Historic Sites of Manitoba: Belcourt School No. 1694 (RM of St. Francois Xavier)

On 12 June 1888, the Rural Municipality of Belcourt passed a bylaw forming the Baie St. Paul West School District. A one-room Protestant school named Baie St. Paul No. 534 was built on part of River Lot 137 in the Parish of Baie St. Paul. On 5 August 1913 the district was divided and the part north of the Assiniboine River became Belcourt School District No. 1694, keeping the original school building, while the portion south of the river remained the Baie St. Paul West School District No. 534. The school closed in 1965. The building and grounds were purchased by the community from the Portage la Prairie School Division. The building served the social needs of the community until 1986 when it was replaced by a new structure. A commemorative monument was installed during the summer of 1995.

The teachers who worked at Belcourt School were Bertha Totten, Margaret E. Wood, Martha D. Crowe, Hazel J. Miner, E. M. Code, E. M. Lovell, Nora Zotyna, Edith M. Reid, E. Ledger, Violet I. Bruce, M. Finlay, Charles Ursel, Lionel Clench, Sybil Caithness, Pat Milbrandt, Robert McElroy, Marge Knight, Bertha Hilding, Evelyn McKinstry, Jessie Hay, Lara Christianson, Helen McGowan, Edna Klein, Mr. Boyd, Evelyn Marlow, T. Sveinbjornson, Alice Sydor, A. Dirks, Doris Horosko, Florence Hogue, Florence Wicklow, Ilona McLean, Jan Augustin, Carol Everett, and Violet England.

A commemorative monument at the former school sites was unveiled in summer 1995.

Belcourt School (no date) by E. D. Parker Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs, GR8461, A0233, C131-3, page 18. Belcourt School commemorative monument (2010) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Site Coordinates (lat/long): N50.048294, W97.864480 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Baie St. Paul West School No. 534 (RM of Cartier)

Sources:

Manitoba Heritage Council Commemorative Plaques and Manitoba Community Commemorative Plaques, Fiscal Year 1994-1995, Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Citizenship, page 25.

Rural Schools of Portage la Prairie School Division #24 by Muriel Wright, 1996.

We thank Shirley Christianson and Nathan Kramer for providing information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 26 March 2021

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