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Schools
The first organized school in Douglas County was located eight miles north and one mile east of Hartline and was known as the McConnel Cabin School. It was a log hut with a dirt floor, a half window, and no desks. There were 19 pupils in this school which was in session for only part of the year. 33 Not all of the children of school age attended; some were kept home to work, since the family's sustenance depended largely on what could be accomplished on the farm. Impassable roads and heating problems, coupled with inclement weather forced school to close during part of the winter months. Spring and fall terms were common, and if things went well, students might get in a total of four months of school during the year.
At one time there were 13 school districts in the area that constitutes Coulee School District 150-204J today. 34 The original district was Coulee City School District No. 4, which served the town of Coulee City and nearby vicinity.
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33 Wenatchee Daily World, August 14, 1966, p. 5.
34 Grant County Superintendent of Schools Records, 1909-1930. Grant County Court House, Ephrata, Washington.
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Fig. 15.--Senior Citizens
Alf Twining, a brother of Tom, was born at Coulee City on march 30, 1893. He served as Coulee City Postmaster from 1935 to 1961.
Tom Twining was born a half mile north of Coulee City on June 19, 1889. Tom has lived his entire life in Coulee City, with the exception of time spent in the Army during World War I and while he was attending business college. He has been active in community affairs and served at various positions in county and local government. He has been City Clerk since 1921. This picture was taken on tom's 79th birthday.
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Fig. 16--Historic Sites
A scene taken of the old abandoned railroad grade northwest of Coulee City. The grade extended beyond this point, which is approximately six miles from town. A rock cut is barely visible at the left center of the picture. The mound at the right center is part of the old fill for the railroad grade.
This is Philip McEntee's grave, located in a pioneer cemetery north of Coulee City. Note the bunch grass that is native to the area.
This block of business establishments was built in Coulee City after the fire of 1906 that destroyed this part of town.
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Here is an account of the start of Coulee City Schools as told by Miss Kate Roberts, the first teacher:
In regard to school, I was the first teacher hired for the required three months to maintain the district school. It must have begun in October, 1890, for afterward I was hired to teach another three months by subscription, but I was married after teaching one month, and Nellie Robinson finished the other two months. . . . The directors were George Roberts, John R. Lewis, and the third I do not remember. The teacher's salary was forty or fifty dollars a month.From the description written by Miss Roberts, one wonders if the climate for learning was the best in this first classroom. In 1967, the building she is referring to was still
The school house was in the first hotel in Coulee City; a long narrow building of up and down boards across from the depot, right up against the sidewalk, with one ordinary window in front, another on the east side close to the opposite end and one across from that which didn't give much light because of a building just three feet from it on the west.
The first day of school the partitions had not yet been taken down. A group of solemn youngsters, who did not know each other at all, sat on boards placed on nail kegs, and piles of brick, that had been taken from a chimney, with books from various states, including some McGuffey's and Ray's arithmetic--no two alike--a square yard of slated cloth tacked up for a blackboard.
The other partitions were taken down, and in about six weeks the uniform textbooks were obtained, and school desks installed, but by that time most of the first pupils had gone on, either out on homesteads, or on to Bridgeport, Loomis and other places. I had only one pupil left at the end of the term that was there on the first day, but there were more pupils than at first. Coulee City being the railroad terminal, folks would come that far, stay a few days or weeks and then go on.
Coulee was a busy town then and all day long a constant stream of men tramped up and down the walk, and freight trains whistled and chugged so much of the time and the noise was distracting. It being winter, and the days short, most of the afternoon it was almost too dark to see, also, smoke from the trains would cut off what light there was. Johnnie Thomas was the owner of the building. 35
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35 Kate Roberts, "History of Coulee City High School," Camas (Mimeographed, no publisher [Coulee City, Washington], 1940), pp. 35-36.
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standing, after numerous remodeling efforts and various businesses. Since that time the Grand Hotel has been torn down to make room for a trailer park.
It is probable that the third director was either Dan Paul, Philip McEntee, Dan Twining, or Tom Parry, for some of these men were serving, according to the first official records. Most of these men were of Welsh decent. They had a common school education in their native land, according to their biographies, which are recorded in the History of the Big Bend in 1904. They realized the importance of education and worked to develop a school system in the community.
By 1894, a two-story wooden schoolhouse had been constructed where the present grade school is located. The first official records began in 1895-1896. During this year 47 students attended school in Coulee City. Agnes Geaney, the teacher, taught grades one through five. The age range of her students was from 4 to 18 years and they were distributed as follows: grade one, 12 students; grade two, 5 students; grade three, 3 students; grade four, 14 students; and grade five, 10 students. There were 24 boys and 23 girls in school. The school board in 1895 included Dan Twining, Dan Paul, and Philip McEntee. 36
The school population had grown to 34 students by the 1898 school term and included students working in grades one through nine under Mr. E. M. Bogart, the teacher. The August 31, 1900 issue of the Coulee City News lists a notice: "The 8th
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36 Coulee City School District 150-204J Records, 1895-1930. Administration Office, Coulee City, Washington.
