GRAY HISTORY
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Gray School 1922 - 2007

1921-1964
1964 - 2007
​The original brick structure was located closer to 2nd Avenue. The build began in fall of 1921 with plans supplied by the Waterman-Waterbury Company in Regina. The furnaces and chemical toilets were supplied by the same firm. The facility was ready for students January 4 1922. The teachers were A.J. Cann, Principal and Gladys Winters. At that time Iowa School closed and those students came to Gray. Ervin Webster was the principal (1926-31) and taught the Grade 12 students in the evenings - four classes per week - for $200/year. There were two classrooms – the Low Room (grades 1-8) and the High Room (9 through 12). This photo is from 1942.
For additional space in 1958 (required for increased enrollment as well as Bristol school closure) a small one-room school was moved to the site (the foundation is still there). This schoolhouse was later sold and moved off-site and used as a grain bin (John Ford home-quarter).
The present school was ready for students during the 1964-65 year (Shirley Moats recalls it being her Grade 9 or 10 year). The year began in the old and moved to the new! Once again, with two classrooms. One with a science lab at the back. There was an office/library in between. The first teachers in this new school were Doris Kelly and Mrs. Fisher.
Some years included two rooms; lower grades in one and higher grades in the other.
Gray Consolidated remained as a single school division until forced amalgamation in 2007. The school is now owned by the Hamlet of Gray and space is rented to local entrepreneurs.

Gray School missing some years;
​Pre-1966
1975-81
1989
2007 - need the final classes
And sometimes we have only one room...

Bristol School and Iowa School photos also welcome.

CONTACT US to submit photos and/or names (identifying which year) 
Some school memories;
  • Bill Gillis attended Grade One in the big brick school in August 1935. "It was grades 1-12 in two rooms. The basement was divided for boys and girls. It had two coal furnaces. In back was a barn for horses that country kids rode or drove to school. I was fortunate to be one of the town kids - so could go home at noon for lunch. In later years, we moved back to the farm - so four of us rode two bicycles (in good weather) to get to school. I recollect my first day or two at school , when there were not enough desks for all of the students. The school yard would flood every year - but would usually dry quickly because it was the 'dirty thirties'. One year the town flooded early and then froze. We all skated to school and skated the yard at recess. When I was in about grade six there was a fairly large class of boys graduated from grade 12. Most of them went into the services and off to World War II. Fortunately, all but two returned."
  • in the early 1940's kids could bring lunch that could be heated atop a two-burner kerosene stove that was installed in the cloak room. One of the high room students was tasked with watching it. Old honey pails were used for lunches, no fancy packs/bags.
  • recess could be marbles, softball, football and kick-and-return.
  • teachers could take the train to Regina (departed about 5pm) and catch the freight train back Monday morning (arrived at 8am) for a weekend away.
  • the curling bonspiel lasted all week and kids could participate (you were expected back in class as soon as your game was complete) or go over for lunch.
  • anyone who arrived by horse and buggy had to feed and check their horses at noon.
  • Field Day competitions were held between schools. Activities included track and field events and softball.
  • 1960's - Shirley Moats remembers Grades 1,2,3 being in the small building with Mrs. Taylor, Grades 4-8 in the brick school, Grades 9 and 10 in the 'new' school.

Iowa School 1905-1921

​The Iowa School was built in 1905 (NE8-14-18W2). The lumber was purchased from Glen Brothers for $426 and the carpenter tender agreed upon with Fred Taylor was $155.

School began July 17 1905 with 17 pupils taught by Lisa Henderson.
The facility also became the community centre for area meetings and social activities. Church services started with Reverend F.B. Ball, a young Methodist minister. The IOA Society was organized January 9 1908. This group hosted debates, plays and social events for the whole community. Membership fees were set at fifteen cents per year.
Mr. Dunn was the last teacher at Iowa School in 1921.

The building was demolished in 1975. It had been used as a granary for a number of years.

CONTACT US to submit class pictures. Please include year and names.

