Historic Sites of Manitoba: Freefield School No. 1729 (RM of Riding Mountain West)

The Freefield School District was established formally in February 1914. A few months later, a wood frame school building was erected across the road from the present site of a commemorative monument. It was replaced in 1923 by another building at this site, on the southeast quarter of 2-23-27 west of the Principal Meridian in what is now the Rural Municipality of Riding Mountain West. The school closed in June 1968 and thereafter its remaining students were transported by bus to Inglis Consolidated School No. 2458. The former school building was moved to N50.97697, W101.25908 where it is used as a private residence. Also at the same site is the former Boulton School building.

Among the teachers of Freefield School were Freda Mack (1914), Mr. Bullis (1925), Miss Smiley, Miss Moffat, L. Pogue, B. Bradley, Eva McIntyre, Elizabeth Busch, Sophie Russin, Mrs. Julia Busch (late 1940s), Trudy Shultz, Vickie Shkwarok, Ian Hamburg, H. Bugera, Herman Wagner, Jennie Len, and Arnold McLeod.

The second Freefield School

The second Freefield School (no date) by H. L. Albright
Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs,
GR8461, A0233, C131-3, page 24.

Freefield School

Freefield School (no date)
Source: Franz Kracher, Freefield Organics

The former Freefield School building, now used as a private residence at N50.97697, W101.25908

The former Freefield School building, now used as a private residence at N50.97697, W101.25908 (August 2013)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough

Freefield School commemorative monument

Freefield School commemorative monument (June 2012)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough

Site Coordinates (lat/long): N50.94849, W101.14124
denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Boulton School No. 569 (RM of Riding Mountain West)

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.

R.M. of Boulton: Once Upon a Century, 1884-1984 by R.M. of Boulton, 1986, pages 35-36.

The School District of Pozir #2206 by the Pozir School and District Reunion Committee, April 1998, page 13.

We thank Franz Kracher at Freefield Organics for providing additional information used here, and for his kind hospitality during a visit to the site in 2013.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 3 June 2023

Historic Sites of Manitoba

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