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Logan Consolidated school

The Logan School in Logan Township Clark County South Dakota.

 In the year 1914 the people of Logan township, the three small township schools were becoming crowded. In June of that year, an election was held to consolidate the three schools. The vote was 81 to 6 to consolidate. The first school building was a combination of the Schurrer  school and the Stenning school. It was located about a quarter of a mile north of the present site The other school (Schlagel School) was sold to Fordham Township. The kids were transported in a  horse drawn, enclosed coach. From $12 to $16 was allowed for a team of horse's plust they were allowed five cents a mile.

There was a new  school  started in 1915, at the present location. The general contractor was D.M. South. He was hired to build the school for $4,778. H.M. Bennet of clark installed the heating system. Stones were hauled and measured by the "wagon load" these were to be used in the concrete walls. The building was finished by June 15, 1915, and class work was started in September of that year. The first lighting system consisted of a gas light plant. An electric light plant was installed in 1925.

The two school houses making up the first school building were again moved to the present site and were made into a two-story residence for the teachers. Over a hundred yards of muslin were used to paper the walls, (at a cost of $7.00)

There was a barn in the school yard to house the horses. The barn was built in 1918, at a cost of $261. The barn was made into a garage for the teachers. 

The first class to graduate from the Logan school was in 1917, there were two graduates, Vernita Zuck and Etta Mann. There were 180 students who received their diplomas from the logan school, the largest class to graduate was in 1930, when  there were 11. These were Earl Beauvais, Myrtle Beauvais, Averill Beller, Mabel Foiles, Harold Graves, Verna Gare, Loretta Lohr, Marvin Logan, Vesta Mann, Elmer Rusch, and Earl Schlagel. Approximately 50 children of the second generation of students attended Logan. Jim Mann son of Mr. and Mrs. Guy Mann, was the first of the second generation to graduate.

In November and December of 1918 a Spanish influenza epidemic raged was prevalent. The school was closed for a while. Arrangements were made to vaccinate all of the children, no child was allowed to return to school unless he or she was vaccinated. Missed dates had to be made up and sessions were held on Saturday. No Christmas Vacation, except Christmas Day itself, was allowed for that year. 

In 1921 Prof. Bartlett had to purchase pictures of Washington and Lincoln, He also purchased a flag to conform to the state law regarding state aid for consolidated schools. In 1922 another class room was added to the northwest corner of the school building.

A second high school teacher was added in 1926 to keep the school accredited. 

The first  "hot lunch" was an arrangement where by in the winter months every parent in the school served a hot dish one each day for each child in school. Three one gallon thermos jugs were furnished by the school, in which to send the food. High school girls warmed it up and served it from big kettles. This was a supplement to the lunch brought from home by the students in there lunch pails. 

The Gymnasium was added in 1942. Much of the work for this addition was done by a WPA project.

The Logan High School closed and operated as a common district in 1962. The Fordham students joined with Logan in 1964 on a tuition bases. A special election was held in September of 1966 and the district was dissolved to become a part of Clark Independent District as of July 1 1967.

The end of another  pioneer era. 

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Copyrighted 2005 for Clark county South Dakota and Gordon Meyer