Bristol School 1913 - 1958

A meeting of the resident ratepayers of the proposed Bristol School district was held at the William Martin home June 25, 1912. A poll sheet was in favour of the formation of a school district. The first Trustees were Frank Hoover (Chairman), Don B. English (Secretary Treasurer ) and Lewis Clark. At a trustee meeting a motion was passed requesting debentures valued at $1500 over ten years at 6% in order to build a school house, barn and out buildings and furnishing same. The Western Construction Company was contracted to build the school house - 20' x 26' with an 11' ceiling height. The foundation posts and gravel were supplied by the board. The building was to be painted white and trimmed in green. The interior would be golden oak with plastered walls. I the spring of 1913 a carpenter was hired to build a barn and outhouses. Roger Co. Ltd. supplied the lumber. The barn was to be painted red with white trim and out houses white with green trim. The school tax levy was set a $0.06/acre. School opened on July 28, 1913 with Rozella McCall hired as the first teacher and an enrollment of 11 students. In those years, teachers had many tasks including arriving early to 'fire up the stove' and act as overall caretaker. Salaries reflected the financial times - during the 'dirty thirties' wages dropped. At an annual meeting in 1933 Dan English reported on the difficult time they had in getting ratepayers to act on the board of trustees. One of the reasons cited was that a large number of the ratepayers were bachelors. Trustees were  responsible to organize and manage the school districts.
In 1949 six pupils transferred to Boyle School in Estlin and in 1958 the Bristol School district was transferred to the Gray School district.
CONTACT US to submit photos and/or names (identifying which year) 
Teachers at Bristol were; Rozella McCall (1913-14), Clara Bishop (1914), Mary Jasper (1915), Clara Gingerich (1916), Lotta McDonald (1917-18), Jean Beattie (1919), Lenore Blackwell (1920), Mary A. Shaw (1921), Margaret Kartman (1922), Helen Pratt (1923), Mrs. Starrot (1924), Mary H. Swinton (1925), Charlotte E. Crawford (1926), Jean Pearl (1926), Josephine (Penny) Gillis (1927-29), Gladys E. Oliver (1931), Ethel Watterson (1932), Mildred (Wight) Houghtaling (1933-35), Helen McGregor (1935-42), George S. Ramage (1942-49). ​
- the games that were played included six sticks, hide-and-seek, fox and goose (in the snow), king of the castle and lots of ball games.
- heading over to William Mitton's pasture during the noon hour to chase gophers with a 'gopher bat'.
- walking home after a very heavy rain storm to see gophers on the road drowned from their holes filling with the water.
- Christmas treats at the concert.
- the 'strap' - a three inch wide piece of leather that was used to ensure obedience.
- Field Days were major track and field competitions with participants divided into 'weight' categories.
- bringing lunch in a quart sealer during the cold winters and putting them in a pot of water on the coal oil stove to have a hot meal at noon time.
Hamlet of Gray has present day info.
  • Home
    • People >
      • ties that bind 1984
      • ties that bind 2005
      • ties that bind 2005 DVD
      • Articles and Stories
    • Places >
      • Buck Lake Church
      • Grain Elevators
      • Gray Businesses
      • Gray Cemetery
      • Gray Memorial Hall
      • Gray Museum/#306 SHoF >
        • 306 Sports Hall of Fame >
          • Rose Baker
          • Garth Boesch
          • Myrna Bonsor
          • Jesse Bratt
          • Ernie Dunning
          • Walter Dunning
          • Estlin 306's
          • Anita Ford
          • Atina Ford
          • Cindy Ford
          • Gary Ford
          • Ford Curling Team
          • Frei Curling Team
          • Crystal Frisk
          • Bill Gillis
          • KC Gillis
          • Morley Gooding
          • Dale Henry
          • Link Johnston
          • Kawuza brothers
          • Clarence 'Shoop' Lafoy
          • Wylie LaFoy
          • Don Lewis
          • Kristy Lewis
          • Lisa Lewis Kuski
          • Peter Noll
          • Gerald O'Brien
          • Mac Paton
          • George Spry
          • Fred Van de Kamp
          • Harold Webster
          • Induction Ceremonies
        • Grid Map Ceiling
        • Three town diorama
      • Gray Rink
      • Gray School
      • Gray Shortline Railroad
      • Gray United Church
      • Pioneer Windmill
      • Rural Municipality
      • Town Lots and Residents
      • Town images - aerial and other
    • Sports and Clubs >
      • Baseball
      • Children's Groups
      • Curling and Bonspiels
      • Figure Skating
      • Hockey
      • Ice Making
      • Ladies Groups
      • Masonic Lodge
      • Softball/Fastball
    • Timeline/Events >
      • 1984 Homecoming
      • 1987 Aquifer
      • Lagoon
      • 2005 Stanley Cup
      • 2005 Sask Centennial
      • 2011 Centennial
  • Contact Us