Field Matron's Cottage
Encyclopedia
The Field Matron's Cottage, also known as the Stone Building, was built circa 1925 on the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony
in Sparks, Nevada
. The cottage was built to support a Bureau of Indian Affairs
program to instruct the 20 acres (8.1 ha) colony's Paiute
and Washoe
girls in sanitation and housekeeping skills. A "field matron" was provided by the Bureau from 1919 to as late as 1938. At first the matron lived in Reno
, at some distance from the colony, but in 1926 funding was made available to build a dwelling on colony lands, allowing a closer relationship between the matron and the colony's inhabitants. The cottage included a library and an infirmary, and served as a community meeting place.
The cottage is built in the locally-unique Stewart Vernacular style, following the prototype established at the Stewart Indian School in Carson City
. Many of the buildings at the Stewart Indian School were built using multi-colored native stone with black mortar. The style was locally influential, but the Matron's Cottage is the only example in the Reno area. The building's detailing and massing are similar to the Craftsman style
, with a bungalow
-like arrangement. The one story building has a full basement and a jerkin-head gable roof.
The Field Matron's Cottage was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 2003.
Reno-Sparks Indian Colony
The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony is an urban Native American Tribe whose members have Washoe, Paiute and Shoshone heritage. The Tribe has a colony in central Reno, Nevada and a reservation in Hungry Valley, which is about 17 miles north of Reno....
in Sparks, Nevada
Sparks, Nevada
Sparks is a city in Washoe County, Nevada, United States, located east of Reno, Nevada. The 2010 U.S. Census Bureau population count was 90,264. Sparks is often referred to as half of a twin city .-Geography and Climate:...
. The cottage was built to support a Bureau of Indian Affairs
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is an agency of the federal government of the United States within the US Department of the Interior. It is responsible for the administration and management of of land held in trust by the United States for Native Americans in the United States, Native American...
program to instruct the 20 acres (8.1 ha) colony's Paiute
Paiute
Paiute refers to three closely related groups of Native Americans — the Northern Paiute of California, Idaho, Nevada and Oregon; the Owens Valley Paiute of California and Nevada; and the Southern Paiute of Arizona, southeastern California and Nevada, and Utah.-Origin of name:The origin of...
and Washoe
Washoe people
The Washoe are a Great Basin tribe of Native Americans, living in California and Nevada. The name "Washoe" is derived from the autonym waashiw meaning "people from here" in the Washo language .-Territory:Washoe people have lived in the Great Basin for at least the last 6000 years...
girls in sanitation and housekeeping skills. A "field matron" was provided by the Bureau from 1919 to as late as 1938. At first the matron lived in Reno
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
, at some distance from the colony, but in 1926 funding was made available to build a dwelling on colony lands, allowing a closer relationship between the matron and the colony's inhabitants. The cottage included a library and an infirmary, and served as a community meeting place.
The cottage is built in the locally-unique Stewart Vernacular style, following the prototype established at the Stewart Indian School in Carson City
Carson City, Nevada
The Consolidated Municipality of Carson City is the capital of the state of Nevada. The words Consolidated Municipality refer to a series of changes in 1969 which abolished Ormsby County and merged all the settlements contained within its borders into Carson City. Since that time Carson City has...
. Many of the buildings at the Stewart Indian School were built using multi-colored native stone with black mortar. The style was locally influential, but the Matron's Cottage is the only example in the Reno area. The building's detailing and massing are similar to the Craftsman style
American Craftsman
The American Craftsman Style, or the American Arts and Crafts Movement, is an American domestic architectural, interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts style and lifestyle philosophy that began in the last years of the 19th century. As a comprehensive design and art...
, with a bungalow
Bungalow
A bungalow is a type of house, with varying meanings across the world. Common features to many of these definitions include being detached, low-rise , and the use of verandahs...
-like arrangement. The one story building has a full basement and a jerkin-head gable roof.
The Field Matron's Cottage was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2003.
External links
- Photograph of the Field Matron's Cottage at the National Park Service's NRHP database