For the early settlers, formal education in the Bear Lake Valley
was challenging to say the least. In
most instances, the people who attended schools and churches faced the difficulty
of traveling many miles to gather together in a meeting house. Often, the same building was used on weekdays
for school sessions, Saturdays for dances and gatherings, and Sundays for
church meetings. “The first school opened
in Laketown in 1869. It was held three
months of the year and in a building that had a dirt floor and was also used
for church meetings.” (published by Rich County Courthouse.gov.)
One student who
graduated from high school in Laketown in 1941 was Stella Sims (Terry
Long). She was the second of eight
children of Everett and Buelah Sims, and her family resided in Garden
City. At that time, students attended
Garden City school in grades 1 through 8 and then were bused 10 long miles to
Laketown for their high school years. Her senior year, Stella was instrumental in
publishing the first North Rich High School yearbook, the Mustang.
Although the school
classes were small, the memories they shared were an unforgettable part of their
lives. Stella spoke frequently about
their teachers, classmates and great experiences they enjoyed. Here are the teachers and students who created
those memories some 85 years ago:
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