Harvey School District. Interior Harvey School - 1916 - Front Row: Budd & Grace Andrews (visiting). Second row: Haley Dowling, Rheyce Herdman, Florence Dowling, Claude MacDonald, Elmer MacDonald. Third Row: Miss Boler, Floyd Dowling, ------, Gordon Adrews, Cliff Andrews. Fourth row: Bill Wells, Hubert Wells, Phil Lucas. Fifth Row: Vida MacDonald, Pauline Bronson, Howard Andrews, Claude Lyman, Mable MacDonald, Florice Andrews, Dorothea MacDonald.
Harvey School was named after Harvey McFarland, who had filed on the quarter where the school was built and also had a store on the same quarter, SE 4-17-25-W4. It was established on February 12, 1907. Directions from Vulcan – West almost 4 1/2 miles on Highway 534 Latitude 50.39713, Longitude -113.37770
As the homesteaders continued to move east from Nanton and settle in ever increasing numbers, the need for a school in the area five miles west of Vulcan became apparent. In 1906 plans were made to organize a school district and the next year a school was built on S.E. 4-17-25-W4 with lumber hauled by team and wagon 22 miles from Nanton.
The first school trustees were John A. Smith, chairman; Charles Smith, secretary-treasurer; LeRoy Dowling and Newton Tinker. The school opened in the fall of 1907 with Charles Galbraith, a homesteader from 6 miles south, as the teacher.
During the early years the secretary-treasurer collected the school taxes from the homesteaders. This amounted to $13.00 per quarter the first year and dropped to $10.00 or so as more land was purchased from the non-taxable C.P.R. and Hudson Bay companies.
For several winters, Harvey had a literary society which entertained with debates, musical numbers, readings, plays and exchanged visits with Highland School and other neighboring communities. The society bought an organ and donated it to the school.
The Womens Institute made Harvey their centre of activity as well, and a “Good Deeds Day” was held annually at the school when lunch would be served by the members to the children, who in turn would entertain with a program prepared by themselves and their patient, talented teachers.
There was a well attended girls club which along with the Institute held dances, box socials and flower growing contests for the students. They also organized the annual picnic at the swimming hole on the Little Bow, an event looked forward to by all who attended.
On October 8, 1919 during a blizzard the school burned to the ground. All that was saved was the school library, the organ and a few desks. Ironically Mr. Braken, the teacher at the time, had prepared a talk for the next day to mark fire prevention week. Pupils attended Vulcan, McIntyre and Richmond Hill schools for a time.
Since it was impossible to borrow money in those days, a small school was built in 1921 with the insurance and the year’s taxes, and classes were resumed.
Teachers serving over the years following Charles Galbraith were Miss Matheson in 1909, Frank Addison, 1913, Miss Boler, 1914, Miss McFarlane, 1916, Miss Tedley, 1917, Miss Isabel Braken, 1918 and her father Mr. Braken in 1919. In 1921 Eilleen Bennet took over followed by Bertha Robinson in 1923 and Beulah Kennedy, 1925, Maude Shaw, 1928, Lillian Reed, 1931, Jessie Miller, 1936 and finally Harry Wismer in 1937 when the school was closed. In 1938, Budd Andrews married Miss Jessie Miller of Raymond. She was the last teacher to teach at Harvey School before it was closed to become part of the Foothills School Division.
Fred Andrews served as secretary-treasurer of the Harvey School District from 1908 to 1934. He and his wife, Elsina Elizabeth’s children were Cliff, Grace, Budd, Dorothy, Mary, Charles, John and George, who died at the age of nine months. As the years went by, they all started their education at Harvey School, which was situated two miles to the east. Usually they went on horseback or, when the weather was real bad in winter, they were driven by their father with a team and sleigh. When they were all old enough to go, they didn’t have enough horses to go around, so usually rode double. Once or twice on the way to school, they detoured by way of a large slough, which lay one-half mile north of the school, to catch frogs which were released at an opportune moment in the school. There were usually about 20 to 25 students in the school in all grades from one to eight.
In 1939, Harvey school was moved to the larger Reid Hill district to serve as a teacherage and when Reid Hill was also closed it was moved into Vulcan as a private residence.
Some family names that attended Harvey School were Carruthers, Davis, Dingwall, Dunbar, Jamison, Phillips, Shaw, Smith, Wilhart, Ashmore, Palosky, Parson.
More information about Harvey School may be found in “Wheat Country I & II – a history of Vulcan and District” at the Vulcan and District Archives and from school directories (maps and driving directions) which are available at the Vulcan & District Museum.
