Spruce School was operated by the Birch River Municipal School District (later part of the Agassiz School Division) at the southwest corner of SW21-9-11E at Spruce Siding in what was later the Rural Municipality of Reynolds. The one-room schoolhouse served as the educational centre for children in the area, offering basic instruction in reading, writing, arithmetic, and English to the children of Ukrainian farm families.
In 1962, after the school was closed, the building was renovated into a private residence. Despite the changes, traces of its original function remain. The most recognizable feature is the old well—still visible near the structure—serving as a quiet reminder of the building’s role in the community's daily life.
Spruce School (no date) by J. H. Plewes
Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectaors Photographs,
GR8461, A0233, C131-2, page 129.
The former Spruce School building (October 2015)
Source: Jean McManusSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.75229, W96.04260
denoted by symbol on the map above
School District Formation Files [Birch River School District No. 1502], GR1688, E0027, 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.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough, Murdoch Buchanan, and Jean McManus.
Page revised: 6 June 2025
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