First Class Building (First Rock Creek School)

Flint Creek Rural School House Date unknown

Public schools were established in Philipsburg in the 1890’s. This was great for the children living in town but for those living miles away education was difficult to obtain. Some ranchers found someone to board their children with in town, so they could attend school. Others bought a second home in town and the wife lived in town with the children during the school year. Because most of the population was just making enough to survive on the homesteads many children were not able to attend school. Therefore the families came up with the idea to set up rural schools. 

At first, a group of parents got together and pooled their resources to pay a teacher wages. One ranch would contribute a bunk house or cabin for the classroom. Another would set up a room for the teacher to live in. The logger would provide wood for the school house heat. Someone with a good garden and root cellar would provide food for the teacher, if she was not furnished board with her room. Usually a teacher lasted one school year and then married one of the local single men. It was against the law for a married woman to teach school. The school year in the country schools was at the most only six months. The children began school as soon as the snow started melting about April and they attended school until haying season around the end of July. During school break everyone worked in the fields until the hay was all stacked. School resumed after hay season until the weather set in and the children could not make it to the school house horseback. All eight grades were taught in a single room by one teacher. 

The first news article found about a Rural school was in the May 13, 1898 Philipsburg Mail: 

“The Rock Creek school house is situated where the Ross’ Fork road crosses Middle Fork. The building is 18x30 feet, is built of logs. It has four windows and outside shutters to protect them when there is no school and one door and storm door. The roof is double boarded and the building has a first class floor, and in fact, it is first class all through. The following names are those that contributed towards its erection: Wm Clawson $64.09; P.A. Schilling, $68.75; T.N. Schilling $4.80; John Kaiser $12.75; A. R. Dearborn, $12.75; Daniel Arms, $12.75; Bimetallic Mercantile Co., $4.50; A. McIntyre, $1.80; Fred Albert, $4.80; Herman Price, $6.30; D.N. McDonald, $2.50; John Clawson, $4.50; Harry Ungersum, $12.00; Smith & Kent, $13.80; Calhoun & Son, $8.40; Frank Young, $2.10; Eli Sage, and partner, $6.00; Chas. Porter, $8.10; John Bowen, $4.90; Lew Anderson, $3.00; Fred Helaine, $3.00; total $202.40. One can readily see these people have the American spirit in them to build such as house. Too much credit cannot be given them in their endeavors. Wm. Clawson and P.A Schillings certainly deserve credit for the amount of labor and their unceasing perseverance until they had the house completed. If all the citizens of our county were as loyal to the cause of education, all of our young Americans would have a chance for a fair education. Educate your children and peace and harmony will prevail; if not retrogression will follow.” 

Named the Rock Creek school originally, this was later renamed as the Middle Fork School and served all the children of Ross’ Fork, Middle Fork and for several years East Fork, and the last few years, also West Fork. When the School Districts were formed a minimum number of students were demanded to keep a school open. The Middle Fork School was closed at the end of the 1946-1947 school year as the only children on Ross’ Fork were Helen and Bill Christensen. 

The last one room school house was located in the Sapphire Ranch meadow on West Fork, in 1947-1948., taught by Jewell Ball. Jewell and Bill were allowed by the Walt Kaiser family to live in the Ewing Bungalow. I attended my first grade there with Helen Sanders age five; my half sister Rosalie and Helen Christensen in third grade; Bill Christensen in fourth grade; Wesley Sutherland sixth grade and Naomi Sanders seventh grade. 

The Sanders family moved then from the Amerine Homestead to the Tom Parks ranch at the mouth of Trail Gulch and no district could qualify for a rural school. The School Board gave parents a token fee for fuel and they transported their children as far as 15 miles to Porter’s Corner to ride on the School bus. By 1950 the school bus driven by Forrest “Buster” Merrifield, drove to the West Fork Bridge and turned around. The final route then became over the Marshall Creek Hill to Rock Creek and south to the Skalkaho Highway and back to Philipsburg via Porter's Corner and Highway 10 A, which is now Highway 1.

                                                Middle Fork School Class of 1928-1929

Top Row: Mary Helen Carey, Alice Christensen, Chloe Carey, Ceal Lyon, Fet Sandin, Jean Lyon, Walt Bentz (out of picture). Bottom Row: Bus Hess, Mary Sandin, Faye Lyon Harry Bentz.

