School Is Back In Session

It’s that time of year again. School starting all over Wyoming. With that in mind, I thought it might be interesting to take a look back at early schools in the state.

Remember these? Black boards and Elementary School Rules

The first Wyoming school opened at Fort Laramie and was soon followed by several private schools as the population warranted. Robert Baker opened a school in South Pass with families paying one dollar each week per child. By 1870 the census listed five private and four public schools in the state. That same year the only public school buildings were in Cheyenne.

In 1871 Dr. J. H. Hayford, the auditor for the territory of Wyoming listed schools in Albany and Laramie counties as good, Carbon and Uinta had schools he listed as fair. Students furnished their own school materials and textbooks were, a haphazard, whatever could be found that was suitable for the job.

Pretty Nice Place to Live

In 1873 a compulsory education law took effect, ordering every child between ages 6-18 to attend school for three months each year. As the state grew so did the number and efficiency of the schools. Territorial Governor Hoyt said in 1878, “I have never known a community, whether in this country or in Europe, more zealously devoted to the cause of popular education than the people of this new Territory.”

In the last decade before statehood, in 1890, Wyoming’s population tripled and the school population doubled. The number of buildings now used as, or built for schools, grew from 39 to 138.

Wagon Trains, trappers, traders and hunters passed through the state for many years, but when the railroad came, people followed and with people came schools. And with schools came that great sound of kids playing on the playground and if you are inside, learning the old three Rs and a few other things.

Just Passing Through

After 42 years of teaching, I still sub in the local schools a few days each month. That leaves me many days to sit and write at home. I just published Ghost of the Fawn, my sixth book.

It is set, of course in Wyoming, and originally I targeted it as a young adult book. My first readers, who help me refine and edit, seem to think it is a great adult read as well. If you have time give it a look, not sure when it will be available but certainly should be by the end of the weekend.

Oh, and you can find my other five books here. The new book will be added soon.

Wyoming's First School

Being an old school teacher, I am always interested in reading about early day schools and especially the schools of Wyoming. Like many of Wyoming’s firsts, the first school was at Fort Laramie in 1852.

On the grounds of Fort Laramie, about 200 yards across the parade grounds west of the school.

The second Wyoming school, although Wyoming was still 30 years away from statehood, was opened in 1860 on the other side of Wyoming but still on the Oregon Trail at Fort Bridger.

Old School Building at Fort Laramie

It’s pretty well known that early schools had little if anything made specifically,  for teaching children. Often students would share one reading book, a few pieces of chalk and some book sized slates.

Those items, along with a few hand-hewn benches and tables, were often the only start-up supplies for a new school. Pencils and paper, when available, were used sparingly, writing fully on both sides of the paper and using pencils down to the smallest of stubs was the norm. Pen and Ink were for older students but was as readily available as paper and pencils at Fort Laramie and Fort Bridger.

The subject matter of all early schools was the, well known, reading, writing and arithmetic. Teachers in early schools were most often volunteers, who may or may not have had the knowledge or ability to teach. Some early frontier teachers beat students who were not prepared, not attentive enough, or did not know their lesson of the day. Student assignments often contained long memorizations of famous speeches, writings or poetry.

In the case of Fort Laramie, soldiers that could read and write were assigned, to teach, and, for the most part, they hated it. Several sources report soldier/teachers who hated it so much they showed up drunk for school and ended up being fined and tossed in the brig. The fine was in the $10 range, a considerable sum for a soldier making $11 a month. That might be the reason that Army Officers sent their children back east to get their schooling.

I would have been the kid with the dunce hat behind the teacher