District: No. 68
Location Relative to Con. 8: 2.0 miles East, 3.0 miles North
Year of District Formation: 1901-1902
Balyeat’s summary of the research of county records by Ms. Mansell2,3 says that the district dissolved in 1945 with part annexed to Con. 8, but that transfer of students began in 1941. Mrs. Murphy says that the school was discontinued in the early thirties, “and the building was sold to Joe Braun, who moved it to his farm adjacent to the school”. Certainly, we know and would expect that as the Con. 8 high school developed after 1929, many Gladson district students would continue their education at Con. 8 rather than Roosevelt. There is evidence from the 1937 Student Review that Gladson was operating classes through the 8th grade in 1936-1937, as three students Margaret and Ruby Terry, and Clarence Baden transferred from there to ninth grade of the Con. 8 high school in September 1937. It may have been that fewer grades than 8 were offered in the later years of the school, but the building was likely not moved until the early forties. This is in accord with my memories of being at or passing by the school in the late thirties at least.
Actually there is evidence that some students in this district attended Con. 8 at least some from the earliest years. Mrs. Murphy mentions the Higdons and Stogsdills among the pioneer families in the district. Yet a picture of students at Con. 8 thought to be taken in 1913-1916 period, has identifications of Bird and Zona Stogsdill. Also Ruby Heien has written that Blanche (Higdon) Ethridge, a Con. 8 teacher from 1935-1943, was an eighth grade classmate with her in the 1916-1917 year at Con. 8. The Kiowa County land records of 1913 show land owned by Blanche’s father very close to Gladson, and that of the Stogdills even closer. I hope some of the early students from that area can supplement the information about the 1930’s, and the last days of the school.
Footnotes & Sources
1. For a period of eight years (probably before 1919) had two teachers with one designated Principle.
2. Pioneering in Kiowa County, v 6, pg 18. This reference refers to the pages 18-39 of that volume, which is titled Kiowa County Schools. The first part is a general history of Kiowa County Schools It is stated in an Editor’s Note that “This History of Kiowa county school was prepared by Frank A. Balyeat, Field Representative, Department of Manuscripts, The University of Oklahoma Library, Norman, Oklahoma. It was researched by Sally Mansell, Hobart, Oklahoma”. Within the text, Dr. Balyeat refers to the time of writing as 1958.
3. History of the Schools of Kiowa County 1901-1958 by Dr. Frank A. Balyeat. I first learned of this from a footnote in the article about Mullins (Pioneering in Kiowa County, v 2, pg 256); but there was no indication of a publisher or whereto find copies. Maggie (Barnes) Walker obtained a copy of it from the Kiowa County Courthouse Files, with the help of Patti Johnson who seems to be able to achieve miracles. My inspection indicates that the material in Pioneering in Kiowa County, v 6 is the same as the original report and not a revised version. There is no indication of to whom the report was made or if it was published. I will give the Pioneering in Kiowa County, v 6 page numbers as that is most accessible published form known to me. This is a scholarly work with a very comprehensive discussion of the early school system. It also contains extensive numerical data. I have not yet been able to determine exactly what all the source documents were. I think that some may be the archives of the County Superintendent’s office.
4. Pioneering in Kiowa County, v 6, pg 49. Gladson School. Article by Nona (Edge) Murphy. A good picture of the Gladson school in 1919 is included with an account of the school and some of the teachers and pupils in the 1910-20 decade. Although according to Balyeat, Gladson held classes through 1940-41, it certainly contributed high school students to Con. 8 at least from the time of Con. 8.’s accreditation as a four year school. Leonard (Chig) Cleal of the 1933 class resided in the Gladson district. Also Blanche (Higdon) Ethridge attended Con. 8 about 1915 or 1916 and her family was probably residing in the Gladson district.