Tribes ask for historical designation for campus

NEWKIRK, Okla. (AP) _ Five Oklahoma Indian tribes are asking that the old Chilocco Indian School at Newkirk be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. <br/><br/>Leaders of the Otoe-Missouria,

Friday, April 1st 2005, 9:26 am

By: News On 6

NEWKIRK, Okla. (AP) _ Five Oklahoma Indian tribes are asking that the old Chilocco Indian School at Newkirk be placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Leaders of the Otoe-Missouria, the Ponca, Pawnee, Kaw and Tonkawa tribes are asking Preservation Oklahoma to begin the process of nominating the school for the National Register. The tribal leaders say alumni don't want to see the school torn down.

The campus is mostly buildings constructed between 1900 and 1920 with limestone taken from the property.

The school was established in 1884 by the U-S government to educate children of the tribes of western Oklahoma. The school closed in 1980 and the buildings were later used by a drug and alcohol treatment program, but have been empty since 2001.

A Minnesota-based company has announced plans to build a casino resort for the Pawnee Nation on another part of the Chilocco campus.