Historic Sites of Manitoba: Laufas School No. 1211 (Municipality of Bifrost-Riverton)

The Laufas School District was established in January 1903 and a one-room schoolhouse, purchased and brought from the village of Howardville, operated at SE2-23-3E in what would later become the Municipality of Bifrost-Riverton. Originally, teachers were boarded at the nearby Gislason farm. Later, a teacherage was built beside the school building as a residence for the teacher.

In 1961, the old school building was sold for $10 and a new one-room wood frame structure replaced it at the same site. During the 1964-1965 school year, the school district cooperated with the one for Island School No. 2105, wherein students in grades 1 to 4 were taught at the Island School building while those in grades 5 to 8 were taught here. The experiment proved unsuccessful and was not repeated in the following year. By 1966, the district was dissolved and its area became part of the Riverton Consolidated School District No. 2443. The former school building was renovated into a private residence.

Among the teachers who worked at Laufas School were Serra Sigvaldson (1903), Bella Smith (1904), Anna Bjarnason, Lilja Guttormson, Pauline Palsson, Anna Marteinsson, Sigga Eyjolfson, Eddie Borgfjord, Svava Wagner, Irene Eyjolfson, Mr. Warkentin, Mr. Wolosky, and Diane Obach (1964-1965).

Laufas School (no date) by H. D. Cumming Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs, GR8461, A0233, C131-2, page 78. The former Laufas School building (May 2015) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Laufas School commemorative sign (May 2015) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Site Coordinates (lat/long): N50.95051, W97.07775 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Island School No. 2105 (Municipality of Bifrost-Riverton)

Sources:

Arborg topographic map, 62I/14, Edition 1, Series A743 [Archives of Manitoba].

A History of Education in the Evergreen School Division by John C. Gottfried, MA thesis, University of Manitoba, 1965.

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.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 26 March 2021

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