Red Willow County struggles to provide schools in the 1880s

Appearing in the 1926 MHS annual was a reprint of a report given by G.B. Nettleton who was Red Willow County's Superintendent of Schools in 1890. The following is a portion of his report on the history of McCook schools, with my comments in parenthesis. The full content is available at the Southwest Nebraska Genealogical Library.

"There is no available or complete record of the establishment and early history of the McCook Public Schools, but there are a number of people still living in the vicinity who have personal knowledge in regard thereto. The territory now embraced in this school district, with but slight change, was organized as district No. 17, February 7, 1880."

"Soon thereafter the homesteaders, resident in the district, moved a small log house contributed by William Doyle, from what is now known as the Stillman ranch to a site a little south and east from the viaduct. It had the distinction of having a real wood floor made of wide boards and a board roof covered with sod, and later was sodded up on the outside for additional warmth. All the work and materials were contributed. It did not boast of a teacher's desk, and all the students were each required to, and did, bring their own home made desks."

(1882) "Before the completion of the term, the town of McCook was platted, and what had been the old Fairview post office, then owned by S. H. Colvin, then the school director, was moved from near the river, just south of the present machine shops (railroad) to a lot on, or about what is now 311 Main (Norris) Ave., where the term of school was completed."

"The county superintendent's report of 1883 shows 11 school houses (in Red Willow County), all log, sod, or dugouts, and one graded school, with remarks by C. L. Nettleton, then superintendent, 'most of schools taught by young teachers residing in the district, and partially or wholly donating their labor. This is to avoid debt against apportionment of 1883.' The state apportionment to this school district in 1882 was, on the basis of 34 pupils, $ 72.82. In the winter of 1882 and 1883 the school was held in what was then known as the Churchill house, afterwards the Commercial Hotel."

"In the summer of 1883, the Congregational Church Society built a church building -afterwards destroyed by a cyclone - which was occupied for school purposes, the district furnishing the seats for joint use. School now assumed the proportion of a two teacher school, separation being made by stretching a green baize (cheap woolen fabric) curtain through the center of the room. At this time the people were coming into McCook so rapidly that it was impossible to seat or to even receive all the children that desired to come. The text books were almost as varied in kind as the pupils. The lack of uniform text books continued to be a serious handicap until the uniform text book law became operative in 1891."

Next week I will cover additional information concerning the school's history. SWNGS library, located at 110 West C, Suite M-3. Library is open each Tuesday and Thursday at 1:30. Everyone is welcome to use our resources.