. Special Navajo Program began in 1949. First 5th Yr Class graduated in 1952 and the last class in 1964 with total 5th yr Navajo graduates of 574 students. From 1950 to 1974, 640 Post Grads representing 66 tribes completed Voc. or College education at Chilocco. The first Navajo to graduate from Chilocco was Bertha Shipley in 1915. Three Congressional Medal of Honor recipients were affiliated with Chilocco, Two were students (Ernest Childers and Jack Montgomery). The third (Pvt Charles George), was a regular Army enlistee from Cherokee, NC. Upon arrival in Korea, he was assigned to Co. C, 1Bn 179th Inf Regiment, 45th Division. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions that save lives of his fellow soldiers.

The Chilocco Indian Agricultural School, Chilocco, Oklahoma, was closed in the year l980. The new alumni association was organized in l98l. The official name became “Chilocco National Alumni Association.” In the next few years, the “CNAA” established a constitution and by-laws; became a non-profit corporation; set up reunions and chartered chapters, all for the purpose of upholding the memory of our school, engage in social activities and to conduct general business.

At the present time, the “CNAA” has six active chapters: The Tsa-La-Gi Chapter, Tahlequah, Oklahoma; The Great Southwest Chapter, Phoenix, Arizona and Albuquerque, New Maxico; The Central Chapter in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; The Southeast Chapter near Ardmore and Ada, Oklahoma; The Northeast Chapter in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the North Central Chapter in Ponca City, Oklahoma.

Governance: The Chilocco National Alumni Association is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of the elected National officers, Presidents of the various Chilocco alumni chapters, and four At-Large members. Four quarterly Board of Directors meetings are held at various locations, with the fourth meeting generally being the general assembly, and held on the Saturday morning of the reunion. All members are encouraged to participate in the general assembly, but are also welcome to attend any Board meetings. Chapters hold their meetings at their time and place.

Annual Reunion: Each year a National Reunion is hosted by one of the chapters, with the location being alternately hosted in Tulsa and Oklahoma City. However, it can be hosted in other suitable areas, depending on the majority vote of the members of the general assembly.

Newsletter: The Board publishes the The Chilocco Indian School Alumni Journal each quarter as one means of maintaining communication with dues paying members. All former students and former employees are encouraged to become dues paying members, which is only $10 per year. Family members and friends may also become Associate Members, and participate in the alumni activiries and receive the newsletter. You may contact the CNAA Treasurer, President or the Chapter Presidents to pay your CNAA dues.