Historic Sites of Manitoba: East Poplar Point School No. 15 (Poplar Point, RM of Portage la Prairie)

Link to:
Principals | Vice-Principals | Teachers | Photos & Coordinates | Sources

The first school in the Poplar Point area was a one-room schoolhouse built around 1873 on River Lot 81 of the Parish of Poplar Point, situated about one-quarter mile north of the former Edmonton Trail, now Highway #26 in the Rural Municipality of Portage la Prairie. It burned down in 1912 and was rebuilt later that year. In 1918, the school was moved to the nearby village of Poplar Point where it remained until the building was replaced in early 1955. The present four-classroom school closed around 2001.

Principals

Period	Principal
1926-1928	Orville Ernest Holmes (1905-1987)
1928-1929	Mr. M. L. Berlyn
1929-1930	Allan Shafer Bowman (1906-1941)
1930-1939	Clarence David “Casey” Voigt (1903-1988)
1939-1942	John Elwin Laird (1876-1950)
1942-1943	John Parsons (?-?)
1943-1944	Robert Cameron Mulligan (1889-1976)
1944-1949	Jane Agnes Nisbet (1902-1959)
1949-1951	Lillian Elizabeth Barker (1920-2005)
1951-1953	S. Sigurdson
1953-1955	D. S. MacDonald
1955-1956	George Wesley Denstedt (1896-1979)
1956-1959	Dennis David Clym (c1930-1984)
1959-1960	C. M. Thompson
1960-1961	Mrs. P. M. Edmondson

Teachers

Other teachers who worked at East Poplar Point School included Elizabeth Beckett Scott (1884-1885), Herbert T. McKinstry, Christopher Roscoe Brown, Mr. W. G. Sanburn, Mr. Robinson, Miss Harvey, Mr. J. Bannerman, Miss McCorrister, Miss C. Christie, Miss Tidsbury, Mrs. Mountain, Miss Totton, Miss McAllister, Miss Armstrong, Miss Berryhill, Miss McCaw, Miss Gahan, Miss Vanstone, Mr. Bathgate, Mrs. Coates, Miss Campbell, Miss Frayme, Miss Thomas, Miss McIntosh, Miss Pollock, Mr. F. Cavers, Mr. C. Voigt, Miss G. Gowler, Mr. R. Bend, Miss O. Bend, Mr. Parsons, Miss H. Garland, Miss G. Wheatley, Miss M. Wilton, Mr. E. Calverley, Miss M. Powell, Miss E. McKinstry, Miss L. Grogan, Miss I. McKay, Miss K. Shorthose, Miss G. Freedy, Miss G. Thompson, Miss M. Bruce, Mr. J. Bock, Mr. Denstead, Mr. Stasiuk, Mr. McDonald, Mr. R. Thiessen, Miss Zellers, Miss Friesen, Mr. M. Boychuk, Miss P. Caldwell, Miss S. Larcombe, Miss Elaschuk, Miss V. Sinclair, Mr. Z. Matiation, Miss F. Bosinski, Miss G. Klassen, Miss L. Perret, Mrs. Rintoul, Mr. and Mrs. Buschau, Miss B. Crewson, and Miss G. Borthistle.

Photos & Coordinates

The East Poplar Point School, demolished around 1955 (no date) by A. B. Fallis Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs, GR8461, A0233, C131-1, page 9. The former East Poplar Point School building (August 2014) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Site Coordinates (lat/long): N50.05698, W97.97569 denoted by symbol on the map above

Sources:

Annual Reports of the Manitoba Department of Education, Manitoba Legislative Library.

“New Poplar Point School ‘follows modern thinking,’” Manitoba Leader, 24 February 1955, page 7.

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 Nathan Kramer and George Stewart for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 1 April 2020

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. SEARCH the collection Browse lists of: Museums/Archives | Buildings | Monuments | Cemeteries | Locations | Other Inclusion 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. Search Tips | Suggest an Historic Site | FAQ Help us keep history alive!