State Historical Society lists Marty Indian School Buildings on National Register

The National Register is the official federal list of properties identified as important in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering and culture. The State Historic Preservation Office of the State Historical Society works in conjunction with the National Park Service, which oversees the National Register program.

“South Dakota’s history is rich in American Indian culture, pioneer life and change,” said Jay D. Vogt, state historic preservation officer and director of the State Historical Society. “Properties listed on the National Register are important for their role in South Dakota’s culture, heritage and history. And when properties get listed, it shows that their owners take pride in their role in preserving that culture, heritage and history.”

The Marty Indian School, formerly known as Marty Mission School, is located in Marty on the Yankton Reservation. The Gymnasium, built in 1935, is a three-story brick building in the Stripped Classicism style which was popular at the time. Designed in the Art Deco style using brick and limestone, the four-story St. Therese Hall was completed in 1945.

These buildings are listed on the National Register in the areas of Education, Art, Religion, Ethnic Heritage, and Architecture. The school’s buildings embody important historical trends about 1930s school architecture, early twentieth century Sioux artwork, the development of the mission and community around Marty, as well as the history of Catholic missions to American Indian tribes in South Dakota.

Marty Mission School was the first boarding school located within reservation boundaries of the Yankton Sioux Tribe. It represents the history of the Catholic Church‘s work with the Yankton Sioux as a part of their missionary efforts with all tribes. The buildings were funded through contributions from Catholics across the United States. Local reservation families and students of the mission helped to dig the foundation, lay the bricks, raise money, and paint the murals on the buildings.

The set of 23 murals which rim the gymnasium were painted by Felix Walking Elk in 1938. They are representative of American Indian art in the twentieth century in the use of a narrative form to tell the community‘s history and traditions.

The mission school represents outside efforts to assimilate the children into Euro-American culture. But it also served to bring children of different tribes together in a community and to preserve Yankton Sioux culture through language, art and beadwork, tribal dancing, and oral history lessons.

With sincere appreciation, Chairman Thurman Cournoyer and the Yankton Sioux Tribe would like to thank the following individuals for their help researching and sharing their life’s work and intimate memories that made this nomination possible: Professor Emeritus, Herbert T. Hoover, Beresford SD; Noted author Mary E. Carson, Seattle WA; Liz Almlie, SD State Historic Preservation Specialist; Yankton Sioux Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Lana M. Gravatt; and Marty Indian School graduates (www.martysd.com) Cletus Goodteacher, Sisseton SD; Larry Dauphinais, Belcourt, ND; and Dr. Carol Davis, Belcourt ND.

Buildings, sites, structures and objects at least 50 years old possessing historical significance may qualify for the National Register, according to Vogt. Properties must also maintain their historic location, design, materials and association. Listing on the National Register does not place any limitations on private property owners by the federal government.

For more information on the National Register or other historic preservation programs, contact the State Historic Preservation Office at the Cultural Heritage Center, 900 Governors Drive, Pierre, SD 57501-2217; telephone (605) 773-3458 or website history.sd.gov/Preservation.