Elberfeld School had a lot in common with every other one-room country school in Saskatchewan.
A simple 20-foot by 40-foot wooden structure heated by a wood stove, a rooftop bell above the main door, desks, a blackboard, some well-worn textbooks and a few outbuildings including a barn and a couple of ‘biffies’.
But it was also very unique; a multicultural melting pot of nine nationalities, eight religions and at least six languages that provided a solid educational foundation for three generations of prairie farm kids.
From 1906, a few months after Elberfeld School District Number 1279 was formed by area farmers and the first building erected; to 1961, when the second school building was closed and the school district consolidated with Rosthern, more than 300 students passed through the doors of Elberfeld School.
Located three miles north of Rosthern on a portion of the northeast quarter of Section 3, Township 43, Range 3 West of the Third Meridian (3-43-3-W3), the school was the focal point of the rural community.
“It was definitely the hub; the place where everything happened,” said Elberfeld School alumnus Katherine Boldt, 85, of Osler. “It was more than a school. It was where public meetings and social events were took place, where sports days happened.
“The friendships, and the memories, we made at school were lasting ones.”
In 1991, thirty years after it closed for the last time, a reunion of former Elberfeld students and teachers was held in Rosthern. A second reunion was held in 1998 and a third in 2006. Boldt and several former classmates, including Harold Gabrielson and Elsie M. Lehmann, were part of the committee that organized those events.
“At one of those reunions some of us talked about doing a book,” said Lehmann. “There were so many great stories that came out when we got together. There was more than enough to fill a book.
“When we had the reunion in 2006, we knew it would be the last one. So we decided that we would put together a book so the story of the school, and the people who were part of the school, would be preserved.”
Boldt, Gabrielson and Lehmann dived into the project, researching old school records in the provincial archives, contacting former students and drawing on their own experiences. They contracted with Renay Kowalczyk, a former employee of the now-defunct Saskatchewan Valley News, to assist in the project, and in the fall of 2020, 150 copies of a 267-page coil-bound history book was published.
“It was a lot of work,” said Gabrielson. “We had to do quite a bit of digging, but it was a lot of fun and it brought back a lot of memories for all of us.”
Boldt said the book, like the reunions, was a team effort, with many people contributing stories, photos and funds to see the projects through. The reunion committee included Erwin Lehmann, Gilles Rahier, Katherine Wiebe, Harold Gabrielson, Bill Lehmann, Elise A. Lehmann, Elsie M. Lehmann, Irmgardt Rahier Lehmann, Otto Lehmann, George Fast, Elizabeth Wiebe Picketts and Shirley Welkie Selezinka.
The three-person core committee of volunteers that put the book together (Gabrielson, Boldt and Lehmann) converted Gabriel’s basement in his Rosthern home into project headquarters. Boxes of archive papers and photos were sorted and organized, while articles were edited and prepared for the printer.
“It took quite a lot of organization,” said Lehmann. “Sometimes it was hard to get people to submit stories, while others were very willing.
“Often we had to track down people, and that was challenging.
“But the hardest part was deciding what to put in and what had to be left out. The stories were so interesting.”
Gabrielson said he set up two eight-foot-long tables in his basement, where all the material for the book was laid out.
“We would meet at Harold’s place in Rosthern,” said Boldt. “I learned how much work goes into a book, that’s for sure.
“But I’d do it again. The value of the book is it shows the way of life at that time; what people went through. There were hard times, but there were lots of good times too.”
Gabrielson, who attended the school from 1940 to 1950, said he vividly recalls the war years.
“I remember raising money for the Junior Red Cross,” said Gabrielson. “The adults would organize a card party or bingo or checkers tournament at the school.
“During the war years, my dad was very tolerant of us kids, running around the house, but at 8:00 at night, when the news came on the radio, he laid down the law and we had to be very quiet. I remember asking my dad one time; I was just a little guy; I said, ‘Dad, will there still be news after the war is over?’
“Almost the entire news broadcast was about the war in those days.”
