Today history is being made and we are all a part of it! During this pandemic of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), schools are closed across the country, including the state of Wisconsin and our local Polk County school districts. We are starting this blog to provide another place for online learning to occur for students and their families. Each blog will share a story about Polk County history with an artifact, document, or photo from our museum. We will also provide additional resources to continue your learning. We hope you enjoy the journey into Polk County’s past!
Picnic last day of school (June 1, 1900) - Cedar Lake School - District No. 6 - Alden Township, Polk County, WI - Miss Helen Nelson, Teacher
Rural Schools - Settlers arrived in Polk County in the late 1800’s and began building little rural (country) schools. Most were little one-room schools with students ranging in age from 7 to 14 years of age. Schools could have between 30 - 50 students. There was only one teacher in the school who taught all these students. Often the rural school was like a large family. The older students helped the younger ones and they all worked together.
The teacher had a busy job. She was the teacher, principal, janitor and community expert on education. She carried wood and made fires in the school to keep it warm. The teacher washed the blackboards, swept the floor, made lesson plans, made out report cards and planned school programs. The school had very little equipment to use for teaching. Teachers used blackboards, a few maps, a globe and very few textbooks. Most early schools did not have bathrooms! Outdoor toilets were in separate small buildings. The first bathroom (privy) at Ceder Lake School was 5 x 10 x 7 foot and cost $24.80 to build.
How did the students get to school? There was no buses or cars in the early days. Students walked to school in any kind of weather. The walk to school was a long one, over roads thick with dust or mud and deep with snow in the winter. Sometimes there was no roads at all and students followed simple trails to school. Many students had to walk several miles to reach school each day. There was no lunch served at school. Each student had to bring their own lunches, usually in a bucket or pail. During the winter, the lunches were often frozen by the time the students arrived at school.
Cedar Lake School (Students pictured above) - The Ceder Lake School began in 1877. The first school was built for a total of $729.63. On September 1, 1890, it was decided that all children in the district between the ages of 7 and 14 attend school at least 80 days (50 days in the winter and 30 days in the summer). Miss Helen Nelson was the Cedar Lake teacher from 1898-1900. Most teachers in rural schools were women. In 1921, the average teacher was a country girl of about 19 years of age with three years training beyond eighth grade. There were only seven men that taught at Cedar Lake School in its 106 years and none taught after 1903. School bus transportation was first started in 1915. It was only for students who were over two to two and a half miles from the school. Also in 1915, the porch on the schoolhouse was enclosed and indoor bathrooms were installed. In 1960, Cedar Lake became part of the Osceola School district and seventh and eighth graders began attending school in Osceola. In 1967, the third through sixth graders went to Osceola. The Cedar Lake School continued with grades one and two until the 1982-1983 school year when the Cedar Lake School closed and all students began attending schools in Osceola.
Learn More:
Lesson Plans for the One-Room School (National Park Service)
One-Room Schools of the Past (YouTube) This video is about country schools. It is geared to a 4th grade audience.