The Kjarna School District was organized formally in April 1897, in the Rural Municipality of Gimli, and for the first ten years, classes were held in a log building north of Willow Creek. The district was divided in 1900 with the northern portion becoming the Minerva School District. The following year, a schoolhouse was built on the Husavik farmstead. It was used until 1918 when a new building was constructed at NW16-18-4E.
Two additional classrooms were added, in 1951 and 1957, and the building was modernized and waterworks were installed. Grades 9 and 10 were taught by correspondence for many years, with formal high school classes starting here in 1951. The district was dissolved in 1967 and its catchment area became part of the Evergreen School Division.
Among the teachers of Kjarna School were John Kjernested (1897), Gudmundur Bjorgvin “Arli” Arilius Isfeld (1939), Benjamin Franklin “Frank” Olson (1953-1954), Ethel Thorsteinsson (4 years), and Marguerite Louise “Daisy” Breland.
Kjarna School (no date) by H. D. Cumming
Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs,
GR8461, A0233, C131-1, page 102.Site Coordinates (lat/long): N50.55087, W96.98916
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Minerva School No. 1045 (RM of Gimli)
“The Indian famine fund,” Winnipeg Tribune, 4 March 1897, page 4.
“Wild wings,” Winnipeg Tribune, 18 March 1939, page 11.
School District Formation Files [Kjarna School District No. 647], GR1688, E0027, Archives of Manitoba.
Gimli Saga by the Gimli Women's Institute, 1975, pages 50, 182.
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.
We thank Christine Henry for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 17 April 2025
Historic Sites of Manitoba
This is a collection of historic sites in Manitoba compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. The information is offered for historical interest only.
Browse lists of:
Museums/Archives | Buildings | Monuments | Cemeteries | Locations | OtherInclusion in this collection does not confer special status or protection. Official heritage designation may only come from municipal, provincial, or federal governments. Some sites are on private property and permission to visit must be secured from the owner.
Site information is provided by the Manitoba Historical Society as a free public service only for non-commercial purposes.
Send corrections and additions to this page
to the MHS Webmaster at webmaster@mhs.mb.ca.Help us keep history alive!
