Hiawatha School

Hiawatha School District was formed in 1908, established on January 25, with George O’Dell, Nelson W. Scott, P. O. Sommers and Ernie Zang as its first trustees. The School board borrowed $800.00 to purchase a site and build a schoolhouse. The school was built in 1909, by George Edwards on the north side of Eight Mile Lake and had as its first teacher, Miss Margaret Meikle. Sixteen pupils attended when it opened, coming from the Carey, Diemert, Duncan, Hoffman, Sommers and Zang families. It was located on the SW quarter of 7-15-24-W4. Directions from Champion – West 6 miles on Highway 529 (along highway, halfway along curve around lake). Latitude 50.24892, Longitude -113.30013

Andrew and Louisa Diemert had five children, Emma, William, Walter, Ethel and Clara. The younger children attended Hiawatha School when it opened. Their first teacher was Miss Margaret Meikle.  Another child, Paul, was added to the family. (Clara married Hugh Frame and had a son, Alex, who began his education in the same school as his uncles and an aunt had attended.)

The three older children of Dave and Hannah Rice attended a little one-room schoolhouse across the lake bottom to the west and north of their home. Daughter, Elaine, believes it was Hiawatha. The family left the area to find greater educational opportunities for the growing family. They went to the Cardston area.

Daniel, Joseph and Cecilia Nelson attended Hiawatha and Auburn schools.

One incident remembered by Art, Roy, Ruth, Erma, Max and Cecil Swanson: Frances Rench and Gus (Dad) gave a dance at Hiawatha school after harvest was over and a blizzard came up suddenly and they all had to spend the night there. They pushed all the horses they could into the barn, took the blankets of those in the barn and covered the ones outside with them.

Annamae Fath attended Sherwood, a convent in Lethbridge, then, in 1914, Hiawatha. She completed her education there. Her first teacher there was a Miss Smith, who later became Mrs. Milt Moffat. Another teacher was Miss Boutillion, who later married Bill Bowie of the Alston district. Also a Miss Hill taught there and she is now married to Orrie Sommers of Champion. Her brother, Joe Fath, attended Hiawatha school and Fireguard school.

One of the trustees was Dick Clements after the school was moved from the north side of the lake to the south.

Ethel May McDougall was a teacher in the Hiawatha school and the Yale school. She married Karl Maeck.

Some of the later teachers were Miss Broadworth, Miss Smith, and Mrs. Milt Moffat. Many of the teachers boarded with the Sommers family.

Hiawatha was first located on the north side of “Eight Mile Lake” and operated “off and on” due to lack of students. In March, 1918 it was closed because of high waters. In 1930 it was moved to the south side of “Eight Mile Lake,” one and one half miles south, to the Champion -  Parkland road. (NW 7-15-24-W4) The Board borrowed $600.00 to purchase the new site, move the schoolhouse and outbuildings to the new site and recondition the building.

When consolidation of schools began, the Hiawatha School was moved to the Alston S.D. where it served as a Junior High School. Eventually it ended up sitting in the County storage yard, used for storage, before it was demolished.

Some family names of students attending were: Becker, Daub, Diemert, Fath, Ferguson, Gilfoy, Hill, Isaacson, Ivarson, Lee, Louckes, McDonald, Moore, Mueller, Rice, Sommers, Sullivan and Weiss.

Hiawatha Students - 1917. Doorway (L-R) Annetta Daub, Annamae Fath, Clara Daub. Middle (L-R) Mable Louckes, Hazel Cole, Dora Dietrich, Patricia Cole, Irvine Daub, Elmer Cole, Robert Cole. Front (LR) Grace Feber, Myrtle Louckes, Hazel Husted, Clayton Daub, Joe Fath, Harry Louckes, Bert Cole, Wilfred Daub.

More information about Hiawatha School may be found in “Cleverville Champion 1905 to 1970”  and “Champion and District School Reunion 1906-1961”, at the Vulcan and District Archives and from school directories (maps and driving directions) which are available at the Village of Champion Office, the Champion Pioneer Club and the Vulcan & District Museum.

Harvard School - 1908, teacher, Donald Patterson. Some of the pupils were: John, Ida, and Ruby Long; Edward, John and Myrtle Lobban; Addie Harper; Nora McClure; Mabel Smith; Grace Wright; Sidney Baker; Clarence and Mabel Thompson; George, Fred and Glenn Clever; Ralph Mason; Willie Stanton; Charlie Wright; and Johnny Harper.

