Historic Sites of Manitoba: Gourlay School No. 695 (RM of Elton)

Gourlay School District was formally established in February 1892, and a building was erected on this site in the northwest quarter of 22-12-18 west of the Principal Meridian, in the Rural Municipality of Elton. It closed in August 1951 and remaining students went to Glanton School No. 481, Moore Park School No. 1008, or Justice Consolidated School No. 696. A monument was erected in front of the former school building in October 2001, in commemoration of former pupils, teachers, and pioneers of the district. The schoolhouse has since been removed from the site.

Among the teachers of Gourlay School were Ella Buchaan (1914-1916), Marie McGregor (1917-1918), Treva Seddon (1918-1919), Pearl Sharpin (1920-1921), Ethel Cluff (1921-1924), Opal Smith (1924-1925), Marjorie Truss (1925-1926), Runa Bjarnison (1926-1929), Winnifred Anderson (1929-1932), Vera Delgatty (1932-1936), Viola Bishop (1936-1937), Matilda Vinters (1937-1938), Ruby Cranswick (1938-1940), Hildur Peterson (1940-1942), Lorraine Hargraves (1942-1943), Thelma Ardron (1943-1944), Rose Munn (1944-1946), Roberts Champman (1946-1947), Margaret McConnel (1947-1948), and Rhoda Blair (1948-1952).

Gourlay School (no date) Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs, GR8461, A0233, C131-1, page 117. The former Gourlay School (January 1977) by Lawrence Stuckey Source: Stuckey Collection, S. J. McKee Archives, Brandon University, 1-2002.3.3.BNE[324a] The former Gourlay School (June 2011) Source: Gordon Goldsborough Gourlay School commemorative monument (April 2020) Source: Kathryn Hyndman Site Coordinates (lat/long): N50.03395, W99.86606 denoted by symbol on the map above

Sources:

Homesteaders and Homemakers: A History of Elton Municipality in its First Century by Elton Historical Committee, 1973. [Manitoba Legislative Library, F5648.E48 Hom]

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 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 David Ford and Kathryn Hyndman for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 21 April 2020

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