Susan La Flesche Picotte was born on the Omaha Reservation in Nebraska, the youngest of four sisters. Her father was the last recognized chief of the Omaha people; he believed the tribe should adopt whites’ traditions. Under his assumption, Picotte learned her tribe’s traditions but did not receive an Omaha name and studied at the Presbyterian mission boarding school at the reservation. When Picotte was 8, she witnessed a sick Indian woman prevented medical care from a local white doctor, who let her die because of her origin. She decided to become a physician so she could provide treatment for all the people in need. At 14, Picotte went to study at the Elizabeth Institute for Young Ladies in New Jersey. After graduation, she returned to the reservation and taught at the Quaker Mission School for two years before continuing her education at the Hampton Institute in Hampton, Virginia. In 1886, at the age of 21, she began her medical education at the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. On March 14, 1889, when she graduated valedictorian, Picotte became the first Native American in the US to earn a medical degree. Picotte returned to her home at the Omaha Reservation and appointed the physician of the government boarding school, taking care of the student’s health and teaching them about hygiene. The school was closer than any medical facility for the reservation residences, so it became the community clinic, and Picotte provided health care for more than 1,200 people over 450 square miles. For 25 years, Picotte held a fundraising campaign for building a hospital. When it opened in 1913, it was the first hospital privately founded on a reservation. In 1893, at the age of 28, Picotte took some time off to care for her sick mother. In the following year, she married Henry Picotte. After having two sons, she returned to work while her husband took care of the children and the household, an unusual practice at the time. As the reservation’s physician, she took actions to promote health issues to prevent the spread of tuberculosis, a disease that killed hundreds in her community, including her husband. She also served on the health board of Walthill, Nebraska, chaired the state health committee of the Nebraska Federation of Women’s Clubs, and co-founded the Thurston County Medical Society. During this period, Picotte began to advocate for prohibition, speaking against white whiskey peddlers who wanted to sell alcohol to the tribe members and supported her father, the chief of the tribe, in his actions against alcohol consumption within the community. When her husband died in 1905, he left her land in South Dakota that was held in trust by the government. All the heirs, including her minor sons, had to prove competency to sell the land and receive the money. At the age of 40, Picotte found herself in a two years inheritance battle against the government. Following her success, in her free time, she helped other people fight against the system to gain control of their own land and money. After dedicating her life to the welfare of her community, Picotte was diagnosed with bone cancer. She died at the age of 50.   Dive deeper into the inspiring story of Susan La Flesche Picotte with our fun and engaging printable worksheet! Available now on Etsy and Teachers Pay Teachers. Read more...