Historic Sites of Manitoba: Kyle School / Ross Consolidated School No. 1782 / Two Creeks School (Two Creeks, RM of Wallace-Woodworth)

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

Commonly identified as Two Creeks School due to its proximity to the Canadian Pacific Railway siding of Two Creeks, this school building in what is now the Rural Municipality of Wallace-Woodworth sat atop a small hill that gave it a commanding view of the landscape in all directions. The two-storey, two-classroom brick building was initially known as Kyle School No. 1782 when it was built in early 1915 using yellow bricks made at Virden. Soon after, it was renamed Ross Consolidated School when consolidated with Ross School No. 504 (which had operated since 1887 at SE33-12-26W).

As of September 1959, high school students were bused to Virden. The school closed in August 1966 and all remaining students went to the Virden Consolidated School District No. 144. The next year, the building was purchased from the Virden School Board by the Wallace municipal council, with plans of using it as a community centre. For a few years, the building was the site of public meetings, dances, bazaars, picnics, and concerts. The school bell, estimated to weigh between 250 and 300 pounds, and mounted in a tower on top of the building, was stolen in the autumn of 1977. Eventually the building was sold into private ownership.

The building remained a conspicuous local landmark until it was destroyed by arson fire on 24 September 2017.

Principals

Period

Principal

1938-1940

Percival Henry “Percy” Ford (1911-1971)

1940-1941

Gudmundur August Eyjolfson (1912-1994)

1941-1942

Mr. K. Calverley

1942-1943

Guy Chauviere (1907-1992)

1943-1953

?

1953-1954

Mrs. Marie Doole

1954-1955

Mr. L. Draper

1955-1957

?

1957-1959

Josephine Kathleen “Jo” Stonehouse (1929-2010)

Teachers

School Year

Teachers

1916-1917

Jessie Minors, Montague Shore

1917-1918

Edith Cusack, Alice Gerrand

1918-1919

Edith Cusack, Alice Gerrand

1919-1920

Miss Brown, Miss Burris, Maud King

1920-1921

Miss Ada Pauline Herkes, Maud King

1921-1922

Nora Lind, Mr. Slawson

1922-1923

Miss Bridgett, Miss Craig

1923-1924

Miss Bridgett, Miss Craig

1924-1925

Miss Bissett, John Alfred Hammond

1925-1926

Miss Bissett, John Alfred Hammond

1926-1927

Miss Shuttleworth, Mr. E. Heys

1927-1928

?

1928-1929

Eva Clements, Charles Rind

1929-1930

Eva Clements, Charles Rind

1930-1931

?

1931-1932

Miss Burns, Jean Talhurst

1932-1933

Miss Ruby Finkbeiner, Mr. Ramsay

1933-1934

Miss Ruby Finkbeiner

1934-1935

Miss Ruby Finkbeiner, Nellie Henrietta “Nell” Koester (wife of Donald Hood Slimmon)

1935-1936

Miss Gertrude Carefoot, Nellie Henrietta “Nell” Koester (wife of Donald Hood Slimmon)

1936-1937

Nellie Henrietta “Nell” Koester (wife of Donald Hood Slimmon)

1937-1938

Miss Skeleton

1938-1939

Miss Skeleton

1939-1940

Miss Rust

1940-1941

Miss M. Taylor

1941-1942

Miss A. Wilman

1942-1943

Florence Kyle, Jessie McDonald

1943-1944

Marjorie McInnis, Mr. Dyck

1944-1945

Miss A. Baptiste, Mr. L. Draper

1945-1946

Miss Coulthard, Mr. L. Draper

1946-1947

Audrey Gallenger, Eva Webster

1947-1948

Isabella M. Dryden, Mr. McKie

1948-1949

Hazel Dale, Miss Marie Nivon

1949-1950

Sophia Knowalchuk, Miss Smith, Mr. Thompson

1950-1951

Mr. Kolopenuk, Mrs. Wes Robinson

1951-1952

Miss Ada Dawson, Jo Pituley

1952-1953

Mr. D. McBean, Mr. Millier

1953-1954

Miss M. H. Johnston

1954-1955

Miss M. H. Johnston

1955-1956

Miss Picyk, Stanley Sokalski

1956-1957

Miss Picyk, Mr. Loewen

1957-1958

Diana Phelan

1958-1959

Diana Rae

1959-1960

?

1960-1961

Barbara Lindholm

1961-1962

Barbara Lindholm

1962-1963

Mrs. S. Rudneski

1963-1964

Mrs. S. Rudneski

1964-1965

Miss Larsen

1965-1966

Mrs. Bickford

Photos & Coordinates

Ross Consolidated School

Ross Consolidated School (no date) by W. R. Beveridge
Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs,
GR8461, A0233, C131-3, page 34.

The former Ross Consolidated School building

The former Ross Consolidated School building (April 1990)
Source: Ed Arndt

The former Ross Consolidated School building

The former Ross Consolidated School building (May 2013)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough

The former Ross School building, as seen from Highway 83

The former Ross School building, as seen from Highway 83 (May 2013)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough

The former Ross Consolidated School building

The former Ross Consolidated School building (July 2015)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough

The former Ross Consolidated School building

The former Ross Consolidated School building (July 2015)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough

Remains of the former Ross School building

Remains of the former Ross School building (September 2017)
Source: Holly Thorne

Remains of the former Ross School building

Remains of the former Ross School building (August 2018)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough

Site Coordinates (lat/long): N50.03259, W101.03125
denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Two Creeks School No. 339 / West Two Creeks School (Municipality of Prairie View)

Sources:

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

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.

Prairie Neighbours 1881-1981 by the Four Corners History Club. Brandon: Leech Printing, 1982.

A Study of Public School Buildings in Manitoba by David Butterfield, Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Department of Culture, Heritage and Tourism, 1994, 230 pages.

“More free dials for phone users,” Brandon Sun, 5 April 1967, page 3.

We thank Ed Arndt, Nathan Kramer, Harley Shepherd, Amanda Blanchette, and Holly Thorne for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 26 September 2022

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