Fort Lewis College
Encyclopedia
Fort Lewis College is a public liberal arts college
in Durango
, Colorado
.
The original site of Fort Lewis College began 16 miles (25.7 km) southwest of its present location back in 1880. Set up originally as a Military Fort for the 22nd Regimental Infantry which occupied the land from 1880-1891.
No major campaigns were waged nor battles fought by the troops at Fort Lewis. On May 28, 1891, the secretary of war approved the army’s recommendation to abandon Fort Lewis and on August 27, 1891 abandonment began. the bodies of military personnel were exhumed and moved to Fort McPherson National Cemetery in Maxwell, NE. Troops marched out in September and a custodian was hired to care for buildings.
Indian Boarding School
In 1891 Fort Lewis was deactivated and turned over to the Secretary of the Interior for an Indian Boarding School and served in this capacity from 1891-1911. Lewis Morgan was named Superintendent and the school opened with 51 children enrolled. Some of the Tribes represented included the Navajo (Diné)
, Ute (Mouache, Capote
,and Weeminuches
) Sioux
and Apache
.
The boarding school taught grades kindergarten through 6th grade. In addition to teaching the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic, its mission was an industrial training school (agriculture, home economics, carpentry).
The children were assimilated and trained to accept the culture of America. The use of Indian names and wearing of native attire were discouraged. Therefore students took names of notable American leaders (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, etc.)
The old military hospital was converted to a girls dormitory.
In 1901, at its peak enrollment of 345 students Fort Lewis had 200 acre (0.809372 km²) under cultivation with all but fifteen of those irrigated.
In 1903, the United States began rethinking the Indian School system. Indian children were susceptible to many fatal illnesses brought by the white settlers and Indian students brought to boarding schools frequently died from these illnesses. As a result of this policy change, a new boarding school was built in nearby Ignacio for the Southern Utes. The attendance at Fort Lewis dropped to 127 pupils.
High School
This trend of declining enrollment continued until 1910 when Congress offered the property to the State of Colorado, provided the facility would be maintained as an institution of learning. The Act was approved April 4, 1910 and included the following:
The focus of the school would change to a high school that would emphasize agricultural and mechanical arts and be placed under the control of the State Board of Agriculture and the State Agriculture College.
Governor John F. Shafroth accepted the offer on behalf of the State. A high school was established to carry on "experimental work along the lines of agriculture, horticulture, animal industry, household & mechanical arts". The bill reached the governor’s office January 25, 1911. By agreement with the federal government, "Indian pupils shall at all times be admitted to such school free of charge of tuition and on terms of equality with white pupils."
The school would be a secondary school for any boy or girl who had completed 8 grades and was at least 15 years old. A demonstration farm would be set up to develop seeds that would grow at altitude.
In 1915 the Colorado Legislature approved a mill levy to support Fort Lewis.
In 1916 Colorado A&M established a branch experiment station at Fort Lewis, specializing in high-altitude agronomy and horticulture research.
Beginning of College Courses
In 1924 Fort Lewis added to their courses in Agriculture, Household Mechanics and Teacher certification, Fort Lewis began offering courses for college credit and the nine-month session became standard.
In 1927 the Colorado Legislature authorized 2-year college work to begin in fall. It was to be known as a branch of Colorado State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (which is the former name of Colorado State University). Twenty seven students attended and from 1927 through 1933 High school and college co-existed with 50-60 students enrolling in high school classes.
In 1933 Fort Lewis High School closed, ninety students were enrolled in college courses, and the football team was organized.
In 1935, publication of Fort Lewis Collegian began.
Fort Lewis joined a junior college league and became known as the Fort Lewis A&M Beavers (later changed to Aggies) in 1938-39.
Fort Lewis College made it through several attempts to close it down after World War II and in 1948 Fort Lewis separated from Colorado A&M.
Fort Lewis A&M
In 1948 the College officially became Fort Lewis A&M under the control of the State Board of Agriculture.
