75 Years and Counting
T
his year, Holbrook Indian School (HIS) celebrates its 75th year of holistic educational service to Native American youth. We are an institution that has been committed to creating a safe place for Native American students to live, learn, and grow in Christ since 1946. Our history is an interesting one to follow for those who love a good history lesson. We have changed names a few times, have changed ownership, and have gone through our share of operational and curriculum changes as well. What has remained central is our mission to serve Native American youth, ensuring that their lives are made better here and in the hereafter.
TOP: Early students pose with teachers at the Holbrook Navajo Mission School in 1946. ABOVE: In 1951, the Pacific Union Recorder first used the term “Holbrook Indian School.”
24 Pacific Union Recorder
The forerunners The school’s history began in 1916, with Elder Orno Follett and his wife doing mission work among the Navajos. A school was built at Lake Grove Mission in New Mexico in 1918, but it was closed in 1937 due to the Great Depression and a shortage of funds. According to Mission to the Navajos written by Betty Stirling (1961), “In 1941 the church again remembered the Navajos as among those of every ‘kindred, tribe, and nation.’” The Arizona Conference became concerned about doing something for the growing tribes within the conference’s borders. A full-time evangelist, Marvin Walter, was hired for the job. His wife, Gwen, was a registered nurse. It was not until 1945 that enough money was raised to build a school again. Land for the mission was acquired by the Arizona Conference in 1945. The first parcel of 210 acres was purchased on March 14 for $8,875; the second parcel of 110 acres was purchased April 20 for $1,500. Providentially, the land is located over an aquifer, so the school has never had a problem obtaining water. On the newly acquired 320 acres in Holbrook, the mission school term started in 1946 with 30 students, one teacher, and two deans. The schoolroom had no desks that year, so the children sat on rugs and sheepskins to recite their lessons. Hard times fell during the school’s third year when the Walters had
Holbrook Indian School