 Community Involvement Brings Quality Education 

 In 1893 Miss Abbie Wilkinson the Superintendent of Granite County Schools compiled a school census, which comprised the following school districts and numbers: Philipsburg-358 between 6 to 21 and 278 under age 6; Granite 222 over 6 and 168 under 6; Rumsey 46 over 6 and 5 under; Trout Creek 31 over 6 and 13 under; Black Pine 14 over 6 and 16 under; Princeton 12 over 6 and 11 under; Stone Station 34 over 6 and 12 under; Flint 36 over 6 and 23 under; Willow Creek 29 over 6 and 9 under; New Chicago 30 over 6 and 22 under; Drummond 54 over 6 and 17 under; Hoover 4 over 6 and 1 under; Valley 22 over 6 and 8 under. 

As you can see there was no recognition of children on any of the Forks or Rock Creek at that date. In November, 1894 Stella Engle, Ona Dingwall, Edith Carnegie, Nettie McPhail and James Dingwall were recognized as honor students at the New Chicago School. By 1897 the school Boards of Granite county had passed the Free Text Book Act which gave each district the right to decide whether to buy books at a discount or have the students buy their own. M.E. Doe began advertising School Text Books for sale on a cash only basis.

By 1894 there were 17 voting precincts which consisted of the same population as the school districts. Hoover and Valley were no longer; Philipsburg had been split into North and South; Alps, Rock Creek, Sunrise, Quigley, Mammoth, Royal and Bi-Metallic had been added. By 1906 Porter’s was added (named for A.H. Porter who had owned the property on both sides of Spud Hills that separate East Fork and Middle Fork and was killed in 1897), changing the Rock Creek School to Middle Fork and the Spring Creek School served the Upper Willow Creek and Rock Creek students. 

In 1908 Moose Lake was added but it represented only the residents of Moose Lake and Zeke’s Meadows. 

School teachers had to be single and were not provided with any luxuries causing high turn over. In May 1898 Miss Mary Harrison was hired to teach for four months at the (Rock Creek later Middle Fork) school. By June, she was replaced with Miss Pearlette Scott. Miss Stella Achmire was hired in April 1899. Fred Baxter then began teaching May 4th 1900. Miss Nellie Fahey also began teaching at Lower Willow Creek in March 1900. Miss Mand Pennell (G.B. Ballard’s niece) began teaching at Middle Fork (Porter’s) school May 1901 and took a month long vacation due to extreme heat August 2, 1901. 

Research revealed a front page article concerning the Trout Creek School in the June 2, 1916 Mail that described an exemplary school system. The following is a synopsis of the news article: 

 “The Trout Creek School in District Number 4 was visited by the State Rural School Inspector C.W. Tenney and awarded the degree of Excellence. The award was needed to become the first school in Granite County to be named a “Standard School” on May 17, 1916. This meant the school met all the requirements of the state and county departments of education. The teacher of Trout Creek, Miss Edith Featherman (Horrigan, Seavert, 1894-1983), was presented the standard name plate while many local parents, students and county school superintendent Mrs. Lottie Irvine, looked on. Refreshments were then served to the group that had braved the storm, blowing outside the school building. The trustees: Mssrs. Shoblom, Barker and McCrea assisted with the work done on the school grounds after a new building replaced the old log building a year ago. The grounds were planted and swings and teeters were built for the playground. The games played were so interesting, with the teacher participating, that supervision was un-necessary. The attendance rate of the students was exhibited on an attendance board. This display had increased attendance to a level needed to meet the standard requirements. Participation with other schools was met by putting programs on in conjunction with the Rock Creek students. New lights, a ventilator system and a sanitary bubbler were installed, plus primary equipment and library books were purchased. The old school building was turned into a stable for the students horses and a “first class well was dug.” 

The teacher had visited all the homes of the current students during the school year. 

“Volunteers agreed to keep the grass and flowers alive, so visitors will become interested in this being used as a community park, thus increasing the value of every farm in the Trout Creek School District.”

Edith Featherman married Frank Horrigan and they had a son Sidney before divorcing. She died in Santa Clara, California.