Charles McLain , longtime assistant dean, was appointed acting dean and Fort Lewis’ Newspaper was renamed "Smoke Signals" to signify their independence from Colorado A&M.
Fort Lewis College Moves to Durango
Finally, in 1956 Fort Lewis A&M moved to Durango.
Meanwhile, back at the "old Fort location, no one knew what to do with the old campus." The location became known as the San Juan Basin Research Center and agricultural research continued. Some of the campus buildings deteriorated and while many were unfortunately torn down there are still a great number of the historic structures intact and in use to this day.
The Next Hundred Years and Beyond
San Juan Basin Research Center at the Old Fort site continued operations until June 2010 when Colorado State University, which had been leasing the property from the Colorado State Land Board, terminated its lease early. Now in its Centennial year, Fort Lewis College is busy planning how its historical educational mission can be expressed through cutting edge sustainability curriculum on the 6318 acres (25.6 km²) Old Fort site to launch liberal arts education into the next hundred years and beyond.
, Fort Lewis College is a Division II institution affiliated with the NCAA. The Skyhawks are a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC)
, which sponsors 14 institutions (10 in Colorado, two in Nebraska and two in New Mexico).
Fort Lewis Athletics Background and History
Intercollegiate athletics at Fort Lewis started in 1929 when coach Charles McLain formed the school's first junior college basketball team. In the next few years, McLain — the father of intercollegiate athletics at Fort Lewis — would start football, baseball, tumbling and track & field programs.
Fort Lewis A&M Junior College became a state and regional powerhouse in football, basketball and tennis, earning trips to the Texas Junior Rose Bowl football game in 1949 and the National Junior College Athletic Association basketball tournament in 1954.
Fort Lewis became a senior college in 1962 and began competing against other four-year schools in 1963. Skier Mike Elliott, a three-time Olympian, became the first FLC student-athlete to win a national championship, winning the 1965 and 1966 NCAA cross-country skiing titles. The 1969 golfers became the school's first team to win a four-year conference championship.
Women's intercollegiate athletics were added in 1969, under the direction of coach Carol "Peppy" Seale. Basketball, skiing and volleyball were the first three sports offered to FLC women, and Fort Lewis quickly emerged as a regional power in the AIAW, which oversaw all women's intercollegiate athletics until 1981. Early Raider volleyball and basketball teams were among the finest in the inter-mountain region, earning numerous trips to regional championships and a handful of national playoff berths.
Today, FLC fields 10 varsity teams. Men compete in basketball, cross-country, football, golf and soccer; women compete in basketball, cross-country, soccer, softball and volleyball.
Fort Lewis College has been a member of the RMAC since the 1968-69 season. During 1991-93, the men's and women's soccer programs joined the Colorado Athletic Conference for a brief stint, while football and men's and women's basketball remained a part of the RMAC. Fort Lewis returned to full membership in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference on July 1, 1994, after a three-year membership in the Colorado Athletic Conference. Five former CAC schools joined the RMAC in 1996 to bring the total number of members to 14.
The Skyhawk football team competes on Ray Dennison Memorial Field which seats 4,000 spectators. The men's and women's soccer teams compete on the recently built (2004) Dirks Field which holds 1,750 fans. Fort Lewis basketball and volleyball teams compete in the newly renovated (2003) Whalen Gymnasium which seats 2,750 people. Aspen Field at the Fort Lewis Community Softball Complex is home to the softball team, while the golf team practices and competes at nearby Hillcrest Golf Course.
The school recently adopted its fourth athletic nickname, the Skyhawks. Early Fort Lewis A&M Junior College teams were known as the Beavers. The school's teams became the Aggies in the early 1930s, a nickname that lasted throughout the remainder of the junior college era. When Fort Lewis began competing against four-year colleges in 1963, its nickname changed to the Raiders and school colors changed a few years later from green and gold to navy blue and gold. The nickname changed again in 1994 to the Skyhawks.
