Historic Sites of Manitoba: Floradale School No. 1173 (Municipality of Minitonas-Bowsman)

The Floradale School District was organized formally in November 1911 although it is believed to have been operated informally before this time. It operated a one-room wood frame school building on the southeast corner of SW4-37-26W in what is now the Municipality of Minitonas-Bowsman. The school closed in June 1967. The former school building was demolished but a monument, erected in 1998, commemorates it.

Among the teachers at Floradale School through the years were Charles Spicer (1903-1904), Andrew Marr (1904-1905), Viola Johnson (1905-1906), Maggie Knox (1905-1906), L. Muttart (1905-1906), L. R. Smith (1905-1906), Maggie Fraser (1906-1908), Lily McAulay (1908-1909), H. E. Harris (1909-1911), Annie Carroll (1911-1912), Sadie Baldwin (1912-1913), E. R. Fickleton (1912-1913), Charles Vanderfrant (1912-1913), Gladys Smith (1913-1914), Annie Gordon (1914-1915), Mary McMillan (1914-1915), Laura Thompson (1914-1915), L. E. Montgomery (1915-1916), Minnie Danard (1916-1917), H. Ireland (1916-1917), Susie Cox (1917-1918), Maggie Bogham (1918-1919), E. C. Keating (1918-1919), M. Thorsteinson (1919-1920), Roy Lobb (1920-1921), Beth Petty (1920-1921), K. Collins (1920-1921), Irene Kirkland (1921-1922), A. E. Anderson (1921-1922), S. S. Strachan (1922-1923), Leonard Kreuger (1923-1924), F. H. Cannon (1923-1924), Volda Watson (1924-1926), Sarah Dennison (1926-1927), Alice Hanson (1927-1928), Mrs. Green (1928-1929), Miss Mitchelson (1928-1929), M. E. Foster (1929-1930), H. Cochrane (1930-1931), P. Benson (1931-1932), Helen Jeffrey (1932-1935), Joyce McNevin (1935-1937), Bernice Kerr (1937-1938), Frank Wilson (1938-1942), Vera LeDrew (1942-1943), Margaret Campbell (1942-1943), Ann Locktin (1943-1944), Pauline Kuzmak (1944-1945), Belva Allen (1945-1946), Phyllis Carmichael (1946-1947), Freda McRae (1947-1948), Joe Jeffrey (1947-1948), Thelma Mitchell (1948-1949), E. Wiebe (1948-1949), Mary Finnie (1949-1952), Astrid Solbrekken (1952-1953), Evelyn Kristjanson (1953-1954), Violet Sikora (1954-1955), E. M. Cotton (1955-1956), Marjorie Alford (1956-1958), Frances Filuk (1958-1960), Benny Yakelashek (1960-1963), Ethel Miles (1963-1964), Dorothy Eichler (1964-1965), Sheila Fawcett (1965-1966), and Carol Hockaday (1966-1967).

The first Floradale School building (no date) by J. S. Peach Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs, GR8461, A0233, C131-2, page 71. The former Floradale School building (circa 1986) Source: Historic Resources Branch, Public School Buildings Inventory, slide 688. The former Floradale School building (circa 1986) Source: Historic Resources Branch, Public School Buildings Inventory, slide 690. Floradale School commemorative monument (July 2012) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Site Coordinates (lat/long): N52.14368, -101.12110 denoted by symbol on the map above

Sources:

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.

Boots, Buggies & Buses: Swan Valley Schools in Quest of Education, Swan Valley School Division No. 35, circa 1998.

We thank Florence Adrian for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 3 February 2021

Historic Sites of Manitoba This is a collection of historic sites in Manitoba compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. The information is offered for historical interest only. SEARCH the collection Browse lists of: Museums/Archives | Buildings | Monuments | Cemeteries | Locations | Other Inclusion in this collection does not confer special status or protection. Official heritage designation may only come from municipal, provincial, or federal governments. Some sites are on private property and permission to visit must be secured from the owner. Site information is provided by the Manitoba Historical Society as a free public service only for non-commercial purposes. Send corrections and additions to this page to the MHS Webmaster at webmaster@mhs.mb.ca. Search Tips | Suggest an Historic Site | FAQ Help us keep history alive!