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Skagit River Journal

of History & Folklore
Subscribers Edition Stories & Photos
The most in-depth, comprehensive site about the Skagit.
Covers from British Columbia to Puget sound. Counties covered: Skagit, Whatcom, Island, San Juan. An evolving history dedicated to the principle of committing random acts of historical kindness

Noel V. Bourasaw, editor (bullet)

810 Central Ave., Sedro-Woolley, Washington, 98284
Home of the Tarheel Stomp (bullet)

Mortimer Cook slept here & named the town Bug

Early Mount Vernon-area schools
from Cedardale east to the Lakes

Ed. note: We recently had the pleasure of meeting Wanda Stone, a descendant of the Maddux and Hickox families who can trace her Washington roots back to Territorial days on Whidbey island. We were introduced by Deanna Ammons, the historian of Clear Lake. Ms. Stone lives at Cape Horn and has carefully maintained precious family mementos through fire, flood and snowstorms. We were astounded that she had kept a copy of a school newspaper, about which we totally ignorant. This one issue supplied first-hand memories of some of the earliest schools of Skagit county that will help all researchers trace the locations of these schools, their builders and their patrons.

Teddy's Echo, Published quarterly by pupils of Roosevelt School Vol. 3, April 1927 Mount Vernon Consolidated Grade Schools The Mount Vernon system of grade schools, formally known as District 306, is composed of four separate schools: the city grade schools of three buildings and the three rural schools known as Mt. View, Buena Vista and Cedardale.
Until 1920, the Mount Vernon school system was District 10, but following the consolidation of the three rural schools with Mount Vernon and the formation of the Union High School, the grade school system was renumbered 306, and Union High, No. 1, the former made up of what had been four districts and the latter uniting fourteen districts in a single high school, of which District No. 306 is one unit. District 306 enrolls about 900 pupils in the eight grades and the Union High enrolls approximately 500, exclusive of the recently added Junior College.
As stated in an editorial in this year's first issue of Teddy's Echo, the editors planned to feature different schools during the year. The rural schools have the front page of this issue. Their brief histories have been worked up by the patrons and teachers of the districts. In some cases considerable work has been done in gathering from early settlers the necessary facts on these beginnings. The Echo hopes that the readers in these districts experience as much pleasure as the editors in this joint transaction.

Mountain View School history

We will add photos of
of these schools in the
week of Jan. 17. Please
come back and please
let us know if you
have family memories
of our early schools.

At one time the territory now included in the Buena Vista, Baker Heights, Orilla and the Mountain View schools was all in one large district known as District 25. The Orilla and Mountain View schools were called by their present names, but the Buena Vista was [originally] known as the Braun School. The Baker Heights school, which was conducted in a residence, was at that time called the Big Rock school.
The first school at Mount View was a donation building, erected in 1912. There were not enough pupils in this neighborhood for the district to take the expense of putting up a new building, so donations were given by the parents, and a small building erected.
Mr. Allanback, one of the donators, being a carpenter, drew the plans for the building and was assisted in erecting it by the following men: Sam Butler, A.M. Borgen, Gus lind, Andrew Anderson, V. Carlson and W.N. Vanderpool.
The first school board of District 25 consisted of Mr. Allanback from Mountain View, Mr. Bennett from Baker Heights and Mr. Sharrett from Buena Vista. The first teacher was Miss Edna Graham (now Mrs. Frank Anderson) who taught here for two years. She was followed by Miss Charlotte Samko, who stayed here for six years. Then came in succession Mrs. Frantz, Miss Kate Pugh, Miss Ardis Wynn and Miss Genevieve Moores.
At first there were only seven pupils: Bernice and Esther Borgen, who now live in Seattle; Fritz Allenback, who works on the home farm; Hans Allenback, who works in a logging camp; Harold Lind, who is a farmer; Alma Carlson, a stenographer; and Edwin Johnson, a barber.
The number of pupils increased and in 1915 the old building became too small, so the district erected the present building. Mr. Sharrett had the contract for this. The old building is now used for a playroom (see picture).
On April 24, 1920, all the land in District No. 25, which was west of Nookachamps creek, was transferred to District 10, which then the number of the Mount Vernon schools. This transfer brought both the Mountain View and Buena Vista schools into District No. 10, and the new district became known as 306. When this consolidation was made, two of the four schools comprising District 25 voted themselves into District 306 and the other two joined Sedro-Woolley High.
After this transfer, the seventh and eight grades were sent into the town school. Later on, the sixth grade was also sent in, so at present on the first five grades are maintained in this school.

Buena Vista history In 1911, School District No. 25 erected a new school building to take the place of the little old log one which was across the slough or creek [Nookachamps]. The new school was built on the highway between Mount Vernon and Clear Lake. It was named the Braun school in honor of E.O. Braun, the school clerk at that time. The historian tried to obtain information concerning the log school but was unable to do so.
Miss Cora A. Conners was elected to teach the 21 pupils of this section, but after 14 weeks she resigned and Miss Edna Richards was selected to take her place.
On April 24, 1920, the directors called a meeting to talk of consolidating with District 306. District 25 at this time had four buildings in different parts of the district with an average enrollment of 40 pupils. A vote was taken in favor of consolidation.
The following year, 12 seventh and eight grade pupils were sent on the bus to the Mount Vernon schools. This same year the name was changed from Braun to Buena Vista.

Cedardale School history By F.M. Hickox, March 17, 1927 Cedardale? It is a nice name. We are indebted to Dr. and Mrs. Downs [Horace and Sylvia] for the nice, pleasant name that our school and neighborhood bears. There seems to be two Cedardale school districts — the upper and lower schools. We are the upper Cedardale district. Miss May Knight taught our first school in Cedardale. This was a select school and a county school. A select school is a subscription school, not one supported by taxation.
Our first county school building was erected the same year that the first sawmill was built, in 1890 or a little later, on what is now the Burkland place, by the Cedardale Lumber Co. This mill later burned, was re-built and still later moved to what is now the Ruley farm. More children created a demand for a county school. Some neighbors took the school question up with the county school superintendent, and at the conference it was decided to organize a new school district, and build a school house. The boundary lines of the new district were established, clerk and directors appointed and the school business began.
The building site was secured from Mr. Hanson. Neighbors donated work to clear the site of logs and level it down. Mr. Clark Armsbury built the school house, with some donated help and the mill company donated some lumber. Miss Eva Davis was our first teacher in the new school. Following are the names of some our old-time teachers, but maybe not consecutively, as theyw ere employed: Miss Eva Davis, Miss Del Washburn, Noble G. Rice, Will Hammack, Rev. Woodby, Miss Bertha Crawford, Miss Lucy Goodman, Miss Julia Arges, Mr. Estes, George Mitchell, Mrs. Dona Hubbard and O.H. Carlson.
*** Echo Editor's note: The building spoken of by Mr. Hickox was a small, one-room building. The present two-room school was erected in 1914. the school board at that time was Messrs. E.B. Hickox, Swan Swanberg, and Andrew Hansen. The first teachers in the new building were Mrs. Agnes Alverson, now Mrs. A.L. Jennings and Miss Donna Dulin. The enrollment that year was 38, divided equally between the upper and lower rooms. In 1919 this district voted to join District No. 10, Mount Vernon. The seventh and eighth grades were then sent in to Mount Vernon. Later the sixth was also sent on the bus and now only one room is maintained for the first five grades, with Miss Alice Butler as teacher.

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Skagit River Journal

Early Mount Vernon-area schools from Cedardale east to the Lakes

Early Mount Vernon-area schools
from Cedardale east to the Lakes