ELK POINT – The history of schools in northeast Alberta dates back to the earliest days of settlement, and according to N. B. Sumpton in the Elk Point Historical Society website, “One of the first concerns of these settlers was to establish a school so that their children could obtain an education.”
Schools were built near the new community of Elk Point and in numerous locations across the area, all close enough together that students could ride there on horseback or on foot, a situation that prevailed in many areas until the late 1940s and early 1950s when amalgamation saw school buses replaced the horses and larger schools were built to accommodate students from across wider areas.
Two members of the Elk Point Historical Society who still remember the days of one-room schools, Amy Bullock and Ray Hellquist, have embarked on a project that will ensure that the history of these earlier halls of learning, both in this area and farther afield, is not forgotten.
One of those schools is perched high on a hilltop at Mallaig’s Haying in the 30’s, and Bullock told the Historical Society last week that next year, they will be giving brief presentations about the important role that schools like that played in rural Alberta.
She and Hellquist have researched the early schools across the area and beyond, “and we have five counties pretty much done and plan to do three more counties this coming year. I’m working on where their names come from, and we have a big map with all their locations.”
‘We’ve been collecting community history books and making the schools in them,” Hellquist added. He hopes that the St. Paul Museum may have space for those books in their newly acquired train station, where they could be displayed when the museum is open and stored in the museum itself during winter months, “If we get permission.”
Bullock found, among the many books in the Provincial Archives, a book with the names of every school in the province, and all of the teachers, and said that the Elk Point Municipal Library has donated extra copies of history books to their cause, with Historical Society member Billie Milholland saying she may have more to donate to them.
Community records project
Last week’s meeting also featured updates from Marvin Bjornstad, who has spearheaded a massive Community Records Concept, and local groups and organizations are being approached regarding digitizing and storing of their archives. He has prepared accession records and processing checklists to smooth the process. Members were asked to think of other groups that can be contacted to determine their interest. These include groups that no longer exist, but would like their archives saved for posterity. Two organizations’ records have now been completed and entered into the database.
Space has been obtained at Northern Lights Library System for temporary storage of the material, which has also been digitized and digital copies given to representatives of those groups for their use. Each organization will get a digital version of their records and can update them periodically
Bjornstad also reported that next September the Elk Point Historical Society will mark 50 years since its creation on Sept. 4, 1975, and asked everyone to think of ways to mark this special anniversary.