The Harvard school, built in 1907, was situated three-quarters of a mile south of the Cleverville Cairn. Established on August 29, 1906, it was located on the SE quarter of 8-15-23-W4. Directions from Champion – East 2 miles on Highway 529. Latitude 50.25164, Longitude -113.12051

This was the first school in the Cleverville district, and served the surrounding district as well as the area west of what is now Champion. Martin Clever donated the use of the land for the school as long as it was in use as a school at that location. Don and William Ulrich and Frank Smith hauled the lumber for the school from Stavely and Nanton. Several of the farmers in the district, including John and William Beaubier, helped build it. John Moe did most of the plastering and built the brick flue.

Donald Patterson (a brother of the late Peter M. Patterson), was the first teacher. He remembers the following pupils, John Long, Ida Long, Ruby Long, Edward Lobban, John Lobban, Myrtle Lobban, Addie Harper, Nora McClure, Mabel Smith, Grace Wright, Sidney Baker, Clarence Thompson, Mabel Thompson, George Clever, Fred Clever, Glenn Clever, Ralph Mason, Willie Stanton, Charles Wright. As well as a teacher, Donald was a homesteader. His homestead was three miles from the school.

Donald and his brother, Dave, played on the Cleverville ball team. One of Donald’s pupils told how well he got along with D.W. He said he never rang the bell when they were playing baseball until they finished the inning. At social evenings, he used to recite “O’ Grady’s Goat”, “Wee Devil” and “So was I”. He clerked part-time in the Cleverville store operated by George Marks.

Gladys (Kellogg) Koch couldn’t go to school for three years after arriving in Alberta. When Harvard opened, she rode the 6-mile distance on “Old Mike”.

Alice Moffatt joined her brothers, Roy and Milton, in the fall of 1912. She started to teach at the Harvard School, following Donald Patterson, the first teacher.

Later Mrs. Martin Clever was the teacher. Additional pupils were Bill Orr, Arthur Bjordall, Edwin Bjordall, Selma Balstead, Johnny Harper, Gordon Stoddard (Miller), Albert Bjordall. Other pupils in 1914 were Roy Ulrich, May Ulrich, Irene Dillingham, Ethel Long, Myrtle Ulrich, James Lobban.

Facts came to Mabel (Smith) Jones memory. She talked of the seating arrangements. The seats faced east, the teacher’s desk sat on a podium, and the blackboard was on the east wall. One of her teachers in 1909 was Miss Wise, Fred Wise’s sister. She remembers Fred and George Clever and Ada Harper as classmates.

Like many early students, she remembers other things, too. The Communal dipper was part of those days. An outstanding memory was the Christmas Concert with a drill. Their wooden hoops, taken from barrels, were decorated with crepe paper and the music was “The Battle Hymn of The Republic.” The music was from an organ. Mary Bond came and helped with the program.

Like all country schools everyone played together. Their favorite time for “Hide and Go Seek” was fall, when the stooks made great hiding places.

Mabel remembers the potbellied stove which warmed the school. In her memories this stove was huge, very effective to toast your front, but not so warm for the back.

Ida (Watland) Rodne began in the primary grade with William McDougall her first teacher. She remembers other children attending school at that time: May, Irene and Myrtle Ulrich, Alta Zinn, Esther and Albert Bjordahl, Nettie Loban, Ruby and Ida Watland. There were others, whose names she cannot recall. The family left Champion in March, 1914.

In 1913, a three-room school opened up in what had become Champion. Harvard School closed in 1914, having only been open for four years..

The building was moved into Champion during the flu epidemic 1918-1919 and was used as a hospital. Later it was converted into a residence to be occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Cliff Miller.

Harvard School in about 1912. Located three-quarters of a mile south of the present Cleverville Cairn. 1907-1918. The last class in Harvard before the new school was built in town. Back row L.-R.: Mabel Smith, Vera Baird, Nora McClure, Charlie Wright, Teacher Don Patterson, Albert Bjordale, John Long, Second Row: Myrtle Ulrich, May Ulrich, Doris Teal, Roy Ulrich, Beside Roy standing sideways? Mason, Small boy in front on Mason, ? Clever, ? Harper, ? Adams. Front Row: Unknown.

More information about Harvard School may be found in “Cleverville Champion 1905 to 1970”  and “Champion and District School Reunion 1906-1961” at the Vulcan and District Archives and from school directories (maps and driving directions) which are available at the Village of Champion Office, the Champion Pioneer Club and the Vulcan & District Museum.

