Historic Sites of Manitoba: York Factory School No. 1642 (Hayes River, Northern Manitoba)

The York Factory School District was established in September 1912 and a located within the walled compound at Hudson’s Bay Company site of York Factory in 92-11-2 East. A wooden structure, reportedly built in 1911, was utilized as a schoolhouse. Classes taught were no higher than the fourth grade; with available surviving school records only detailing those taught between 1920 and 1941. The school district was formally dissolved in April 1950, though the school was reinstated by the spring of 1951 as a Special Rvenue School under the Department of Education. Classes taught were limited to elementary grades. In 1953, land in the immediate vicinity were acquired for purposes of an active school. This property was eventually transfered to the Lands Branch in 1973.

Among the teachers of York Factory School were Elias W. Gardue (1920-1921, 1926-1927), John Frederic Lazenby (1921), Richard Faries (1922-1923), Herbert Cannon (1923-1925), Albert Jervois Dewdney (1925-1926), George Basham (1928-1929), Francis James Craig Luke (1930-1931), John E. Chesterfield (1931), John Rouse (1932), Edith Mabel Alston (1932-1933), Leonard S. Fraser (1934), Frank Edmund Goldring (1935-1938), Albert Gordon Chunn (1938-1940), William Hladun (1940-1941), ? (1941-1950), Donald Bruce Sealey (1951), Walter Matushynee (1951-1952), Isaac Albert “Bert” Brown (1952-1954, 1956-1957), Erdman Neufeld (1954-1955), Edith Monelle Lamb (1955), David D. Friesen (1955), Peter F. Harder (1956).

View of York Factory School (centre) from the roof of the Depot Building, next to the former district manager’s residence (left) (1931) by A. Harkes Source: Hudson’s Bay Company Archives, 1987/363-Y-100/1-104, photo 52. Aerial view of the York Factory Depot Building and other outbuildings (c1930) by Royal Canadian Air Force photographer Source: Hudson’s Bay Company Archives, 1987/363-Y-100/1-104, photo 49A. Site Coordinates (lat/long): N57.00314, W92.30501 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: York Factory Depot Building (Hayes River, Northern Manitoba)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: York Factory Powder House (Hayes River, Northern Manitoba)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: York Factory Cemetery (Hayes River, Northern Manitoba)

Sources:

School division half-yearly attendance reports (E 0757), Archives of Manitoba.

School division and school district formation files (E 0027), York Factory School District No. 1642, GR1688, Archives of Manitoba.

Building Division location files and general land records, York Factory, Hudson’s Bay Company Archives.

This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer.

Page revised: 17 December 2019

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