Historic Sites of Manitoba: Bonnie Doon School No. 760 (RM of Woodlands)

Bonnie Doon School District was formally established in June 1893 and a school building was erected on the southwest quarter of 4-15-3 west of the Principal Meridian, in the Rural Municipality of Woodlands, in 1894. Three years later, a prairie fire swept through the area, narrowly missing the school but driving many settlers from the area. Due to recurring problems of low student enrollment, the school was moved to SE27-14-3W in 1919. It closed in 1956 and its remaining students were bussed to Woodlands Consolidated School No. 25. The district was dissolved in 1962.

Among the teachers of Bonnie Doon School were J. K. Wedge (1893), W. G. Speke (1894), Miss E. Wage (1895), Ethel Calder (1896), Murdock McPherson (1897), Christina Ross (1898-1900), Olive Thomas (1901), Mary C. Halls (1902-1904), Annie Waldie (1905), Mabel Prowlt (1906), Christina McConnister (1907-1913), Cora Rennie (1914), Ellen Stewart (1915-1916), Doris Hopper (1920), Jean Law (1921-1922), Eleanor Fisher (1923), Sarah McGregor (1924), Edna Ball (1925), Gladys Gray (1926-1927), Elizabeth Morgan (1928), Cathleen Henderson (1929), Madeline Bretz, Mr. Bailey (1930), St. George Jeffery (1931-1933), Charlie Lorimer (1934), Stanley Kitchen (1935-1939), Fred Downing (1939-1940), Irene Juettner (1940-1941), Ruth Griffin (1941-1942), Chris Hunter (1942-1943), Jean Irwin (1943-1944), Betty Poether (1944), Mrs. A. Lloyd (1944), Betty Poether (1945), Nettie Wiebe (1946), Angela Culligan (1946), P. R. Galan (1947), John Wright (1949-1950), R. Hladun (1949-1950), Mary Brown (1951), Ray Linklater (1951), Ted Simonson (1951), and Enid M. Hvanndal (1957).

Bonnie Doon School (no date) by M. Hall-Jones Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs, GR8461, A0233, C131-1, page 121. Bonnie Doon School commemorative monument (November 2011) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Site Coordinates (lat/long): N50.21170, W97.78143 denoted by symbol on the map above

Sources:

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.

Along the Mission Trail - Lake Francis, Bonnie Doon, Graysfield, Glennie by Lake Francis History Book Committee, 1988, pages 53-62.

We thank Blair Myskiw, Blaine Myskiw, Nathan Kramer, and Frances Holm for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 18 May 2019

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