Lincoln Creek Day School

Lincoln Creek Day School (Lincoln Creek Community Center)
Fort Hall, Bingham County

  • Grant: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2019 – restoration of main level exterior

Location: Lincoln Creek School belongs to the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and is located near Fort Hall

The Lincoln Creek Community Center, formerly the Lincoln Creek Day School, circa 1936, encompasses 3600 square feet on two main floors. Built by the Bureau of Indian Affairs as part of the ‘New Deal’, schools such as these represented a turning point in the treatment of Native American children and families. Until this time, it was customary to remove children from their families, shipping them off to distant boarding schools, and suppressing their native language, customs, and style of dress. Schools like Lincoln Creek were developed to foster native culture, keep students in their communities, and engage parents in the education process. The schools were shut down due to high operating costs by the mid-1940s, but their role in helping students assimilate into the public school system cannot be understated.

The former school is now a community center that hosts educational, spiritual, cultural, recreational, and civic activities.

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