cl1913

Several Classes at the First Con. 8 in about 1913-15

This picture came from the wonderful scrapbook of Maggie Barns. It is suspected that it is a picture submitted to the Kiowa County Star Review for one of their features on early days. As pointed out in the discussion of the building, the background is the west side of the southwest corner of the old school building. The sources for the picture and for the identifications on the caption included in Maggie's picture have not been determined. Those are reproduced below with a strip showing just the students.

Front Row: Left to right: (1) Dudley Knox, (2) Lee Speights, (3) Unknown, (4) Rachel Helwer, (5) Unknown, (6) Ruby Shelton, (7) Blanche Shelton, (8) Opal Sims, (10) Unknown, (11) Arthur Singer, (12) Hugh Stoops, (13) Forest Gilley, (14) Gene Kovar, (15) Matt Cassiday
Back Row, Left to right: (1) ... Harrison, (2) Katie West, (3) Ola Sims, (4) Della Schrader, (5) Bird Higdon, (6) ...... Hill, (7) Unknown , (8) Marie Helwer, (9) Minnie Harrison, (10) Zona Stogsdill, (11) George Ankney, (12) Unknown, (13) Fletcher Satterfield, (14) Walter Ankney, (15) Unknown, (16) Floyd Polly.

Evidence For Precise Dating

The caption in the picture suggest about 1913 for the date of this picture. Several facts indicate that it is very likely the 3rd, 4th and 5th grades during the 1914-15 school year. Several people who I think were in the sixth grade that year, Ruby Burton, Blanche Higdon and Don Burton, are not in this picture. Blanche Shelton who is in it, was about one year younger than Ruby Burton. Also Ruby (Burton) Heien has recalled that in the early years, grades 3, 4, and 5 were in one room and taught at least one year by Mable (Etheridge) Browning. Another factor arguing somewhat for 1914-15 is the presence of Hugh Stoops (who taught at Con. 8 in 1945-46). I am assuming that Hugh is the son of A. J. Stoops who was superintendent from 1914-1917. However, there are indications that A. J. Stoops was also superintendent in 1912-13 (but not in the following year). Then if this were assumed to be a picture of the third and lower grades in 1912-13 the absence of some expected names would be explained. However it looks more like grades 3,4 and 5, and the 1914-15 date seems to fit all information somewhat better.