Former Mt. Pleasant Indian Boarding School Recognized for National Significance
The Mt. Pleasant Indian Industrial Boarding School has been elevated to a national level of significance by the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places. According to the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan, the designation formally recognizes the site as a surviving representative of the federal off-reservation boarding school system. Originally listed at the state level in 2018, the historic district includes six brick buildings situated on 15 acres within the Isabella Indian Reservation. Of the more than 2,200 Michigan sites on the National Register, it becomes one of only 144 listed at the national level of significance, and one of 8 recognized for American Indian heritage. Established by Congress in 1891, the facility operated from 1893 to 1934, housing between 300 and 375 children annually from kindergarten through eighth grade. According to tribe officials, approximately 225 students died while attending the institution during its operations. An annual Honoring, Healing, and Remembering event celebrates the closing of the school on June 6th, and recognizes the suffering of those children.
