History of Elm Grove School Number 8

About 1890 a school was organized near the head of Big Elm Creek with six or eight students enrolled. By means of donation from the citizenship, a one room building was erected. Because of the numerous groves of elm trees surrounding the building, the school was named Elm Grove.

The first few schools were small because this was principally a ranching country. Later the ranches were cut up into farms and the school began to grow as the farms were settled. By 1905 the school was one of the largest one-teacher schools of the county, having between seventy and seventy-five pupils. A few years later the people began to move away and again the school was small. Many of the farms were combined and turned into ranches, and, by 1912, the country was again mainly given over to ranching. At this time it was necessary for the convenience of the remaining students, to move the school building nearer the geographical center of the district. So the trustees moved the building to its present site.

Although being in a very remote location, this school has been very fortunate in securing good teachers. All the teachers have given satisfaction and each school year has been very profitable, hut perhaps Mr. W. D. Herring was the most successful teacher, especially considering the fact that he had seventy-three pupils under him. During his teaching was organized the first literary society that Elm Grove had, and this did both the pupils and the district an unlimited amount of good. Miss Analou Estes should also be mentioned, having taught four very successful terms here. It was during her teaching and partly through her influence that the taxes were raised to fifty cents and State Aid first obtained. During the year 1921-22 the school has had the further good fortune of having had the services of Miss Alice Fuller, who, though young and inexperienced, has rendered most efficient service. This district has had a very hard struggle to keep a school alive, and has undergone many hardships, but all the people have worked and are still working for the good of the school, thereby making it possible, to have one of the best one-teacher schools in the county.

Class Roll