Bellafield School was established formally in July 1886 and a school building was erected the next year on the northwest quarter of 36-4-17 west of the Principal Meridian in what is now the Rural Municipality of Prairie Lakes.
The school closed in 1967 when it became part of the Turtle Mountain School Division, and the district was dissolved in 1968. The remaining students were bused to Ninette or Killarney. The school building and teacherage were moved to the village of Ninette, with the former becoming part of the community centre and the latter part of the seniors centre. A park was developed on the former school site, containing a fieldstone cairn unveiled on 30 June 1982 and a sign listing the names of students and teachers through the years.
The teachers who worked at Bellafield School included the following: Miss E. Currie (1887-1888), Miss Wigston (1888), Mr. Ross (1888), Miss Lantrow (1889), Mr. D. Johnson (1890), Miss Simpson (1890), Mr. C. Trail (1891), William Edgar Pye (1892), Miss A. Maude Redfern (1893-1894), Miss Sara Fisher (1894), Miss Rena McKinnon (1895), Miss Irene Mitchell (1896), Mr. S. T. Parrish (1896, 1899-1901), Miss Anderson (1897), Mr. F. R. Irvine (1899), Miss Turton (1901), Mr. M. Dorrance (1902-1903), Miss Lizzie Wilson (1903), Mr. F. D. Risk (1903), Mr. B. McK. Gunn (1903-1904), Mr. R. Rutledge (1904), Mr. D. C. Dorrance (1905), Mr. Angus Murray (1906-1907), Mr. Colin Carruthers (1908), Miss L. Corbetts (1908-1909), Mr. W. G. Currie (1909), Miss Gardner (1910), Mr. R. J. Yeo (1910), Mr. Alford (1910), Miss Maloney (1910), Mr. James (1911), Miss McKay (1911), Miss Florence Morrison (1911), Miss McKenzie (1912-1913), Miss Edna Fletcher (1914-1915), Miss Mary E. Johnston (1915-1916), Miss Nettie Mawhinney (1916-1918), Miss Elsie Kerr (1918), Miss Ethel Martin (1919), Miss Hopper (1919), Mrs. Gunn (1920), Miss Maggie Nicholson (1920-1921), Miss A. K. Bell (1921), Miss Sundell (1922), Mr. Theo Worden (1922-1923), Miss I. G. Waldon (1923-1924), Miss Mary Wiechman (1924), Miss Euphemia Fraser (1925-1926), Miss Grace Cummings (1926-1927), Miss Christina Fraser (1927-1929), Miss Vera Carlisle (1929-1931), Miss Francis Fraser (1931-1932), Miss E. M. Newton (1932-1933), Miss B. E. Muirhead (1933-1934), Mr. H. W. Stevenson (1934-1937), Miss Margaret Brown (1937-1939), Miss Doreen J. Blaker (1939-1940), Mrs. E. Pearson (1940-1946), Mrs. M. A. Hoglund (1946-1948), Mrs. J. McKinnon (1948-1954), Mrs. E. J. Cairns (1954-1956), Mrs. J. Davis (1956-1957), Mr. L. Clench (1957-1959), Mrs. D. A. Gibson (1959-1965), Mrs. Olive Fairhall (1965-1966), and Mrs. Lenore Day (1966-1967).
Bellafield School commemorative monument (October 2011)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Bellafield School commemorative monument (July 2023)
Source: Rose KuzinaSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.35471, W99.65203
denoted by symbol on the map above
One Hundred Years in the History of the Rural Schools of Manitoba: Their Formation, Reorganization and Dissolution (1871-1971) by Mary B. Perfect, MEd thesis, University of Manitoba, April 1978.
We thank Nathan Kramer and Rose Kuzina for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 9 September 2023
Historic Sites of Manitoba
This is a collection of historic sites in Manitoba compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. The information is offered for historical interest only.
Browse lists of:
Museums/Archives | Buildings | Monuments | Cemeteries | Locations | OtherInclusion in this collection does not confer special status or protection. Official heritage designation may only come from municipal, provincial, or federal governments. Some sites are on private property and permission to visit must be secured from the owner.
Site information is provided by the Manitoba Historical Society as a free public service only for non-commercial purposes.
Send corrections and additions to this page
to the MHS Webmaster at webmaster@mhs.mb.ca.Help us keep history alive!
