In the latter part of the 1930s, because of families moving away or children growing up, it was decided by the community that the need for a new Willowford School must be addressed. So after the members had met and discussed the matter, a decision was made to build the new school further down the road at a site roughly between those families who were furthest apart.
As it happened, the site they chose was close to the property of a bachelor, Mr. Kreig. So, he graciously donated a couple of acres of his land as a site for the new school.
A small area was cleared of brush and trees and the building began. Every family who would have children attending classes donated time and work on the school and in September of 1939 it opened for the first time. I believe the school board donated money for shingles, for the roof and windows and perhaps the one-by-six boards for the floor. But the walls and foundation were of logs, which Mr. Krieg kindly donated. So although he had no children to attend the school, one might say that in terms of value, he donated the most. Some of the parents had to go to the P.G.E. station in Lone Butte with teams of horses and wagons to pick up all the materials as everything was shipped by rail then.
Willowford School was small as schools go - perhaps 24-by-28 feet. It had large windows on one side and just two very small windows, high up and close to the eaves on the other side. A big blackboard took up most of the front end of the building in front of which sat the teacher's desk. It was a big mammoth affair with drawers down each side and one silent, well-oiled middle drawer, which held, tacks, pencils, erasers, etc. Also in the drawer was the teacher's daily attendance record book and another item which we all knew was there but hoped we'd never have the occasion to make acquaintance of - THE STRAP!
There were several rows of wooden and metal desks ranging in size from the large ones for Grades 8, 9 and 10; to the medium-sized ones for Grades 5, 6 and 7; and the small ones for the elementary grades. A big set of wooden shelves was attached to the back wall and held our "library" such as it was in those days. The big, revolving globe, which we poured over in history and geography classes, a few records - Land of Hope and Glory is the one that I remember and love to this day although hope is hard-won and glory is a thing of the past. Perhaps a half-a-dozen other for the hand-wound record player, and other paraphernalia used by our teacher. Sitting in splendor, to one side of the room, just a few steps inside the door, was the big 45-gallon drum heater which, with the efforts of the older boys and the teacher's constant attention, kept our winter days livable and actually quite comfortable.
There was a little addition at the front entrance, which we all called the cloakroom, where we all hung our coats on brass hooks. There was a bench for a wash basin and a bucket of water which always froze solid in the winter and an array of nails driven into the studding to hang our own cup on, brought from home. There was also a corn broom that the teacher used to sweep the floor in the afternoons after everyone but she had gone home. There were no janitors or maintenance men. Oh, there was the flag - there was always the flag raised up the pole by pulley and rope every morning and taken down every night by whomever was appointed that job. And because it was such a prestigious position, everyone got the job for a week throughout the year.
I attended that school until I had finished Grade 6. At one time we have five Sandburg children, five Bridgeman children, six Olafsons, three Furrers and sometimes Harry Powell. Sometimes we would be surprised to find someone attending whom we didn't know and who would be "boarding" with one of the other families just so they could attend school regularly. At various times, we had from eight to 21 pupils and one teacher taught them all; until one family took umbridge at the way her child was being disciplined and refused to send her children any longer. So at the end of June in 1946 it was closed down.
It opened again for one year in 1949-1950 but then closed again. The next year a big, shiny school bus started picking up the children up at their various driveways and taking them to school in Lone Butte and Willowford sat on its grove of poplars.
