Known as the Poplar Grove School District when it was established formally in February 1893, it was renamed Poplar Bluff soon afterward because another school by that name already existed in western Manitoba. A school building was erected on the southwest quarter of 30-11-7 west of the Principal Meridian in the Rural Municipality of Portage la Prairie. It was enlarged in 1920. The school closed permanently in 1967 and the remaining students were bused to schools in Portage la Prairie. For a short while, the building was used as a community centre but it was later sold and renovated into a private residence.
Noteworthy students who attended Poplar Bluff School include Harry Leader.
Some of the teachers who worked at Poplar Bluff School through the years were Maud Macwhinny, Eda Wilson Gair, Rose Marquette, and Ina Pearson.
Poplar Bluff School (no date) by A. B. Fallis
Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs,
GR8461, A0233, C131-1, page 116.
The former Poplar Bluff School building (circa 1990)
Source: Historic Resources Branch, Public School Buildings Inventory, slide 1070.
The former Poplar Bluff School building, now a private residence (September 2012)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
The former Poplar Bluff School building, now a private residence (October 2024)
Source: Rose Kuzina
The former Poplar Bluff School building, now a private residence (October 2024)
Source: Rose KuzinaSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.94564, W98.42222
denoted by symbol on the map above
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.
Rural Schools of Portage la Prairie School Division #24 by Muriel Wright, 1996.
We thank Rose Kuzina for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 5 April 2025
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