Curtis School District was formed in 1902. At the time, the western part of the district was heavily wooded with few permanent settlers so the school was built east of the centre of the district, on the southeast corner of 19-11-5 west of the Principal Meridian, in the Rural Municipality of Portage la Prairie. As the local population increased, and especially in the west, the school trustees decided to build another school but not to divide the district. As a result, the existing school became known as East Curtis while a new school, at SW24-11-6W, became West Curtis School.
Over time, West Curtis School became overcrowded. For a time, students were transported to East Curtis School. In 1960, a second classroom was added to the West School, along with a teacherage for two teachers. The school closed in June 1969. The building was acquired from the school board by the local residents and used for a time as a community hall.
Curtis School (no date) by A. B. Fallis
Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs,
GR8461, A0233, C131-2, page 74.
The former West Curtis School building (circa 1990)
Source: Historic Resources Branch, Public School Buildings Inventory, slide 1068.
The former West Curtis School building and commemorative monument (September 2010)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
The former West Curtis School building (July 2019)
Source: Rose Kuzina
Interior of the former West Curtis School building (July 2019)
Source: Rose Kuzina
Interior of the former West Curtis School building (July 2019)
Source: Rose KuzinaSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.93153, W98.17021
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: East Curtis School No. 1187 (RM of Portage la Prairie)
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.
Rural Schools of Portage la Prairie School Division #24 by Muriel Wright, 1996.
A Study of Public School Buildings in Manitoba by David Butterfield, Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Department of Culture, Heritage and Tourism, 1994, 230 pages.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Rose Kuzina.
Page revised: 1 September 2019
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