LYNX SCHOOL DISTRICT No.3360
- The homesteads in the Lynx area were mostly filed on by 1910 to 1915,
- the majority of the settlers coming from Eastern Canada and the United
- States. When the need for a school arose, it was built in 1916 and called
- Lynx because a lynx had been killed in that area. The school was situated
- on the SE ¼ 36-47-10 W4, 16 miles northeast of Jarrow, on the top of
- one of the highest hills in a very hilly area. It was one of the newer
- cottage-type schools and its gleaming white paint often served as a
- landmark for visiting inspectors who found our prairie trails most
- confusing. As late as 1940 one of these gentlemen abandoned his car and
- walked the last part of the way to the school. When it was time to leave,
- he couldn’t find his car and had to recruit the school children to help him
- locate it and get him started towards the nearest graded road.
- The first school board was made up of Joe Ralph, Vern Wilson, Wm.
- Bridgeman and secretary, Curly Schroeder. The contract for building the
- school was awarded to Merriam and Arnott of Edmonton. George
- Bridgeman supplied the stones and helped with the hauling.
- The first teacher was Miss Julie Baker of Calgary, who taught eight pupils
- from the Bridgman, Bright, Wilson and Faulkner homes. Lynx was a
- “summer school” operating from March to December, with a two week
- holiday in the summer. This was because of the poor road conditions and the
- long distances pupils had to travel to school. Lynx was never a very large
- school and was permanently closed in 1943. The building was later moved
- to the Holt Hutterite Colony, where it still serves faithfully as a school.
- School Board members who served through the years, included practically
- every adult male who lived in the district. Some of these were: Wilson,
- Brown, Bridgeman, Roberts, Shippy, Osborne, Rohrer, Schroeder, Osborne
- and Smith.
- Some of the teachers through the years were: Mrs. Ella McRoberts, Mrs.
- Day, Miss McKittrick, Lila Wright, Miss Massing, Mrs. Reynolds, Miss
- Johnson, Mabel Holt, Florence Syson, Gusta Jacobson, Georgina Leed, Louis
- Aide, Gilbert Creech, Edith McRoberts, Hazel Flewelling, Grace Smith,
- Catherine Patterson.
- The school was the centre of social activities; an occasional dance, once
- in a while a picture show sponsored by one of the grain companies, and of
- course the annual Christmas concert followed by a dance. This was the
- highlight of the year and all the children participated in it. For that one
- night there was happiness and sociability and all feuds and bad feeling
- were at bay. Unfortunately this condition didn’t prevail all year.
- Names on early voter lists include: Brown, Riley, Wilson, Mark,
- Bridgeman, Davis, MacKie, Shippy, Bright, Schroeder, Petzman, Ralph, Pace,
- Osborne, Main, Seepers, Campbell, Hardy, Strand, Marbury, Rohrer, Roberts,
- Printup, Breckenridge, Legace, Hollar, Davenay, Deverick, Greenwood,
- McKinnon, Ambler and Edmunds.
- The writer of this story, Lila (Wright) Rohrer, first came to Lynx school as
- teacher in August 1922, and returned to the district in January 1925, as
- the bride of R.L. (Dick) Rohrer.
Lynx School District No. 3360
from “Down Memory Lane”
31-32