Seger Indian Training School
| Seger Indian Training School | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1893 |
| Opened | 1893 |
| Closed | 1941 |
| Location | Colony, OK |
| Alternate Names | |
History[edit]
The Seger Indian Training School was on the eastern edge of Colony, in Northwest Oklahoma Oklahoma. John Homer Seger, a white settler in the Indian Territory, founded the school in 1893 on 300-acres of land. Seger had come to the Darlington Agency in 1875 to work as a teacher, and he established the Seger Colony (the predecessor of Colony) in 1886 with 120 Arapaho.
The school taught farming and industrial skills to Native Americans until it closed in 1941; one of the buildings later became Colony's public school. When the school closed in 1941 there were reportedly over 30 structures on the property, and the students were farming approx. 1200 acres of land. The buildings included dormitories for the girls and boys, office buildings for staff, a chapel, barns, and even a small hospital. Most of the buildings included running water, sewage, and electrical lighting. In 1941 at closing the school also reported having sold some 200 head of cattle, many good horses, and 200 head of hogs that had been raised by the students. The last year of operation in 1941 boasted 160 pupils who were afterwards transferred to other Indian schools.
Notably, after the closing of his school Segar took a superintendent position for the Arapaho Boarding School from 1874 until 1879.
The school was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971; at the time, its buildings were stated to be in poor condition. It was removed from the Register in 1973.