In ancient times, rhetoric was an important component of the original liberal arts (rhetoric, grammar, logic, music, astronomy, math, geometry). Rhetoric meant the art of persuasive speaking; however, it needed the other liberal arts (especially grammar and logic) to help complement it. Thus, an interdisciplinary education style was born.
For John F. Reed Honors Program students, interdisciplinarity is at the heart of the program. Examining how different disciplines interact with one another, as well as assist one another, should be a natural component of each student's participation and desires in the learning process. Thus learning the rhetoric of a discipline means learning how people use it (primarily through language) to persuade others of their knowledge. When students learn rhetoric in the honors program, they are learning how to 'talk the talk' of their primary discipline. Then they learn how to 'walk the walk' of that rhetoric by applying it to other disciplines, informing them, but also learning from them. The original Greek word 'inquiry' is 'istor' (ίστσρ), from which we get our word today for 'history'. In order to understand ourselves we must know our past. All of these elements then come together when developing an honors curriculum, and, for students, culminate in the production of their honors thesis.
Fort Lewis College’s Center for Civic Engagement (formerly the Center for Service Learning) was established in 1993 to support faculty and students in their effort to integrate academic study with responsible engagement and activism. Focusing academic resources on pressing social, environmental, economic, and civic issues links campuses to communities in a dynamic partnership that enhances students’ educational experiences and assists community-based groups, grassroots associations, organizations, and non-profit and for profit businesses in their vital work.
The Center integrates civic engagement with academics through the following activities:
In addition to academics, Fort Lewis College offers cultural, athletic, and professional programs:
Liberal arts college
A liberal arts college is one with a primary emphasis on undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences.Students in the liberal arts generally major in a particular discipline while receiving exposure to a wide range of academic subjects, including sciences as well as the traditional...
in Durango
Durango, Colorado
The City of Durango is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of La Plata County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau said that the city population was 16,887 in 2010 census.-History:...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
.
History
Military FortThe original site of Fort Lewis College began 16 miles (25.7 km) southwest of its present location back in 1880. Set up originally as a Military Fort for the 22nd Regimental Infantry which occupied the land from 1880-1891.
No major campaigns were waged nor battles fought by the troops at Fort Lewis. On May 28, 1891, the secretary of war approved the army’s recommendation to abandon Fort Lewis and on August 27, 1891 abandonment began. the bodies of military personnel were exhumed and moved to Fort McPherson National Cemetery in Maxwell, NE. Troops marched out in September and a custodian was hired to care for buildings.
Indian Boarding School
In 1891 Fort Lewis was deactivated and turned over to the Secretary of the Interior for an Indian Boarding School and served in this capacity from 1891-1911. Lewis Morgan was named Superintendent and the school opened with 51 children enrolled. Some of the Tribes represented included the Navajo (Diné)
Dine
-People named Dine:* Jim Dine , an American pop artist* S. S. Van Dine, an art critic and author* Tom Dine, an American government worker-Other meanings:* Beit ed-Dine, a town in Lebanon* Diné, name for the Navajo Nation in the Navajo language...
, Ute (Mouache, Capote
Ute Tribe
The Ute are an American Indian people now living primarily in Utah and Colorado. There are three Ute tribal reservations: Uintah-Ouray in northeastern Utah ; Southern Ute in Colorado ; and Ute Mountain which primarily lies in Colorado, but extends to Utah and New Mexico . The name of the state of...
,and Weeminuches
Ute Mountain Ute Tribe
The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe is one of three federally recognized tribes of the Ute Nation, and are mostly descendants of the historic Weeminuche Band who moved to the Southern Ute reservation in 1897...
) Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
and Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
.
The boarding school taught grades kindergarten through 6th grade. In addition to teaching the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic, its mission was an industrial training school (agriculture, home economics, carpentry).
The children were assimilated and trained to accept the culture of America. The use of Indian names and wearing of native attire were discouraged. Therefore students took names of notable American leaders (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, etc.)
The old military hospital was converted to a girls dormitory.