The book notes that during the 1941-42 school year, there were five teachers that came and went.
The turnstile at the teachers desk began turning in the late fall of 1941, when teacher Erdman Epp of Laird, a conscientious objector, was escorted out of the school by authorities in the middle of the day after he declined to enroll in the Canadian armed forces to serve overseas.
“Our teacher was a local guy, and he got his draft notice and didn’t report,” said Gabrielson. “The police came right into the classroom and picked him up. They left us kids there all by ourselves. We didn’t know what to do, and eventually we all just went home.
“It was a week or so before they found another teacher, and she wasn’t there very long, but she did get us through the Christmas concert.”
By January, another teacher was hired, but he only lasted a few weeks, quitting in disgust after students locked him in the barn when he was smoking his pipe during the noon break. The kids played soccer in the snow all afternoon before finally letting him out shortly before the school day ended.
In addition to anecdotes about the school, there are family histories of area farmers, a complete list of former students and the years they attended, as well as the names of teachers, school trustees and school superintendents over the years.
Copies of the book are available at local libraries or by contacting Katherine Boldt at 306-239-4742.
ANECDOTES ABOUT ELBERFELD SCHOOL BY FORMER STUDENTS
The following are excerpts from the Elberfeld School history book:
TEACHER GIVEN A ROUGH TIME
“One of our teachers, Mr. McPhail, went into the barn to smoke his pipe. He did this a few times at the noon break. One day when he did his usual thing, the bigger boys and some girls closed the barn door and braced it so it would not open. We let him out at 3:15 so he could dismiss school at 3:30 pm. I don’t know why but he never smoked in the barn again.
After that incident he would walk down the road during his smoke break. One day we took pencil sharpener shavings and filled his pipe which was in his coat pocket in the cloakroom. We put fresh tobacco on top so it looked really nice. When he walked down the road he suddenly started to cough very hard – I wonder why? He never left his pipe in his coat after that. He stayed for only two weeks!” (George Fast – former Elberfeld School student)
HORSE WAS A LITTLE TOO HIGH-SPIRITED FOR TEACHER
“When Ms Wright was our teacher she lived in the town of Rosthern with her mother, Mrs. Thompson, and drove to school with horse and buggy. One morning Mrs. Wright went into the barn where her horse was and found the horse dead – stiff. She had to get a ride to school with a car. Mr. Frank Wright, her husband, brought her another horse from the ranch and the next day she came to school, just a-flying! That black horse was almost white with foam! The older boys helped her unhook the horse and put him in the barn. That afternoon she asked for help to hook up the horse, which we did. We walked the outfit to the road and then jumped clear as she took off. On the way to town she was in and out of the ditch at least four or five times, but, he didn’t get away on her! One of the trustees, Mr. John Lehmann, saw this and took one of his horses into town for her to drive for the remainder of the school year.” (George Fast – former Elberfeld School student)
FORGOT ABOUT THAT GOPHER
In June, when the young gophers would come out of their holes, we would snare them and race them down the aisles in school during class. One day Harold Gabrielson forgot to take the gopher out of his desk. The gopher had chewed up his books by morning.” (George Fast – former Elberfeld School student)
PREFERRED ELBERFELD SCHOOL TO ST. MICHAEL’S RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL
“When I got to be of school age in 1955, my dad took me to St. Michael’s (Indian Residential School in Duck Lake) to enrol. It would mean staying overnight and I was scared. Two of my cousins were entering their third and fourth years at St. Mikes and I had seen how happy they were when they came home on Fridays. I had also seen how sad they were and heard them wailing when they had to go back on Sunday after the weekend. I was just a little boy. I cried. I didn’t want to stay. My dad saw how upset I was, he had attended there himself and hadn’t liked it. He didn’t want me to go there… Our neighbour, Mike Sutherland, was janitor and maintenance man at Elberfeld School about two miles south of our (Beardy’s & Okemasis) reserve. Uncle Mike had to be at the school early every day to start the fire. Since Uncle Mike’s job required that he be there every day, his kids were allowed to enrol there and travel with him and they wouldn’t have to live away from home at the St. Michael’s residence. My dad completed arrangements for me to join my cousins at that school. The school was happy to accommodate because it would boost their enrolment, and the extra tuition revenue would help with operating costs.
