We have travelled this highway fairly regularly for most of our
lives. Last year on a trip home Sask_girl spotted this school site.
We can't believe that we've never noticed it before. We have no
idea when the marker was put here but it looks like it must be some
time ago. Since then every time we pass by we comment on how we
need to put a cache here. There are way too few caches along this
highway. We wish there were more for us to find but since that
isn't the case we'll hide this one instead. It should be a quick
easy find for everyone.
The school was at this site from 1914-1920 but was open from
1914 until 1959. We aren't sure where the second site is located.
We hunted online for info about this former school but they were
scarce. The best info we found was from the book "Paynton : A
Collection of Stories" in an account by Nora Dymott. Here are her
words:
"Our first school was a one room school, Arbor Hill, not a 'Little
Red Schoolhouse' but a pretty robin's egg blue. All grades from 1
to 8 were taught by one teacher. The school was heated by a furnace
with a big register in the middle of the room which kept our cocoa,
soup or whatever were for your dinner. The odd time there was an
eraser or crayon that would make its way down on the furnace which
certainly didn't add anything to the aroma in the room. The big
event in the winter was the Christmas concert when the parents and
friends would come. I've often wondered how such small rooms could
hold so many. After the concert and Santa, the desks were pushed to
the walls and a violin and piano would play for a dance. We always
had a step dance from one of the many men.'
'In June was the Annual Picnic with the Battlebank school children
and parents whose teacher was Lizzie Jones. If you were lucky you
would get two ice cream cones with always a little extra salt
managing to find its way into the ice cream. It was always a fun
day!"