Bloomington Valley School District No. 1757
Isn’t it amazing that the contributing factor to the origin and building of a
school district in a remote area begins in an area thousands of miles
away? Quite true of Bloomington Valley school whose first settlers came
from Bloomington, Minnesota, looking for land in a virgin territory. In the
spring of 1905, Henry Wigley, a farmer and blacksmith, Harry Haecker a
professor at the University of Minneapolis and Thomas Bazley, a farmer,
came to Vermillion which was the end of the steel at that tie. There they
hired a locator and horses that would guide them through the country in
order to select homesteads. Land was chosen in a valley on the south and
east gentle slopes of the Saddle Hills. A scarcity of stones on the land
was a contributing factor to their choice.
Next spring each settler brought a carload of furniture, livestock and machinery. The families came by train to Lloydminster and, after a weary journey by buggy, wagon and democrat, arrived at their homesteads. They pitched their tents in lush grass from whence came a welcoming committee, millions of ravenous mosquitoes.
Early in the year of 1907, parents began the procedure of forming a school district. Mrs. Bazley submitted the name of Bloomington Valley and it was chosen. In 1908 the school was built with lumber hauled from Lloydminster. Tom Bazley, Henry Wigley and Harry Haecker were the first trustees. The first teacher was a Mr. Wigley who was no relation to Henry. The school was built on the S.E. ¼ 29-44-3. It was located about six and one-half miles north-east of Edgerton on old Highway 14. The original school now stands on the north west corner of the five acre school yard – a stately sentinel of 87 years of progress and a rich heritage.
When the school opened, the Bevington children were transported in a topped buggy pulled by an ox. There were 14 children in attendance in the school when it opened.
Mrs. Burns, a “grass widow” from the southern states, was the second teacher. Another teacher, about 1911, was Miss Mildred Mitchell. On returning from a trip to Quebec, Miss Mitchell stopped off in Winnipeg to visit a friend. Also there to visit the same friend was Dolph Seale whose homestead was in the Battle View District. This chance meeting was the beginning of a romance. Forty miles was quite a distance to court your girl in those days. Mrs. Bazley asked if she could prepare for their wedding which was held in their log house on Christmas Day, 1912, the first wedding in Bloomington Valley.
Single and double desks provided seating for the students. A few long pig- tails were dipped in the inkwells which were in the top centre of the desks and a few irate mothers complained to the teacher. Spring was a favourite time when long underwear could be abandoned for bare legs; felt boots for runners. The big boys were often asked to leave the room to remove their runners and leave them somewhere, anywhere. How great it was to go bare-footed! We watched for the first saucy gophers. A patch of silver willow grew on the east side of the school and a breeze would bring in that heavenly fragrance.
The new school was built in 1930 a few yards south and east of the old school. It was equipped with telephone, chemical toilets, a furnace and a large basement where we played in the winter.
As at many schools, the Christmas Concert was one of the big events of the year; the other, the end of year picnic on the last day of school. Last day of school mothers came at mid-morning to prepare dinner. Dads came at noon to turn the icecream freezers and teacher’s treat was often several large watermelons. On one very hot day, a violent electrical storm accompanied by hail came up and I remember parents holding coats and blankets up to the windows so they wouldn’t be smashed.
The highest attendance at Bloomington Valley was during depression years
1934-36 when 35 children in all grades from one to nine were on the
register. Max Saville was the teacher and in order to make connections
for a weekend visit to his home in Hardisty, he had to catch the train at
Edgerton at 3:00 p.m. On such rare occasions arrangements were made for
one of the trustees to supervise from recess until 3:30. This gentleman
was adept at tap-dancing and he always agreed to entertain us. He also
chewed tobacco and the cold air register in the corner of the room was
within easy range of the teacher’s desk. How we enjoyed his visits!
School always ended on a happy note for we had to sing and recite memory
work in the last period.
Bloomington Valley was closed in the late forties and the children were bussed to Edgerton. The schoolhouse was moved to Wainwright where it became a clubhouse at the golf course. A cairn in the school yard marks the site of the school and tall trees surround a yard where many children worked and played in their quest for an education.
Miss Mildred Mitchell (Mrs. Dolph Seale) teacher at Bloomington Valley in 1912 is Mrs. Ruth Everett’s mother.
Bloomington Valley School District No. 1757
Submitted by Eleanor Perry
110-111-112