“Shortly after I started at my new school, my dad had to go to the Indian Agent’s house to get a paper signed for some reason. By this time the Indian Agent had received the first tuition bill from Elberfeld that included costs for my enrolment. He was so angry that he threw my father out and told him not to come back. As displeased as he was, he was unable to force us to return to St. Michael’s and had to watch as we made our new arrangement work.” (Stanley Eyahpaise – Beardy’s & Okemasis Cree Nation – former Elberfeld School student)
HIGH TURNOVER OF TEACHERS IN 1941-42
“My first teacher was Mr. Erdman Epp from Laird. He was a farm son who understood farm children. He was fresh out of normal school so this was his first school.
“The school year of 1941-42 will go down in history as the most unusual school year ever. We had five teachers in that one-room school and no two at the same time. World War II was in full swing. Bulletproof soldiers were required to got to the front and spray lead. About the middle of November, 1941, Mr. Epp got his invitation from the government to join the ranks as a lead sprayer. Being of German descent and a strong Mennonite, he was a Conscientious Objector who elected to serve his country in the bush camps cutting cord wood, which was largely used as heating and cooking fuel. After much frantic searching, the school board obtained the services of Ms. Alice Friesen, a trained teacher who didn’t much like the profession and who consented to put on the Christmas program that Mr. Epp had planned and practiced with the students, but she would not finish the school term. Ms Friesen did a bang-up job of putting on the program. January 1, 1941, came with no teacher. The hunt was on. This meant the students had an extended Christmas vacation. Finally, at about the second week of January, we obtained the services of Ms Olga Hooge. She came Monday morning and spent the first period reading the riot act to us. Now, you must remember that farm students are not town students. They belong unconsciously to the I.O.F.T, the ‘Imperial Order of Free Thinkers.” They eat it, they sleep it, they breathe it, and they practice it. It permeates every being of their life. If one student cannot think of some prank or antic, there are about a dozen or more who are willing and able to assist them or take control. (Werner Lehmann – former Elbefeld School student)
WHAT? SANTA CLAUS ISN’T REAL?
“I recall the Christmas concert when my belief in Santa Claus was shattered. It is hard to imagine now, the intense excitement of a seven-year-old, when the sleigh bells are coming nearer and one knew that Santa was coming! Suddenly, there he was, with a big Ho-Ho, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, and then proceeding to hand out gifts and goodie bags to all the children. Sometime later that evening, I heard someone comment on what a good Santa Mr. Cornies had been! My fantasy was destroyed and I remember the keen disappointment I felt.” (Margaret (Marge Zacharias Unger – former Elberfeld School student)
GIRLS HID THE BOYS’ CLOTHES
“One fine hot day several of the older boys decided to go swimming in Doucette’s slough. The fact that hey had no swim wear didn’t stop them. I was not directly involved as I was considerably younger, but when the girls came around I was quick to inform them what was going on and between us we managed to hide some clothes. I guess I wasn’t too popular that noon hour, at least not with the bigger boys.” (Erwin Lehmann – former Elberfeld School student)
OUTFOXING THE DOG
“One day as I was riding around on my horse, my dog, Dusty, started chasing a fox. The fox ran a large circle, about three hundred meters, then jumped into a bush. It immediately jumped out of the bush and ran the large circle again. The dog would pursue him when he came out each time. This continued until the poor dog couldn’t take another step. He just sat beside the horse and panted. A few minutes later two foxes stepped out of the bush and looked at us. I realized that the foxes were changing places, and the dog was chasing a well-rested fox every circle he ran. I don’t know if foxes can laugh or not, but I’m sure that the two of them were enjoying the way they had duped the poor dog. (Harold Gabrielson – former Elberfeld School student)