Historic Sites of Manitoba: Devonshire Collegiate Institute / Devonshire School (Main Street, Selkirk)
Link to:
Principals | Vice-Principals | Teachers | Photos & Coordinates | Sources
Before 1920, high school classes were held in the Selkirk Central School building. The Devonshire Collegiate Institute building was constructed in 1920, at an estimated cost of $30,000, on a design by Winnipeg architect E. D. Tuttle. Built by contractor H. Sigurdson of Winnipeg, at the corner of Eaton Avenue and Main Street in Selkirk, the two-storey brick structure measured 74 feet by 54 feet. Its main floor had four classrooms, while a school board meeting room, library, and physical science laboratory were on a second floor. In the basement were domestic science and manual training rooms, and an assembly hall. It was opened officially at a ceremony held on 11 May 1920, attended by Robert Fletcher and W. A. McIntyre.
Around 1947, the Devonshire Collegiate building became an elementary school. A four-classroom extension designed by the architectural firm of Prain and Ward was made in 1954. The school closed at the end of the 1971 school year. The building was gutted that year and demolished in 1972. The site is now occupied by a shopping mall.
Principals (Devonshire Collegiate Institute, 1906-1947)
Principals (Devonshire School, 1947-1971)
Teachers (Devonshire Collegiate Institute - partial list)
School Year |
Teachers |
1882-1883 |
Mr. Wall |
1913-1914 |
Miss Dawson |
1914-1915 |
Miss Scott |
1920-1921 |
four teachers plus two special teachers: Miss Orr (domestic science), Mr. McIntosh (manual training) |
1921-1922 |
Miss Dickinson, Mr. Law, Mr. Mackintosh, Miss Orr, Miss Pettingell, Mrs. Stokes |
1932-1933 |
Miss M. Anderson, Miss C. Carson, Miss W. J. Fraser, Mrs S. S. Hall (Special Education), Ruth Willey |
1933-1935 |
? |
1935-1936 |
Margaret Anderson, Frederick Andrew Richard Justus, Miss F. J. Fraser, Mrs. S. S. Hall (Special Education), Ruth Willey |
1936-1937 |
Margaret Anderson, Miss Mabel Fraser, Mrs. S. S. Hall (Special Education), Frederick Andrew Richard Justus, Albert Edward Reid |
1937-1938 |
Margaret Anderson BA, Miss M. J. Fraser BA, Albert Edward Reid, J. M. Wilkie |
1938-1939 |
? |
1939-1940 |
Margaret Anderson, Anne Marguerite Loutit, Charles A. Ursel, J. M. Wilkie |
1940-1941 |
Margaret Anderson, Anne Marguerite Loutit, Mr. J. K. McKay, Mr. B. F. Redmond, Charles A. Ursel |
1941-1942 |
Margaret Anderson BA, Mr. V. Bonin BA, Anne Marguerite Loutit, Mr. J. K. Mckay BA, Miss B. F. “Betty” Redmond BA, Charles A. Ursel |
1942-1943 |
Margaret Anderson, Victor Bonin, Pauline E. McArthur, William Neufeld |
1943-1944 |
Margaret Anderson, Pauline E. McArthur, Victor Bonin, Mr. C. H. Cardinal |
1944-1945 |
Margaret Anderson, Victor Bonin, Pauline E. McArthur, L. Peto |
1945-1946 |
Margaret Anderson, Victor Bonin, Mrs. W. E. Gordon, L. Peto |
1946-1947 |
Margaret Anderson, L. Buelow, W. B. Deering, Miss M. Morris, Miss M. Tucker |
Teachers (Devonshire School - partial list)
School Year |
Teachers |
1947-1948 |
Alda Jones, Miss A. Marchand, Miss V. McLeod, Mrs. E. B. Moody, Miss B. Taylor |
1948-1949 |
Alda Jones, Mrs. E. B. Moody |
1949-1950 |
Mrs. A. Browning, Adelmar Friesen, Alda Jones, Mrs. E. B. Moody, Stephanie Sawchuk |
1950-1951 |
Mrs. A. Browning, Enid Cousins, Alda Jones, Mrs. E. B. Moody, Stephanie Sawchuk |
1951-1952 |
Mrs. A. Browning, Mrs. A. Borody, Alda Jones, Mrs. E. B. Moody, Miss A. Patson |
1952-1953 |
Alda Jones, B. McPhail, Mrs. E. B. Moody, Miss A. Patson, G. Wakeman |
1953-1954 |
Mrs. W. Harriott, Alda Jones, Mrs. E. B. Moody, Mrs G. Wakeman, May Zook |
1954-1955 |
Mrs. A. Browning (grade 7), Mrs. E. I. Dewar (grade 5), Miss A. V. Foster (grade 6), Casimir “Cas” Hollinger (grade 8), Alda Jones (grade 4), Miss M. A. Mandryk (grade 1), Miss V. A. Spencer (grade 2), M. M. Stefanchuk (grades 6 & 7), Miss G. Williamson (grade 3) |
1955-1956 |
Mrs. A. Browning, Mrs. E. I. Dewar, Alda Jones, Miss Mandryk, Miss A. Pasiushenko, M. Miss V. A. Spencer, Stefanchuk, Miss M. M. Thatcher, Miss G. Williamson |
Other teachers: Miss Cumming (grade 1), Miss Free (grade 2), Miss Kulpak (grade 3).
Photos & Coordinates

