Historic Sites of Manitoba: Eclipse School No. 1177 (RM of Dauphin)

The Eclipse School District was established in February 1902 and a one-room schoolhouse operated at SE6-25-18W in the Rural Municipality of Dauphin. In 1951, the building was replaced with one from the former Bombing and Gunnery School No. 7 at Paulson. In 1965, the district was dissolved and its catchment area became part of the Dauphin Town Consolidated School District and later the Dauphin Ochre School Division. The former schoolhouse was used for “Jerry's Night Spot,” a non-alcoholic social gathering facility (1965-1969), a business called “Jim's Pump Service” (1969-1975), and a bailiff storage building (1975-1993. In 1993, it was repurposed as “J&T Repair Centre” which was then changed in 1999 to an oil recycling facility.

Among the teachers of Eclipse School were Ethel Fines (1938), Mrs. Christina Shewfelt (1954-1955), Miss Hazel Bassett (1955-1957), Mrs. Nellie Shewchuk (1957-1958), Mrs. Irene Kokolski (1958-1959), Mrs. Christina Shewfelt (1959-1965), and Mrs. Beatrice Finnen (1965-1966).

Eclipse School (no date) by R. M. Stevenson Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs, GR8461, A0233, C131-2, page 72. The former Eclipse School building (circa 1990) Source: Historic Resources Branch, Public School Buildings Inventory, slide 287. The former Eclipse School building (May 2014) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Site Coordinates (lat/long): N51.13977, W99.99205 denoted by symbol on the map above

Sources:

“The local round,” Dauphin Herald, 20 October 1938, page 9.

“Teaching staffs named for “A” and “B” groups,” Dauphin Herald and Press, 9 September 1954, page 1.

“Record-breaking enrollments expected here in collegiate, elementary schools,” Dauphin Herald and Press, 1 September 1955, page 1.

“All-time high enrollments expected for town schools,” Dauphin Herald and Press, 30 August 1956, page 1.

“Town schools open today, high enrollments expected,” Dauphin Herald and Press, 29 August 1957, page 1.

“Total of 110 teachers assigned to schools in Dauphin-Ochre area,” Dauphin Herald and Press, 4 September 1958, page 1.

“Teaching staffs assigned to rural, village schools,” Dauphin Herald and Press, 3 September 1959, page 1.

“26 rural schools start fall term classes Tuesday,” Dauphin Herald and Press, 31 August 1960, page 4.

“Teaching staff for area schools increases to 132 for opening 1963-64 term,” Dauphin Herald and Press, 21 August 1963, page 1.

“All area schools open classes next Tuesday, 131 on teaching staffs,” Dauphin Herald and Press, 26 August 1964, page 1.

“All schools in area open classes Sept. 1 – 133 on teaching staffs,” Dauphin Herald and Press, 25 August 1965, page 1, 8.

Ochre River West topographic map, 62O/4 West, Edition 1, Series A743 [Archives of Manitoba].

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.

We thank Yvonne Lozinski for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Alan Mason.

Page revised: 4 December 2019

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