Tales of a One-Room Country School

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Contents

Preface..................................................4Introduction.............................................7Naming Our School........................................12Detroit Dakota Territory.................................15Summer Repairs...........................................17Breakfast................................................24Walking To School........................................28The Clothes We Wore - Or Didn't Wear.....................32Starting The Day.........................................37School Bell..............................................44Water....................................................46Our Flag.................................................50The Outhouse.............................................56Hygiene..................................................58Desks....................................................62Our Lunches..............................................66Smallpox.................................................71Coloring, Painting And Card Making.......................73The Hectograph...........................................77Reading..................................................79The Games We Played......................................84A Lucky Miss.............................................88Rainy Days...............................................91First Hospitalization....................................94Swings...................................................96Field Trips..............................................98Luck Of The Blizzard.....................................102Taffy Pull...............................................106English..................................................109Penmanship...............................................111Arithmetic...............................................115Entrepreneur.............................................120Civics And Government....................................123History..................................................129Countdown To World War II................................1351 September 1939.........................................141Special Occasions........................................143Interlude In Oregon......................................148Skipping A Grade.........................................154My Teachers..............................................156Teachers In Search Of Husbands...........................160School Picnics...........................................162Graduation...............................................168Appendix.................................................176Appendix Contents........................................178

Chapter One

There were always many chores to do at our little one-room country school. Since we did not have a janitor, custodian or maintenance person, those tasks were performed by the teacher and students. But first, a little about the origin of our school's name of Detroit #9.

The period 1877 to 1883 is known as the Great Dakota Boom. Dakota Territory was opened for homesteading and the railroads began rapidly building new lines to transport the influx of settlers. Many migrants came from the area around Detroit, MI. These newcomers were determined to start a new city which they would also call Detroit.

They established a thriving town. The surrounding farmland was surveyed to include two townships of 36 sections each. These townships were called North Detroit and South Detroit but were always referred to as a double township called Detroit.

Since there was a town of Detroit and two Detroit Townships it seemed only proper that the schools be called Detroit schools. So all schools in the two townships were called Detroit. Only the number following the name designated which school was which. Although our school was designated as Detroit #9 it was occasionally referred to as the Rasmussen school since that was the name of a nearby homesteader.

Sadly, the town of Detroit only flourished between 1883 and 1886. Then the Dakota and Great Western Railway decided they would run their rail line about six miles southeast of the town. That sounded Detroit's death knell. By this time there was a post office, hotel, blacksmith shop, livery stable, newspaper called The Detroit Free Press, a drug store, grocery store, dance hall, skating rink, Methodist Church, cemetery, school, town meeting hall and a few homes.

When the railroad chose to bypass the town of Detroit, business people quickly relocated to be near the rail line. Most of the buildings in Detroit were jacked up and moved to the new town of Claremont. By 1906 only a few buildings were left which did not lend themselves to moving - the blacksmith shop, the general store, livery stable and one residence. It was from this site of the former town of Detroit we carried water from the artesian well to our school every day.

In 1983, even though the last remnants of the town of Detroit had disappeared, a group of local residents decided to hold a territorial town celebration on the centennial of Detroit's founding. A parade, hay rides and other events took place. A bronze plaque was placed to commemorate the towns location. The only thing is, current residents didn't really know where the town had been situated and placed the plaque where the one-room country school had remained - a quarter mile west of the actual town!! Just a few of us old-timers knew where the town really had been located.

DETROIT DAKOTA TERRITORY

Date: Detroit was settled in 1883 and became an incorporated town 28 April 1884 when this territory was opened for settlement by the United States government. On 26 February 1886 Detroit was dissolved because the proposed railroad was not built.

Location: The town of Detroit was located on the nearest 40 acres on each of the four quarter sections surrounding this marker. In SE 1/4-127-60: SW 1/4-127-60: NE 1/4-126-60: NW 1/4-126-60.

History: The founders of Detroit were Samuel Hedger, Clement Hedger, J. F. Bush, and Charles Hannah. Detroit consisted of a post office, hotel, general store, drugstore, newspaper office, school, Methodist Church, blacksmith shop, dance hall-roller rink, and abstract office.

Dedication: This marker was placed here by north and south Detroit Townships in July 1983.

SUMMER REPAIRS

When the school year ended in May 1936 it was time to paint, repair, clean and update the facilities. Our school board oversaw the repair and upkeep of the schools. This board was composed of three local residents, usually nearby farmers, since these were rural schools. Normally the school board asked one of the farmers living near the school, or one whose children attended the school, to prepare the school buildings and grounds for the coming year. Planting, cultivating and harvesting requirements meant fitting the work into farm schedules during June, July and August.

Our school was on one acre of ground at the southwest corner of a farm. There were no trees or bushes, no swings, slides or playground equipment of any kind. There were two outdoor toilets, called privies or outhouses, a small horse barn and a tall, galvanized flagpole in front of the school.

There was no well or running water, electricity or sewage at our school. This meant no air conditioning, so...