In 1901, at its peak enrollment of 345 students Fort Lewis had 200 acre (0.809372 km²) under cultivation with all but fifteen of those irrigated.
In 1903, the United States began rethinking the Indian School system. Indian children were susceptible to many fatal illnesses brought by the white settlers and Indian students brought to boarding schools frequently died from these illnesses. As a result of this policy change, a new boarding school was built in nearby Ignacio for the Southern Utes. The attendance at Fort Lewis dropped to 127 pupils.
High School
This trend of declining enrollment continued until 1910 when Congress offered the property to the State of Colorado, provided the facility would be maintained as an institution of learning. The Act was approved April 4, 1910 and included the following:
The focus of the school would change to a high school that would emphasize agricultural and mechanical arts and be placed under the control of the State Board of Agriculture and the State Agriculture College.
Governor John F. Shafroth accepted the offer on behalf of the State. A high school was established to carry on "experimental work along the lines of agriculture, horticulture, animal industry, household & mechanical arts". The bill reached the governor’s office January 25, 1911. By agreement with the federal government, "Indian pupils shall at all times be admitted to such school free of charge of tuition and on terms of equality with white pupils."
The school would be a secondary school for any boy or girl who had completed 8 grades and was at least 15 years old. A demonstration farm would be set up to develop seeds that would grow at altitude.
In 1915 the Colorado Legislature approved a mill levy to support Fort Lewis.
In 1916 Colorado A&M established a branch experiment station at Fort Lewis, specializing in high-altitude agronomy and horticulture research.
Beginning of College Courses
In 1924 Fort Lewis added to their courses in Agriculture, Household Mechanics and Teacher certification, Fort Lewis began offering courses for college credit and the nine-month session became standard.
In 1927 the Colorado Legislature authorized 2-year college work to begin in fall. It was to be known as a branch of Colorado State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (which is the former name of Colorado State University). Twenty seven students attended and from 1927 through 1933 High school and college co-existed with 50-60 students enrolling in high school classes.
In 1933 Fort Lewis High School closed, ninety students were enrolled in college courses, and the football team was organized.
In 1935, publication of Fort Lewis Collegian began.
Fort Lewis joined a junior college league and became known as the Fort Lewis A&M Beavers (later changed to Aggies) in 1938-39.
Fort Lewis College made it through several attempts to close it down after World War II and in 1948 Fort Lewis separated from Colorado A&M.
Fort Lewis A&M
In 1948 the College officially became Fort Lewis A&M under the control of the State Board of Agriculture.
Charles McLain , longtime assistant dean, was appointed acting dean and Fort Lewis’ Newspaper was renamed "Smoke Signals" to signify their independence from Colorado A&M.
Fort Lewis College Moves to Durango
Finally, in 1956 Fort Lewis A&M moved to Durango.
Meanwhile, back at the "old Fort location, no one knew what to do with the old campus." The location became known as the San Juan Basin Research Center and agricultural research continued. Some of the campus buildings deteriorated and while many were unfortunately torn down there are still a great number of the historic structures intact and in use to this day.
The Next Hundred Years and Beyond
San Juan Basin Research Center at the Old Fort site continued operations until June 2010 when Colorado State University, which had been leasing the property from the Colorado State Land Board, terminated its lease early. Now in its Centennial year, Fort Lewis College is busy planning how its historical educational mission can be expressed through cutting edge sustainability curriculum on the 6318 acres (25.6 km²) Old Fort site to launch liberal arts education into the next hundred years and beyond.
Athletics
Located in Durango, Colorado on a scenic mesa looking out over the stunning San Juan MountainsSan Juan Mountains
The San Juan Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado. The area is highly mineralized and figured in the gold and silver mining industry of early Colorado. Major towns, all old mining camps, include Creede, Lake City, Silverton, Ouray, and...
, Fort Lewis College is a Division II institution affiliated with the NCAA. The Skyhawks are a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC)
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the western United States, mostly in Colorado with some members in Nebraska and New Mexico...
, which sponsors 14 institutions (10 in Colorado, two in Nebraska and two in New Mexico).
