Estelle Reel

As the national Superintendent of Indian Schools (1898-1910) her federal policies focused on the cultural assimilation and removal of indigenous children from their homes.

Reports published in the Chicago Tribune and The New York Times accused Reel of sending her photograph in "perfumed letters" to lonely cowboys to secure their votes.

[6] Reel supported standardized curriculum and published a pamphlet of guidelines in 1897 titled "Outline Course of Study for Wyoming Public Schools".

Although no progress on these priorities was made during her tenure, laws authorizing free textbooks and statewide teacher certification were approved in Wyoming in 1899.

[6] Reel's main aims while in office included creating a uniform curriculum and promoting a law to make school compulsory for American Indian children.

Mainstream popularity of American Indian visual arts created a strong market for student produced traditional crafts.

[12] Reel saw traditional native crafts as culturally benign and supported their fostering and preservation, particularly those made by women, as a potential economic resource for Indian families and communities.