Sherman School cemetery — Local services in Corona

For those curious enough to get a bit of context on the brief, hidden history about this site I recommend watching the pbs documentary “Unspoken: America’s Native American Boarding Schools” on youtube. It may also be worth doing some research/reading about The Sherman Institute of Riverside. If you are in the area, maybe pay a visit to the Sherman Indian High School in Riverside. I continue everyday to learn more about the true history of this country’s past and while it is sometimes painful, I owe it to those that came before and made it possible for me to exist here. The least I can do is carry these stories and make sure they continue to be told as they are recovered. If you ever find yourself here please honor the space and learn about how it came to be. And honor the thousands of lives that were forcefully lost.

May their beautiful souls forever...

This is a Sacred place. Sherman Indian School is located on Magnolia Ave in Riverside. The US governent gathered Native American children throughout the US and forced them to learn English. They were taken against the will of their parents and dispersed throughout the region. These children were far from home, forced to leave their family and customs. Some children died during the school year. They died away from their family and never made it to there tribal resting place. It is our responsibility as local Native Americans to watch over their graves and remember them. We pray for their journey in behalf of their families. More information can be found at Sherman Indian School...

I remember when I was around seven years old in 1980. A couple of friends and I lived in the only neighborhood near this place. Back then, the road wasn't even paved and the cemetery had a crappy low fence around it. We were told that this place was a sacred native burial ground and to stay out of there. A year later. I moved back to Minnesota. For some reason, this place always popped up in my memory. Now I know what this place is and what happened. I can't even fathom what those poor children...