Fort Lewis Athletics Background and History
Intercollegiate athletics at Fort Lewis started in 1929 when coach Charles McLain formed the school's first junior college basketball team. In the next few years, McLain — the father of intercollegiate athletics at Fort Lewis — would start football, baseball, tumbling and track & field programs.
Fort Lewis A&M Junior College became a state and regional powerhouse in football, basketball and tennis, earning trips to the Texas Junior Rose Bowl football game in 1949 and the National Junior College Athletic Association basketball tournament in 1954.
Fort Lewis became a senior college in 1962 and began competing against other four-year schools in 1963. Skier Mike Elliott, a three-time Olympian, became the first FLC student-athlete to win a national championship, winning the 1965 and 1966 NCAA cross-country skiing titles. The 1969 golfers became the school's first team to win a four-year conference championship.
Women's intercollegiate athletics were added in 1969, under the direction of coach Carol "Peppy" Seale. Basketball, skiing and volleyball were the first three sports offered to FLC women, and Fort Lewis quickly emerged as a regional power in the AIAW, which oversaw all women's intercollegiate athletics until 1981. Early Raider volleyball and basketball teams were among the finest in the inter-mountain region, earning numerous trips to regional championships and a handful of national playoff berths.
Today, FLC fields 10 varsity teams. Men compete in basketball, cross-country, football, golf and soccer; women compete in basketball, cross-country, soccer, softball and volleyball.
Fort Lewis College has been a member of the RMAC since the 1968-69 season. During 1991-93, the men's and women's soccer programs joined the Colorado Athletic Conference for a brief stint, while football and men's and women's basketball remained a part of the RMAC. Fort Lewis returned to full membership in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference on July 1, 1994, after a three-year membership in the Colorado Athletic Conference. Five former CAC schools joined the RMAC in 1996 to bring the total number of members to 14.
The Skyhawk football team competes on Ray Dennison Memorial Field which seats 4,000 spectators. The men's and women's soccer teams compete on the recently built (2004) Dirks Field which holds 1,750 fans. Fort Lewis basketball and volleyball teams compete in the newly renovated (2003) Whalen Gymnasium which seats 2,750 people. Aspen Field at the Fort Lewis Community Softball Complex is home to the softball team, while the golf team practices and competes at nearby Hillcrest Golf Course.
The school recently adopted its fourth athletic nickname, the Skyhawks. Early Fort Lewis A&M Junior College teams were known as the Beavers. The school's teams became the Aggies in the early 1930s, a nickname that lasted throughout the remainder of the junior college era. When Fort Lewis began competing against four-year colleges in 1963, its nickname changed to the Raiders and school colors changed a few years later from green and gold to navy blue and gold. The nickname changed again in 1994 to the Skyhawks.
Programs
Fort Lewis College strives to offer academic, cultural, and service programs. Students can choose from 96 academic specialties in creating an individualized educational experience.The John F. Reed Honors Program
What is Rhetoric of Inquiry?In ancient times, rhetoric was an important component of the original liberal arts (rhetoric, grammar, logic, music, astronomy, math, geometry). Rhetoric meant the art of persuasive speaking; however, it needed the other liberal arts (especially grammar and logic) to help complement it. Thus, an interdisciplinary education style was born.
For John F. Reed Honors Program students, interdisciplinarity is at the heart of the program. Examining how different disciplines interact with one another, as well as assist one another, should be a natural component of each student's participation and desires in the learning process. Thus learning the rhetoric of a discipline means learning how people use it (primarily through language) to persuade others of their knowledge. When students learn rhetoric in the honors program, they are learning how to 'talk the talk' of their primary discipline. Then they learn how to 'walk the walk' of that rhetoric by applying it to other disciplines, informing them, but also learning from them. The original Greek word 'inquiry' is 'istor' (ίστσρ), from which we get our word today for 'history'. In order to understand ourselves we must know our past. All of these elements then come together when developing an honors curriculum, and, for students, culminate in the production of their honors thesis.
