Grabill, C. H. The Grabill Collection. 1887–1892. Photographs. The Library of Congress. Washington, D.C. https://www.loc.gov/collections/grabill/about-this-collection/.
This primary source is a valuable tool that gives historical Native American life a place in young readers’ lives. These photos detail what life was like on the plains for miners, Native Americans, white settlers, and men in the US cavalry. They give a broad view of the landscape and even open up potential for research into how the geography of South Dakota has changed over time.
This collection of photos not only details the extraordinary work of a photographer from a bygone era, but it is also rich in its diversity. It shows the economy, the landscape, the people groups—both native and white—and it shows the body of work by an individual who had an established business in a new part of America and set out to make that business thrive.
This is the largest collection of John C. H. Grabill’s work. He was an early Western photographer and sent these works to the Library of Congress for copyright protection between 1887 and 1892. They contain images of family life on the Western frontier, Native American life, Native American interaction with white settlers, and early economic images involving activities like mining, sheepherding, cattle roundups, and frontier town construction.
- Grover Cleveland was in his first term as president (1885–1889).
- There were only fifteen amendments to the US Constitution.
- There were only forty-two states in the United States at the time of these photographs.
- No homes had electricity, and the automobile had not been invented yet.
- Photography had just been invented in the nineteenth century.
While there are more than 188 photographs in this collection, our focus questions and subsequent connections are based on four photographs:
Indian Chiefs and US Officials [at Pine Ridge, S.D.]
We have it rich - Washing and panning gold
- What time period do you think this collection came from?
- What do you think was happening when these photographs were taken?
- What do you notice about the people in these photographs? Gender? Race? Nationality? Social status? Economic status?
- What was life like here in this region? Why do you draw that conclusion?
Texas ELAR TEKS and Texas Social Studies TEKS
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5.6B - generate questions about text before, during, and after reading to deepen understanding and gain information.
5.9F - recognize characteristics of multimodal and digital texts.
5.10B - analyze how the use of text structure contributes to the author's purpose.
5.13A - generate and clarify questions on a topic for formal and informal inquiry. |
5.4F - identify the challenges, opportunities, and contributions of people from various American Indian and immigrant groups such as the settlement of the frontier and building of the Transcontinental Railroad. 5.21A - describe customs and traditions of various racial, ethnic, and religious groups in the United States.
5.25B - incorporate main and supporting ideas in verbal and written communication.
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ELAR |
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6.5B - generate questions about text before, during, and after reading to deepen understanding and gain information. 6.6B - write responses that demonstrate understanding of texts, including comparing sources within and across genres. 6.12A - generate student-selected and teacher-guided questions for formal and informal inquiry. 6.12E - differentiate between primary and secondary sources. |
6.1B - analyze the historical background of various contemporary societies to evaluate relationships between past conflicts and current conditions. 6.5C - identify and analyze ways people have modified the physical environment such as mining, irrigation, and transportation infrastructure. 6.19A - differentiate between, locate, and use valid primary and secondary sources such as oral, print, and visual material and artifacts to acquire information about various world cultures. 6.21E - use effective written communication skills, including proper citations, to avoid plagiarism. |
This collection, and most notably the four photographs referenced above, could be used as an introduction to a fiction unit featuring Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park or Pony by R. J. Palacio. They could also be used in a cross-curricular unit covering the nineteenth century and Westward Expansion, as many K–5 teachers teach either self-contained or ELA/social studies blocks.
Before beginning a fiction study with either of the above novels, start with an examination of the primary sources listed above. Using the outline of the 5E method (mainly associated with science lessons) allows English language arts and reading teachers to move out of a set method of instruction and use more inquiry-driven instruction. Use the focus questions above for a way to engage students in topics and subjects they will encounter in their reading. Begin a lesson with the Notice and Wonder strategy to explore what students already know about a topic/subject. This is as simple as asking those two questions: What do you notice in this photograph; What do you wonder about the people or the setting of this photograph? This can be a quick-write that they revisit after looking at more photos or reading a companion fiction or nonfiction text, or this can be a class discussion with a writing activity after: What did you learn about frontier life in America? What are you still wondering about?
Move into explaining the context of the photographs or even allow students to piece together their own explanation. Pass out an informational text. ReadWorks, Newsela, and Wonderopolis all have multiple, free articles about the United States’ and American Indians’ interactions. Have students make connections to elaborate on the topics presented in the four photographs. Finally, move into the fiction unit study of any Native American relationship focused novel, but two of the most popular are Prairie Lotus and Pony. Pony even begins with a primary source photograph. This will allow students to make connections with the four photos already studied. They can delve further into the collection to make their own connections, and this will allow teachers to evaluate how effective the study was to begin a fiction unit with primary sources from the era of the novel.
As a cross-curricular unit introduction, all four of the noted photos as well as the others in the collection give a detailed look at life on the frontier. They cover the economic, social, military, geographical, and familial topics related to Westward Expansion, and the trials and successes of life as America marched across new lands across the country. Asking students to classify the photos with the tags provided will demonstrate their understanding of these social studies terms.
The treatment of Native Americans has the potential for challenges, depending on the state and the climate of a school district. While teaching The Trail of Tears is specific to many eighth grade courses (Texas), there is reference to the settlement of lands in westward expansion and how
Native Americans were affected by that process. The 188 photographs do have references to Native Americans who “slayed” white settlers and some in the US military, notably the cavalry. There are also some Indian burial grounds that could be cause for a challenge, depending on the age of the students.
One of the best ways to address the challenges would be to cite the source correctly in its entirety, but then to also use the four photographs pulled for this rationale. There is a site that has multiple resources for teaching about topics related to Native Americans: Facing History and Ourselves and The Burke Museum out of Seattle, WA, both have strong resources for addressing potential challenges.
- This is a single photograph of a Seminole camp in Florida that simply shows the habitat of a Native American.
- This is a single photograph showing a Native American and a cowboy playing cards.
- This is a single photograph of the Lakotah people in South Dakota.
- Texas Law-Related Education - Westward expansion - fifth grade
- ReadWorks has several paired passages on Native American and US relations (free account for parents)
- Scholastic - Research tools for elementary students: Wonder Bubbles
- Westward Expansion resources from National Geographic
- Lewis and Clark Expedition from National Geographic Kids
- The National Parks Service: The Plains Indians