Leroy F. Jackson Papers

This collection contains the papers of Professor Leroy F. Jackson (1881-1958), an educator actively involved in the education of Native Americans in the early 20th century. The material focus on the the following subjects: early missions and missionaries to Native Americans in Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin; Indian schools in Alaska and New Mexico; the Navajo; the Hopi; the public school and university in America and American education; progressive education; probation and the juvenile court.

The papers consist of the following series:

1. General Manuscripts (Box 1), are arranged alphabetically by author and title. Most of these items are written by Leroy Jackson; however, there are a few items by other people including Ben Bergunder, David Greene, William Hobart Hare, and Isabella Riggs Williams. This material includes essays, notes, research material, speeches, articles, poems, and short stories. The manuscripts deal with the following subjects: early missions and missionaries in Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin; the Navajo and Hopi tribes; American history; and America's role in World War I. This material also includes some biographical material on Leroy Jackson, including completed job applications.

2. Correspondence (Boxes 2-4), is arranged alphabetically by author and addressee. There are 529 pieces of correspondence, of which 133 are written by Leroy Jackson. Other authors included in the correspondence are: Walter Greenwood Beach, John Collier, John Johnson Enmegahbowh, Joseph Alexander Gilfillan, Mabel Dodge Luhan, W. Carson Ryan, Alfred L. Riggs, Thomas Lawrence Riggs, Frederick Jackson Turner, and several other missionaries, historians and professors of history from various universities in the United States. The majority of the correspondence deals with early missions and missionaries in Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. A few of the letters talk about the Indian Schools where Jackson taught, as well as the Navajo and Hopi Indians. The correspondence also deals with Jackson's campaign to keep the Carolina New College open, and his search for a teaching position after the school closed (as well as several other times in his life when he found himself unemployed); many of the pieces are letters of recommendation written by Jackson's friends and colleagues.

3. Education Items (Boxes 5-9), are made up of manuscripts and ephemera related to Jackson's education and teaching career; it also includes items regarding American education and the roles of schools and universities in the United States. The manuscripts, mostly written by Jackson, are arranged alphabetically by author and title. These include essays, notes, research material, and papers written by Jackson while he was in college. Also included are reports, school assignments, and letters written by Jackson's students. The ephemera, arranged by topic, includes photographs, newspaper clippings, articles, and publications. Most of the ephemera was collected by Jackson while he was living in New Mexico. The ephemera also includes several items from the Indian Schools including artwork by the students, yearbooks and newspapers. There are also photographs of the students and campuses of the Carolina New College, Wrangell Institute and the Charles H. Burke School. The ephemera also includes brochures and publications from several American universities, as well as some experimental progressive education schools. Both the manuscripts and ephemera deal with the following subjects: progressive education and the American university; the development of school curriculums; the Carolina New College; the Wrangell Institute and several Alaskan Indian tribes; the Charles H. Burke School and the Navajo and Hopi Indians; the Taos Day School and the Pueblo Indians; world history; and probation and the juvenile court.

4. General Ephemera (Boxes 10-12), is arranged by topic, and include photographs, documents, articles, magazine illustrations, newspaper clippings, and maps. The general ephemera deals with the following subjects: Jackson's service during World War I; American southwest archaeology; Southwest Native Americans, including their ceremonial dances, and arts and crafts; New Mexico tourism; World War I; and World War II. Jackson collected the material regarding World War II to write several published articles concerning America's role in the war. The box of index cards contains Jackson's research material for his thesis regarding early Native American missions.

5. Oversize Items (Box 13), are arranged alphabetically by author and title. This material includes six essays and one piece of correspondence. These items were removed from the General Manuscripts series and the Education Manuscripts series and deal with education and American history.