Center for Civic Engagement
For Fort Lewis College students, scholarly service and informed civic engagement are the bridge uniting learning and social responsibility.Fort Lewis College’s Center for Civic Engagement (formerly the Center for Service Learning) was established in 1993 to support faculty and students in their effort to integrate academic study with responsible engagement and activism. Focusing academic resources on pressing social, environmental, economic, and civic issues links campuses to communities in a dynamic partnership that enhances students’ educational experiences and assists community-based groups, grassroots associations, organizations, and non-profit and for profit businesses in their vital work.
The Center integrates civic engagement with academics through the following activities:
- The Civic Engagement Transcript
- Curriculum integrated community-based learning and research
- Service learning practicum (independent, service based, accredited, field practicum)
- Off campus Federal Work Study
- AmeriCorps
- Volunteer Central (regional volunteer database)
In addition to academics, Fort Lewis College offers cultural, athletic, and professional programs:
- An AACSB International Accreditation signifies a business program as being among the “Best Business Schools in the World.” The Fort Lewis College School of Business Administration was the first undergraduate public liberal arts-based business institution to receive AACSB accreditation, and today is one of only four public liberal arts business schools in the world to be accredited.
- The Fort Lewis College Center of Southwest Studies serves as a museum and research facility. The Center has been honored by the Colorado Commission of Higher Education as a program of excellence in state-funded higher education.
- The Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College is the premier performing arts venue for Southwestern Colorado and the entire Four Corners area, bringing diverse performers from all over the world to Durango.
- Receiving the Colorado State Small Business Development Center Star Award in 2004, the Fort Lewis College Small Business Development Center provides business start-up and growth assistance, plus courses on how to start a business.
- At the 2007 USA CyclingUSA CyclingUSA Cycling or USAC, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the national governing body for bicycle racing in the United States. It covers the disciplines of road, track, mountain bike, cyclo-cross, BMX and collegiate racing...
Collegiate Road National Championships, Fort Lewis College won both the men's and women's Division I team time trial events.
College and Community
Durango serves the Four Corners as the economic and cultural hub of the region; the college offers a number of programs that reach out to this community:- The Fort Lewis College Office of Community Services assists local communities, students, and faculty to improve academic, social, economic, and the ecological well-being of the Four Corners region.
- The Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College host many entertainment events for the Durango community.
- Many faculty in the Music Department are active in Durango performing arts ensembles, including the Durango Choral Society, the San Juan Symphony, and several chamber ensembles and pop bands.
- With Community Business Partnerships, Fort Lewis College offers the community an opportunity to enrich the academic lives of the students. Among the partners are First National Bank of Durango, sponsors of the New Business Venturing Program, and the Durango HeraldDurango HeraldThe Durango Herald is a daily newspaper in Durango, Colorado. The first edition of the Herald came out June 30, 1881. Two years later, the Herald merged with the Record, which had started publishing in 1880, seven months before the Herald. The modern Herald traces its roots to both papers but the...
, sponsors of the Family Business Forums. - KDUR-FM Community Radio provides a bridge between the college and La Plata CountyLa Plata County, ColoradoLa Plata County is the fourteenth most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county was named for the La Plata River and the La Plata Mountains. "La plata" is the Spanish language word for "silver". The United States Census Bureau estimated that the...
with music, public affairs, and alternative news programming. The station provides educational and training opportunities for students and community members alike. - Fort Lewis College fields 11 varsity athletic teams that compete in the NCAA Division II and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Women compete in basketball, cross country, lacrosse, soccer, softball and volleyball. Men compete in basketball, cross country, football, golf and soccer.
- In 2005 and 2009, the Fort Lewis College men's soccer team won the NCAA Division II championship. FLC finished second in NCAA Division II in 1999 and 2006.
- The official mascot for Fort Lewis College is the Skyhawk.
- While much of the emphasis of Fort Lewis College is on providing a well-rounded, liberal arts education, there is a particular focus on the schools of Business and Education.