Devonshire Collegiate Institute (1919)
Source: Archives of Manitoba, George Harris Fonds, Acc. 1979-141, P7446, Album 1, Page 55.

Devonshire School (no date)
Source: Andrew Cunningham

Selkirk Central School at left with Devonshire School in the background (August 1937)
Source: Archives of Manitoba, George Harris Fonds, Acc. 1979-141, P7453, Album 20, Page 46.

Devonshire School (circa 1942) Source: Ken Howard
Site Coordinates (lat/long): N50.14314, W96.87436 denoted by symbol on the map above
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See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Selkirk School No. 69 (Eaton Avenue, Selkirk)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Devonshire School No. 1865 (RM of Armstrong)
Personal Memoirs: Memories of Devonshire Collegiate Institute by Ken Howard, Shirley Howard Thompson, Claire Howard Lee, and Lou H. Howard
Sources:
“Selkirk’s collegiate institute now housed in new and spacious edifice,” Manitoba Free Press, 15 May 1920, page 45.
“Selkirk,” Manitoba Free Press, 31 August 1920, page 11.
“Interesting newsy items from Selkirk,” Winnipeg Free Press, 6 September 1921, page 4.
“Four Selkirk schools open for fall season,” Winnipeg Tribune, 20 September 1933, page 11.
“Many present as school goes in at Selkirk,” Winnipeg Tribune, 5 September 1935, page 3.
“Selkirk schools open,” Winnipeg Tribune, 3 September 1936, page 3.
“Teachers are named for Selkirk schools,” Winnipeg Tribune, 11 August 1937, page 2.
“One thousand pupils for Selkirk schools,” Winnipeg Free Press, 30 August 1939, page 2.
“Thousand to enroll in Selkirk schools,” Winnipeg Free Press, 29 August 1940, page 4.
“Schools of Selkirk to reopen Tuesday,” Winnipeg Free Press, 1 September 1941, page 3.
“Selkirk schools open,” Winnipeg Free Press, 2 September 1942, page 2.
“Schools to reopen in Selkirk Sept. 7,” Winnipeg Free Press, 26 August 1943, page 10.
“Selkirk schools to reopen Tuesday,” Winnipeg Tribune, 31 August 1944, page 3.
“Selkirk school staff engage for new term,” Winnipeg Free Press, 28 August 1945, page 19.
“Selkirk news,” Winnipeg Tribune, 23 August 1947, page 9.
“Selkirk school staff named,” Winnipeg Tribune, 31 August 1946, page 20.
“Selkirk schools re-open Monday,” Winnipeg Tribune, 27 August 1949, page 19.
“Selkirk schools have record teaching staff,” Winnipeg Free Press, 31 August 1950, page 23.
“Selkirk notes,” Winnipeg Free Press, 3 September 1951, page 11.
“Staffs named for schools at Selkirk,” Winnipeg Free Press, 28 August 1952, page 10.
“School Board lists teachers at Selkirk,” Winnipeg Free Press, 3 September 1953, page 8.
“Selkirk schools set teacher list,” Winnipeg Free Press, 28 August 1954, page 2.
“Devonshire School extension opening scheduled Wednesday,” Winnipeg Free Press, 22 October 1954, page 18.
“School starts Sept. 1 for Selkirk pupils,” Winnipeg Free Press, 26 August 1955, page 12.
“The Selkirk planning scheme 1965E,” Winnipeg Free Press, 16 August 1965, page 20.
We thank Randy Rostecki, Garth Reid, Wilma Hruden, Nancy Wasylnuk, and Nathan Kramer for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer, Ken Howard, and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 21 November 2022
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