It Takes a Village: Relationships within an Institution

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Community Centered Archaeology in Colorful Colorado", at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The State Industrial School in Golden, Colorado was established in 1881 to rehabilitate criminalized young boys. The boys here experienced building relationships with one another, the faculty, and the city of Golden under the isolating and ritualized methodology of institutionalization. Use of direct sources such as a daily newspaper produced by the boys, biennial reports produced by the school, and records from the city of Golden show the product of these relationships. This paper dives into the concept of the ritual of institutionalization and the result that has on the overall culture and relationships that can be seen in the historical documentation of the State Industrial School around the beginning of the 20th century. The social perception of the school from both internal and external sources influenced the ritual performed by the State Industrial School and left a lasting impact on the boys, the faculty, and the community of Golden.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Community Centered Archaeology in Colorful Colorado   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2025

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow