The Gobeil Special School operated under the supervision of a Trustee appointed by the Manitoba Department of Education, due to its small enrollment and consequent need for a subsidy. A one-room schoolhouse was constructed by members of the Gobeil family. It served a small remote area in southeastern Manitoba, now in the Rural Municipality of Piney. In September 1964, the school closed and the students were bused to South Junction School. In 1967, its catchment area became part of the Sprague Consolidated School District.
Among the teachers of Gobeil School were Mr. J. Roy, Mr. Joyal (1955), Mrs. Morin (1955), Henri C. Gregoire (1955-1956), Miss Marguerite Royal (1956-1959), Mrs. Thérése Nelson (1959-1964), and Mrs. Marie Fostey (1965).
Gobeil School (no date)
Source: Sprague and District Historical Museum
Drilling a well at Gobeil School (1964)
Source: Mark Nelson
Students at Gobeil School (October 1958)
Source: Toronto Weekly Star, 25 October 1958
Students at Gobeil School (1959)
Source: Mark Nelson
The students in this photo at Gobeil School were all siblings or first cousins with the surname Gobeil (June 1958)
Source: Winnipeg Tribune, 28 June 1958.
Students at Gobeil School (1964)
Source: Mark NelsonSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.08902, W95.72785
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
MHS Archives: Gobeil School Records (9.5 MB), PDF format
“Names the same,” Winnipeg Tribune, 28 June 1958.
We thank Doris Hovorka (Sprague and District Historical Museum), Terry Sturk, Mark Nelson, Wayne Nelson, and Roger Nelson for providing information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 24 August 2020
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