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grade examination will be held in Waterville, September 3 and 4 to give students a chance to gain admission to high school." 37
By 1906, the number of students attending school had increased to 141 students in grades one through eight, with three teachers. The class load fluctuated from a low of eight in grade seven to a high of 42 students in the first grade. It is apparent that each teacher was responsible for over 40 students in her classroom, with at least three different grade levels. 38
With the separation of Grant County from Douglas County in 1908, the Coulee City School was under the supervision of C. E. Smith, the first Grant County Superintendent of Schools. In the same year, the first eighth grade graduating class held its exercises in the Presbyterian Church on an evening late in May. There were six girls in this first class: Lulu Loftin, Lulu Nichols, Lucy Stapelton, Beatrice Claytin, Hassie Jefferies, and Alzina Box. Miss Lena Wadsworth, the teacher, was responsible for the graduation exercises and had instilled a desire in her students to further their education. 39
In the fall of 1908, the first high school in Coulee City opened with five of the above-mentioned students enrolled in grade nine. Three students from the country enrolled in the tenth grade. The course of study consisted of Algebra I,
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37 Coulee City News, August 31, 1900, p. 2
38 School District 150-204J Records.
39 Alzina Box, "History of Coulee City High School," Camas (Mimeographed, no publisher [Coulee City, Washington], 1940), pp. 36-37.
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English I, Latin I, and Physical Geography. Two teachers taught these classes, in addition to teaching in the upper grades. The work was thorough and only three of the five students in grade nine finished the year. 40
In 1909, high school enrollment increased when 17 students successfully completed the eight grade examinations. The next year more students entered from the eighth grade, and Latin II, English II, botany, and Plane Geometry were added to the curriculum. Basketball was introduced as an extracurricular activity and the school also had a track team. The boys played a competitive game schedule with Hartline and Wilson Creek. The team and cheering section traveled to the games in horse-drawn three-seated hacks, often taking a day to drive each way. The exhausting trip in no way hampered the spirit of the team or fans. By 1910, Coulee City had one senior in high school, but because the school was unaccredited, that student, Adella Bogart, entered Davenport High School to complete her education. 41
A request was made to the County Superintendent in April of 1909 for information regarding the bonding procedure to build a new school building. It was evident by this time that the two rooms in the old grade school were not adequate for the number of pupils enrolled in the high school. Construction of a new high school was completed in 1914. 42
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40 Ibid., p. 36.
41 Ibid., p. 37
42 Grant County Superintendent of Schools Records.
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One of the highlights of the 1910-1911 school year was the declamatory contest held in the Presbyterian Church on April 22, 1911. There were 17 entries. Irwin Jones, who is a retired funeral director living in Wenatchee, won with his presentation of "The Black Horse and His Rider." 43
In 1911, Mr. Denny C. Noonan was hired as Superintendent of Schools and Miss Margaret Floyd as Principal. They persuaded Alzina Box, the lone senior, to remain in school and set up a course of study for her. At the end of the school term, Mr. Noonan prevailed upon the state high school inspectors to examine Miss Box's work. Because her work was satisfactory, she was given credentials to enter Cheney Normal. Miss Box delivered the first commencement address, "The Dawn of a New Era," and was graduated May 24, 1912, at Immanuel Presbyterian Church. 44 The following year the high school was moved to the Lange house across the street from the grade school. There were two rooms downstairs for recitations and the upstairs was used for a study hall.
The first special levy for 20 mills was passed August, 1913, by a vote of 59 to 7. Part of the proceeds of this levy was to pay for the construction and equipping of a new school building, which was completed on November 30, 1914. The valuation of the school district at this time was listed as $352,190. A request for a four-year secondary school accreditation was
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43 Box, p. 37.
44 Ibid.
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made on June 18, 1914, but was denied because there was not time for the inspection by Mr. Edwin Twitmeyer, State High School Inspector. 45
In 1914, the school board members were Mrs. I. M. Gilly, j. T. Cull, and C. W. Gilbert. The high school faculty was: Lyle Cubbage, Principal, l. M. Winsenburg, agriculture; Inez Cook, Latin and German; Leila M. Smith, music. It is interesting to note that all of the graduates of 1915 went on to institutions of higher learning. 46
The 1916-17 school year opened with the largest attendance and brightest prospects in the history of the school. There were 140 students enrolled in grades one through eight and 40 in the high school. 47 The high school was accredited in 1916. A graduating class of five students had their commencement exercises may 20, 1917. 48
After examining the enrollment statistics for those early days, it is interesting to note that the boy-girl ration remained equal in the first eight grades, but in high school, the girls out-numbered the boys two-to-one. One may conclude that after the boys completed the eighth grade, many dropped out of school to work. School enrollment also reflects the growth of the community. By 1925, only 44 pupils were enrolled in the
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45 Grant County Superintendent of Schools Records.
46 Coulee City Dispatch, May 26, 1916, p. 4. Also, June 9, 1916, p. 6.
47 Ibid., September 15, 1916, p. 6.
48 Ibid., May 17, 1917, p. 1.
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high school, with half of those enrolled coming from the country, as there was a consolidation of Prairie View School District No. 52 and Grand Valley School District No. 70 with Coulee City in 1919. 49 Appendix F lists the graduates of Coulee City High School for the years 1912 through 1925.
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49 Grant County Superintendent of Schools Records.
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(pages 99 and 100 are fig. 15, above)
(pages 101 and 102 are fig. 16, above)
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