Deer Range School District was established in 1898 in what is now the Municipality of North Cypress-Langford, and a frame structure was erected at this site, on land donated by local farmer William Patterson Smith. The building underwent minimal renovation through the years, with only a small entrance vestibule replaced with one large enough for an indoor toilet. Electric lights were installed in 1954. The school operated continuously until 1959 when it closed due to declining enrollment and its remaining students went to Edrans School or Firdale School. The school district was formally dissolved in January 1965.
The former school building is now maintained as a private museum by the Smith family, which has resided in the vicinity of the school for over 100 years. The museum is furnished as it looked in the 1950s and original record books and report cards are held in its collections. Further materials, including copies of school registers, can be found at the Carberry Plains Archives.
Some of the teachers who taught at Deer Range School included, in approximately chronological order: Miss Baldwin (1898-1899), Miss Cameron, Miss McDougall, Miss Nora Hawkins, Christopher Madill, Miss A. Rowe, Miss Ethel M. Clare, Myrtle V. McLenaghen, Miss Catherine H. McKay, Miss Phimmie Roy, Miss Margaret McKay, J. D. McRae (1910), Miss E. A. Little, James Hulme, Miss Jean Chater, Miss Margaret Cuthbert (1913-1914), Emma Thomas (1914), Margaret Cuthbert Green (1915-1916), Clara MacLaughlin, Irene Aldridge, Margaret Parker, Beatrice Creasy, Miss Violet Hogeboom, Miss Helen Spackman, Miss Helen Spackman, Miss Ada Spackman, Miss Violet Clark, H. Byram Saunders, Miss Reta Oultan, Miss Gertrude Steiss (1925-1926), Miss Frances Popple, Miss Mary Pitchell, Miss Verna Gladys Robertson (1928-1929), Miss Helen Rose Hood (1929-1931), Miss Jennie Graham (1931-1935), Audrah Eileen Grant (1935-1939), Miss Alice Hood (1939-1940), Miss Eleanor Montgomery (1940-1942), Miss Eleanor Smith (1942-1943), Miss Eleanor Cassels, Miss Violet Heines, Miss Lillian Sims, Miss Mildred Jackson, Miss June Cory, Miss Verna Peterson, Miss Joan Watson, Miss Edith Stefan (1950-1951), Mrs. M. I. Moffatt (1951-1952), Mrs. D. B. Switzer, Mrs. Lillian Schneider, John Taylor, and Mrs. Edith Williams (1957-1959).
Deer Range School (no date) by A. B. Fallis
Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs,
GR8461, A0233, C131-2, page 23.
Former Deer Range School building (June 2011)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Former Deer Range School building (March 2021)
Source: Rose Kuzina
Interior of the former Deer Range School building (June 2011)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Interior of the former Deer Range School building (March 2021)
Source: Rose KuzinaSite Coordinates (lat/long): N50.02413, W99.11106
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.
A Study of Public School Buildings in Manitoba by David Butterfield, Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Department of Culture, Heritage and Tourism, 1994, 230 pages.
History of Deer Range School #922 by Dorothy Smith Moffatt.
School division half-yearly attendance reports (E 0757), Archives of Manitoba.
We thank Nathan Kramer and Rose Kuzina for providing additional information used here and Robert Smith for his enthusiasm in maintaining Deer Range School and for providing a tour during our visit.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 22 January 2022
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!
