After doing some research, the smart choice for a topic would be something that deals with the architecture of schools in the west. Most of the information I have been finding deals with the structure of the one room school house, whether its made from wood, sod, octogon shaped, or rectangle. However, fascinating at it may sound, this is does not interest me too much. I want to know more about the actual teachers themselves. Who they were and why did they want to teach out west? What was it like creating a curriculum for students of different ages at different levels? Where did they live? (I have read that some lived in a building adjacent to the school itself) I don't know if I should compare it to the lives of eastern teachers or just stick to schools in the west. The photos I have found are great. They portray the building structure and inside the classroom. I guess what I need is some sort of journal of a teacher that lived and taught in the west. Where do I go to find this? I have no clue, but I have confience I can find out!
February 2008
February 20, 2008
Photos
"Interior view of a small one room schoolhouse in Littleton, Colorado, shows young students reading at their wooden desks; a few look out the sunlit windows. The blackboard on the back wall has illustrations of a Thanksgiving turkey dinner, a squirrel on top of a pumpkin and dancing corn cobs, titled: The Moonlight Corn frolic. A caste iron stove is in front of the rows of desks and a lantern and paper loop chains hang from the ceiling."
published between 1900-1910
Barber Schoolhouse, Route 442, Clinton vicinity, Douglas County, KS
"The Barber Schoolhouse, located within the Clinton Reservoir Recreation Development of Douglas County, was constructed in 1871-72 by Solomon B. Geary, builder, at a cost of $600. The walls are constructed of roughly dressed yellow/brown limestone, while the cornerstones and sills are of a light grey limestone. The schoolhouse, named for Thomas Barber, one of the first anti-slavery martyrs in Kansas, is an excellent example of the one room schoolhouse tradition. The structure is further representative of the stone vernacular architecture popular in Kansas during its early history. The school remained in operation until 1946 and there is a record of 21 students attending school there in 1898. During its last year of operation it was attended by only 2 students."
Western Divide County sod school house, 1910 : Fertile Valley Township, North Dakota.
"A sod school house with two windows and a door facing the front. Against the front wall is a barrel. In the foreground is a horse and wagon, with John Haaven in the wagon, and Ida Musgjerd standing behind the wagon."
