Established in February 1875 in the northwest quarter of 34-11-8W, the first Burnside School was a log building with a rough shingled roof, heated by a pot-bellied stove. It served the community until 1896 when it was replaced by a brick structure with a stone foundation, measuring 26 feet by 36 feet. The district was consolidated with the Prairie Central Consolidated School No. 2456 in 1967 and it closed in 1969. The school building was sold and torn down. A monument along the Trans-Canada Highway, in the Rural Municipality of Portage la Prairie, was dedicated in June 1997.
The teachers of Burnside School included Miss S. L. Harvey (1875), Mr. Edwards, Miss Irwin, Matthew Fletcher, Thomas Adams, Miss Blythe, Miss Sproule, W. J. Bodkin, Mr. Macklin, Miss Hayes, John Wood, Miss Neilson, Miss Philan, A. S. Argue, R. G. Taylor, Grace Pollard, Miss S. A. “Gussie” Rowe, Miss Baldwin, Miss Stewart, G. M. Booth, Miss Grace B. Jones, W. S. Young, Thomas W. Ebbern, J. W. Hansford, R. H. Cottingham, J. W. Richardson, Miss Margaret Bell, Miss Mildred Walker, Miss M. Blowers, Miss C. Madill, Miss Ella Ingham, Miss Pearl Crealock, Miss Ruth Oberg, Miss Eva McKelvy, Miss Maude Pogue, Miss Lee, Miss Lund, Miss Emily Geddes, Miss Anne McKenzie, Miss Hood, Miss Hickling, Mr. William Taylor, Miss Hilda Lathrope, Mr. Walter Green, Miss Irene Carson, Miss Irene McCallister, Miss Louise Thornton, Miss Ruth Haley, Miss Frances Edwards, Miss Dorothy Genest, Mrs. M. Glidden, Mrs. V. G. Honey, Mrs J. Campbell, Miss Audrey Donald, Miss Margaret Coulthard, Mrs M. Bell, Mrs. C. Matthews, Mrs. Helen Orr, Mr. Douglas Muir, and Miss Diane Code.
Burnside School commemorative monument (September 2010)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Burnside School commemorative monument (March 2021)
Source: Rose KuzinaSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.97442, W98.48391
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.
Rural Schools of Portage la Prairie School Division #24 by Muriel Wright, 1996.
We thank Rose Kuzina for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 7 August 2021
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!
