Historic Sites of Manitoba: Bjarmi School No. 1461 (Municipality of Bifrost-Riverton)

The Bjarmi School District was established in May 1908 and a one-room schoolhouse operated at NW2-23-2E in the Rural Municipality of Bifrost. In January 1966, the school closed. The district was dissolved and its catchment area became part of the Arborg Consolidated School District and later the Evergreen School Division. The former school building stood vacant at the site until 1987 when it was moved to the Michael Reznik homestead.

Among the teachers of Bjarmi School were Anna Johnson (1911), Gudbjorg Jakobson (1911), Jon Runolfson (1912), Hildur Arnason (1912-1913), Stefania Johnson (1913-1914), Ella Einarson (1914), Magnea Einarson (1915), William Jerowsky (1928), Russel H. Hayter, Mary Shewchuk (1940-1947), Mike Semenchuk (1946-1947), Sister M. Clara (1947-1949, 1952-1954), Sister Caroline (1949-1950), Sister M. Hiltrude (1950-1952), Sister M. Alfred (1954-1955), Ellen Borgfjord (1955), Daisy Vigfusson (1956), Bohden Balla (1956-1960), Carol Bardarson (1960-1962), P. Mujko (1962-1965), Selia Johnson, Mr. Cypusah, Bernard Giesbrecht, Florence Lisowick, Andrew Palamarchuk, Mrs. King, Mrs. Buchanan, Mrs. Trust, Stephen Duncan, Mr. Baker, Edward Borgfjord, Tony Maksymyk, Peter Mandzuik, Mary Suister, and Peter Mayden.

Bjarmi School (no date) by H. D. Cumming Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs, GR8461, A0233, C131-2, page 121. Former Bjarmi School site (October 2015) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Site Coordinates (lat/long): N50.96390, W97.21546< denoted by symbol on the map above

Sources:

Arborg topographic map, 62I/14, Edition 1, Series A743 [Archives of Manitoba].

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.

A Century Unfolds: History of Arborg and District, 1889-1987, researched and compimled by the Arborg Historical Society, 1987. [Legislative Library of Manitoba, F5649.A73 Cen]

A Study of Public School Buildings in Manitoba by David Butterfield, Historic Resources Branch, Manitoba Department of Culture, Heritage and Tourism, 1994, 230 pages.

We thank Nathan Kramer for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 2 April 2021

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