JOURNEY INTO OUR HERITAGE
Learn more about the historic rural schools and visit the sites throughout Clearwater County
Local history books tell the stories of the early settlers and their determination to ensure children had the opportunity for schooling. Communities grew around the schools established within the provincial designations of school districts. While enabling formal education for the local youth, they also became the location for a wide variety of community functions. When no longer required for schooling, many buildings retained their function as community centers. Some were moved to new locations and repurposed. For example, they may have been renovated as private homes, churches, or lodges.
In the fifties the Rocky Mountain House School Division made the decision to construct larger schools in centralized locations. These small schools closed and students were bussed to the larger centers. Sometimes, when a school was near the boundary of two different school districts, the school population was split into different directions. Some buildings were repurposed and remain on the original site, others were relocated.
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These markers provide permanent identification of locations of early schools. They honor the rich educational and cultural heritage of the communities in Clearwater County.