Harmony School was established on February 11, 1908.  It was located on the NE quarter of 33-15-22-W4. Directions from Champion – East 9 miles on Highway 529, turn north onto Range Road 223 (Matlock Road) for 3 1/4 miles. Latitude 50.29955, Longitude -112.96011

Harmony School, taken in 1941

Dollarhide and sons, Tony and Harry, homesteaded here. The first entry in the minute book was made on August 19, 1907 by T. A. Dollarhide, when a vote was taken at a meeting for the formation of this school district. Early in 1909 the school was to be built, similar to the Blusson school, and J. Jones was to make out the plans and specifications. Dollarhide’s bid was accepted at $1,450.00. Tax on land, consisting of 9,920 acres, was levied at ten cents per acre. Secretary-Treasurer’s salary was $50.00 per year, and janitors – at that time – the Jim Matlock boys – were paid twenty-five cents per school day. John W. Matlock was paid $100.00 for the lot on which the school was built, donated in the first place by Dollarhide. Mr. Healy was the first teacher.

In 1914 E. Carlson hauled coal to the school for $6.50 per ton, but by the 1930′s it was being hauled for $1.35 per ton. In 1918 the teacher’s wage was $75.00 per month, 1922 – $1,200.00 per year, 1923 – $900.00, 1932 – $850 per year.

In the early years, school was sometimes opened in March or a month in the spring to run until the end of the year. Often at Board Meetings they discussed the number of months the school would be open. Also, it was evidently a task to have the taxes paid, and mention is often made in the minutes of collecting the taxes by force. For many years, money had to be borrowed to run the school – from $500.00 to as much as $1,500.00. Some years the teacher either had to do her own janitor work or hire someone to do this work and pay for this herself.

In early years, at the time of World War I, Literary evenings would be held in Harmony school, when in winter months programs were arranged from local talent singing, dialogues, music, comic skits and dancing. Also permission would be obtained to hold dances there and usually local musicians made up the “orchestra”. In the early days, George Matlock played the violin and Mrs. Adam Ferguson would chord on the piano. Later Manley Matlock did the chording. Then as the years rolled by the Ferguson family played for dances for several years. Esther played the piano (most of the time they loaded their own piano at home and brought it to the school in a bobsleigh for the evening). Marjorie and Victor played violins.

Concerts were held in the school – at Christmas time there was a concert put on by the school children – a big evergreen tree was decorated complete with burning candles (until they were declared a danger). Santa Claus always came to distribute the gifts and usually left as dramatically as he had come.

Box socials usually were held in the fall of the year – ladies would bring lunches in boxes elaborately decorated – some as schools, barns, or covered with crepe paper flowers, etc. – and these were auctioned at suppertime to raise money for the Christmas tree and gifts. Some paid high prices for these boxes – $30.00.

In the ’30′s Harmony school was very active in School Fair work. These fairs were held at the Reid Hill Hall, and various schools competed. A shield with the school’s name engraved on a plate was awarded to the winning school each year, and was passed on to the top winner the next year. Harmony school had the distinguished honor of winning this shield three years in a row and then having the shield displayed permanently in the school. This final honor was achieved while Agnes Ferguson (Patterson) was teaching there. Also several students from Harmony school won two week scholarships at Agricultural schools, awarded for most points won at the school fair. Students winning scholarships were Wilbur Matlock, Marie Matlock and Mabel Lawrence.

For three years in the ’30′s the community enjoyed badminton as a winter recreation in the school. People came by team and sleigh or stone boat, horseback or walking, to spend these enjoyable evenings.

In 1940 Harmony school had a second room added and became an Elementary and Intermediate school with children being brought in by school bus. It was then taken over by the larger Lethbridge School Division. Bernard Jordan and Mabel Vaage taught there that year. The teacherage was the old original Sanderson school which had been moved up to Harmony school and was made over into a residence for the principal.

Adam Ferguson worked unceasingly and untiringly from the school’s inception until he retired from the board in 1935 and it is noted that after that, he was still active at the school meetings. He served as Secretary-Treasurer the greater part of this time, Two others who served in this capacity were Chal Matlock and Harold Matlock. Joe Hubbard was a board member while in the district.

Pioneers who helped a great deal in the early history of the school were J. Hubbard, Jim Matlock, Sam Ward, John Carlson, N. Frosteson, J. Furtaw, N. Burdan, J. Dollarhide, T. Dollarhide, Bill Matlock, A. Ferguson, Walt Sloan and various others.

The school operated this way until the spring of 1947, when children were taken into Champion for all grades from one to twelve. The school building was eventually moved to the Vulcan County yard to be used for a storage shed.

More information about Harmony School may be found in “Cleverville Champion 1905 to 1970”  and “Champion and District School Reunion 1906-1961” at the Vulcan and District Archives and from school directories (maps and driving directions) which are available at the Village of Champion Office, the Champion Pioneer Club and the Vulcan & District Museum.