First school days

At a time when we are again thinking about the start of a new school year, it is interesting to look back at the time the first citizens of McCook were doing their best to provide educational facilities for the young people of the community

From H.P. Waite's collection of McCook Tribune Stories

Note: The following account of McCook's First School House, from an essay by Mr. Waite.

School District 17 of Red Willow County, now known as the School District of the City of McCook, was organized Feb. 3, 1880.

On Feb. 5, 1880, S.H. Colvin was authorized to give notice to the voters to meet on Feb. 16, 1880, for the purpose of electing officers. (Note: This was two full years before the city of McCook was organized. Mr. Colvin was the proprietor of the Post Office/General Store of Fairview, on the south bank of the Republican River, across the river from the present city of McCook.)

The first director, whose name appears in the records was John Kiler, but the names of others are unknown.

The report to the County Superintendent, dated June 2, 1880, shows a school population of seven males and 14 females, and lists a log school house of the value of $100 as belonging to the District, but no other property, nor any indication of school being held.

It may be assumed that no school had been held, as there cannot have been any funds with which to pay a teacher. It is difficult to understand, in the circumstances, how this newly organized District can possibly have had a school house, even with so small a value as $100.

As an illustration of the plane upon which school districts were operated in those days, a summary in the County Superintendent's records shows that the salaries paid to male teachers in 1880 ranges from $25, which was the highest, to $16.67, which was the lowest, per month, and to female teachers from $20 to $11.67, per month. In no country school district in the County, prior to 1880, had more than three months of school been held.

In the 2nd issue of the McCook Tribune, June 15, 1882, the editor said:

"One of the most important things our citizens must look after, and take into consideration during the busy tumult, is the necessity of building a good school house. This is one of the first things that we must have in a town; that your children should have every advantage, and we trust some action will be taken at once in the matter."

During the summer of 1882, when subscriptions were being solicited for the erection of a building for the Congregational Society, one of the arguments employed to secure contributions was that the new structure might be used for school purposes.

From the Sept. 7, 1882 Tribune: "School will be held in the old school house, one mile south of McCook." (It is assumed this has reference to the log building referred to in the report of the director to the County Superintendent.) The citizenry were again told of the importance of education to the young and were upbraided for their failure to provide a building. The following week the Tribune remarked: "School commences next Monday, but where is the school house?"

School did not start on Sept. 18th as planned. Tribune, Sept 26th, "School will commence Oct. 2nd, with Mrs. Bryan (Alma) Churchill as teacher." The following week the fact was chronicled that school had commenced on that date, with full attendance, presumably in the old log building on the river bank that supposedly had been used as a school house in Fairview days.

The Congregational Church building was completed about the middle of November, 1882, and school was first held in that structure on the 20th of the month.

The facilities, however, must have been quite inadequate, as the Tribune said in its issue of Nov. 23rd: "One needful thing, to use the new building as a school, is seating -- so that school can be carried on with comfort to the scholars and teacher"

It is a little difficult to understand how school could have been conducted in a building that had no seats, but the pioneers were resourceful and from the fact that school was held we know some arrangements, however crude, were made for seating the pupils.

Tribune of Dec. 14th, "We learn the ladies gave a festival, continuing for two nights, in the basement of the Churchill House (afterwards known as the Commercial Hotel, which stood on the site of Woodworth's Drug Store) to raise funds with which to purchase seats for the new church; that the gross receipts from the affair were $57 and the expenses were $20, a goodly sum, evidently considered ample for the purpose of purchasing seats for the school.

Mrs. Churchill resigned her position in the public school at some undetermined date, and started what was called a "select school" in the basement of the Churchill House. Miss Minnie Boyle, chosen to fill Mrs. Churchill's unexpired contract, closed the term on Friday, Jan. 5, 1883.

So far as the record discloses, McCook was without a school from Jan. 5th until April 16th, 1883, at which time J.T. Birdsall began a term as teacher in the Congregational Church.

Again at a date, which is not disclosed by the records, Miss Lillian Boyle was employed to assist Mr. Birdsall. The term ended with a picnic on July 18th, 1883. A report of the school affairs appearing in the issue of the Tribune for June 8, 1883, shows an enrollment of 67.

School began again on Sept. 3, 1883, in the Congregational Church with W.S. Bye as principal, and Miss Jennie Jamison as assistant.

On April 7, 1884, about 60 patrons of the District attended the annual school meeting, which was held in the Congregational Church. The officers were W.W. Fisher, Treasurer, G.L. Lawes, Director, and J.R. Phelan, Moderator. The principal question considered was whether the District should build a school house. The proposition was submitted to the electors present and the ballot resulted in 38 votes for and one against the issuance of bonds in the sum of $4.500, the assessed valuation of property in the District at that time being $94,000. A committee consisting of A. Campbell, J.R. Phelan, and C.F. Babcock was appointed to consider the question of site, and A. Campbell and J.R. Meserve were appointed to a building committee to act in conjunction with the board, who reported a school population of 186.

On April 21, 1884, at a meeting of the school board, the Lincoln Land Company offered to deed block 20 in the first Addition to McCook to the District as a gift. The offer was accepted. This left the entire proceeds of the bonds for the construction of the school house. It was decided, however, that an adequate building could not be erected for less than $6,000. The board decided to contract for the construction of a building and to use the money on hand as far as it would go, and to complete the structure when funds were available.

To finish the story of McCook's first (framed) school building, a two story frame structure, of which the citizens were very proud, was erected on the site of the present Central High School (Central Elementary). At first only two rooms on the lower floor were finished. Afterwards an upper floor high school was completed in time for school in the fall of 1885, presided over by the principal, with an assistant, who taught in a recitation room on the north side. When the Central High School was erected in 1906, the old wooden building was removed to the present site of what was known as the West Ward School, where it stood until 1925, when it was demolished to make room for the West Ward Elementary School (the site of the new City Building).

The contract for the erection of the school house was awarded to J.F. Collins. The building was to cost between $5,000 and $6,000 and was to be completed by the first of October 1884. For the faithful performance of the contract a bond of $3,000 was given by Mr. Collins who began work on the building as soon as he got the material together. Mr. Collins made good on his contract and the school was, indeed, ready for students in October 1884.