2 011 HIST O RI CA L E D IT I O N
School Days School Days March 26 & 30, 2011
A Special Supplement to The Green River Star/Sweetwater County Guide
Dear ol' Golden Rule days, Readin' and writin' and 'rithmatic Taught to the tune of a hickory stick... "School Days" written in 1907 by Will Cobb and Gus Edwards.
Sweetwater County schools rich in history By KATHY GILBERT Editor Welcome to the 2011 issue of The Green River Star's Historical Edition. This year, the staff at The Green River Star decided to focus on the history of schools and education in the county. Like the rest of the places and things our historic edition has looked at, schools hold an important piece of the history about the area. These halls of education grew from small one or two room buildings to multi-classroom structures where thousands of students have learned over the years. Many of the buildings are gone now, or soon will be, like the old Lincoln High School in Green River and what is now East Junior High in Rock Springs, due to be demolished this summer. Because the old schools are slowly disappearing, a look back at the buildings, the teachers and some of the students seems to be in order. The mining camps in the area all had rudimentary
schools at one time, sometimes in a house or even in a saloon. They are gone now, with the exception of the Superior school. Many of the buildings have been remodeled for other uses, such as Roosevelt School in Green River which is now the Golden Hour Senior Center. The elementary school I attended has become Independence High School in Rock Springs. It was Lowell Elementary and started out as a four-room building in the early 1900s. Before it was built, my grandmother attended a tworoom school across the street from where Lowell was built. My mother and her brother attended the new four-room school, and when I started kindergarten, it was still four rooms and went through the fourth grade. Two more rooms and a gym were added in the late 1950s, allowing students to go through the sixth grade in the same school. By the time my younger brother started school, Lowell was an imposing brick building of two levels.
Years later, my son attended Lowell School and after more years, my granddaughter also went there for a short time. The teachers were dedicated to teaching the three R’s, as well as giving instruction in life’s lessons. Some who come to mind are Joan Rogers, a first grade teacher; Mrs. Floretta in second grade; Betty June Richardson, whose sense of humor made fourth grade so much fun; and Vi Hillerman, the principal and disciplinarian who loved her students and taught them a sense of selfpride. Memories of the schools we attend stay with us for our entire life. Many of the friends we make in our school years remain close to us forever, and those who don’t still live in our memories. Unfortunately, we didn't have room for all the many stories we heard or received, but we hope you enjoy this look back at school days in Sweetwater County, and that those who attended these schools will look down the corridor of the past and remember how things were.
LOWELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL first grade class circa 1956.
, Gener cousin rst day e h D N r the fi CTEE A ALICE M es are ready fool. m o a vieve J l at Lowell Sch of schoo
Thanks to Ruth Lauritzen and her staff at the Sweetwater County Museum for their help. Most of the photos in this edition are courtesy of the museum. Thanks also to Bob Nelson and his staff at the Rock Springs Historical Museum for their help.
CHILDREN WHO LIVED at Bryan west of Green River rode in a bus to town.