Saskatchewan’s One Room Schools

Three quarters of a mile seemed like a  long walk on six year old legs.  I must have been with one of my parents but my first recollection of making the journey on our own was with my younger brother.  Maybe I was 8 by then.

We would make our way down the road, across the track and turn north to go to school.  The trek wasn’t to bad in the spring and fall, but brutal in a cold wind driven Saskatchewan blizzard.  On those days we were either snowed in or Dad would hitch up the horse and pull the stoneboat with two very bundled up kids on the back.

Vehicles don’t start well when it is -40C.

We were headed for our one room school.  One room, one teacher, 8 grades….and the entire school population was 10 kids.

When I started school I was in the largest class.  There were actually three of us in the same grade.  Carl Frohaug, Dick Scott and me (and we were in the same classroom every year until we hit Grade 12).

Our little school was located in the hamlet of Hatfield and our proud little school was considered to be a school district!

One Room School = One School District

We were Cuthbert School District # 1934 located in Tsp 28 Rge 22 West of the 2 Meridian….just north of Govan and south of Nokomis.

When I reached grade 4 we were bussed into the town of Nokomis for school and my days of attending a one room school were over.

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[Editor: the author’s mother taught in Saline School (School District # 1863 Tsp 29 Rge 23 W of the 2 Meridian) prior to her marriage.  Go here to learn more about Saskatchewan’s One Room Schools. Your comments are welcomed in the area below.]