Historic Sites of Manitoba: Russell School No. 273 (Russell, Municipality of Russell-Binscarth)

Link to:
Principals | Vice-Principals | Teachers | Photos & Coordinates | Sources

In 1882, the Russell School District was formally established in what would later become the town of Russell. The ground floor of the Town Hall was used for classes until a new school building was constructed in 1884, at a cost of $892, opening in early 1885. An addition was made to it in the fall of 1894 but the limitations of the building became increasingly evident so, in the fall of 1897, a two-storey building was constructed on the present site of the Russell post office, and the old school was renovated into residences. A two-storey addition to this building was made in the fall of 1899. A high school was started in 1909 so, to provide the requisite space, a two-storey building was purchased from the Smellie brothers and moved to the school property. By 1913, this space was insufficient so the School Board authorized the construction of a new building designed by Winnipeg architect William Bruce. It was occupied in the spring of 1914 by a staff of seven teachers.

By 1966, there were three school buildings operating in Russell, with a total student enrollment of about 600. They were combined under the umbrella of the Russell Consolidated School No. 2454 but quickly became part of the Pelly Trail School Division, later that year.

Principals

Period	Principal
1897-1899	Ralph R. J. Brown BA
1900	Duncan P. Clark (1862-?)
1900-1902	George Henry Blackwell (1864-1941)
1903	John Braithwaite Wallis (1876-1962)
1903-1904	David Bruce Huggins (1879-1955)
1905	James Andrew McKaughan (1877-1968)
1905	David R. Jones
1906-1908	Isobel Disney
1908-1909	Frederick James Ney (1884-1973)
1909-1912	Mr. J. H. Hutchison
1912-1913	Alonzo Cyrus Crosby (1853-1923)
1913	Thomas Irwin Brownlee (1886-1973)
1913-1914	James Miller Wallace (1888-1918)
1914-1915	David Smith Tod (1870-1937)
1915-1916	Victor Wellington Jenkins (1884-?)
1916-1920	James Humphrey Plewes (1873-1963)
1920-1921	Mr. M. L. Campbell
1921-1932	Albert Maurice Pratt (1889-1972)
1932-1934	Henry Benjamin Bees (c1886-1968)
1934-1941	John Alexius Peterson (c1885-1959)
1941-1945	Sidney George Denham (1909-1989)
1945-1948	Robert William “Bob” Dalton (1911-1999)
1948-1955	Cecil Cullen Foster (1911-1998)
1955-1957	Richard R. “Dick” Partridge (1922-1990)
1957-1961	Joseph Edwin Murphy (1897-1973)
1961-1966	Arnold George Minish (1930-2014)
1966-1968	Matthew Kawchuk

Teachers

Among the teachers who worked at Russell School were Margaret Fulton (1943-1945) and W. J. Sharman.

Photos & Coordinates

The original Russell School building (1897) Source: Archives of Manitoba, Russell Schools 1 The original Russell School building at right behind the main street (1913) Source: Rob McInnes Site Coordinates (lat/long): N50.77837, W101.28338 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Russell Teacherage (125 Memorial Avenue South, Russell, Municipality of Russell-Binscarth)

Sources:

Annual Reports of the Manitoba Department of Education, Manitoba Legislative Library.

Banner County: History of Russell and District, 1879-1967 by the Russell Women’s Institute.

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 Nathan Kramer and Rob McInnes for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 26 June 2021

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