School Sites - Carberry Region (Former North Cypress)





For more information about Historic Sites visit:   Historic Sites of Manitoba   the source of many
of the photos and most of the info presented in this collection.


For a more complete report about the schools of the Carberry Region check  the excellent local history. "The Carberry Plains".



Brookdale School No. 1299
The first school in the Brookdale area, in the Municipality of North Cypress-Langford, was established in September 1883. Brookdale School No. 168 operated for 22 years in a building on the southwest corner of 24-12-16 west of the Principal Meridian.

In 1904, Brookdale School District No. 1299 was established in the village of Brookdale. A two-storey, four-classroom building was erected, using brick from the Sidney Brick Yard, based on a design by Brandon architect W. A. Elliott. It became Brookdale Consolidated School in May 1915 when it joined the school consolidation movement by combining with Harburn School No. 1313 and Craig School No. 1458. Four years later, Belton School No. 370 and Freeland School No. 711 joined the consolidated district.

The building was destroyed in a fire that started in its basement on Christmas Day, 1923. Classes resumed early in the new year, in a local church and Odd Fellows Hall. The one-storey brick replacement building opened for operation in November 1924. (Nearly identical school buildings were built at Deloraine, Ninette and Shoal Lake.) Rows of spruce trees were planted around the school grounds at the same time.

The building was destroyed by fire sometime between 1971 and 1980. A monument was erected near the former school site, along with its cornerstone.



The original two-storey Brookdale Consolidated School, destroyed by fire in 1923 (no date)
Source: Quest in Roots by Brookdale Historical Society, 1987.



Brookdale Consolidated School (no date) by A. J. Hatcher



Brucefield School No. 799

The Brucefield School District was established in January 1894 and a school building operated at SW29-12-14W in what later became the Municipality of North Cypress-Langford. The district was dissolved in 1916 and its catchment area became part of the Wellwood Consolidated School District No. 135.



Postcard of Brucefield School (circa 1910)
Source: Walter Beatty



 Auburn School

This building in a farmyard in the Municipality of North Cypress-Langford is the former Auburn School. Established in August 1882, the Auburn School District operated its school at three locations in the Rural Municipality of North Cypress through the years, first at NE27-12-15W (about N50.04362, W99.44106), second at SW27-12-15W, and as of 1908 at the village of Oberon. The district was dissolved in 1967 and the building was moved here in 1977.



The former Auburn School building (circa 1990)
Source: Historic Resources Branch, Public School Buildings Inventory, slide 556.



 Castle Hill School No. 1057

The Castle Hill School District was established in March 1900 and a one-room schoolhouse operated at SW4-10-13W in what is now the Municipality of North Cypress-Langford. The district was dissolved in 1967 and its area became part of the Carberry Consolidated School District and later the Beautiful Plains School Division.



Castle Hill School (no date) by A. B. Fallis
Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs,
 


 Creeford School No. 180

The Creeford School District was established in September 1883 and a one-room schoolhouse operated at SE20-12-16W. It closed in the early 1890s and the building was moved to the village of Brookdale where it was used as a private residence until around 1979.



 Deer Range School No. 922

Deer Range School District was established in 1898 and a frame structure was erected at SE24-12-13 on land donated by local farmer William P. Smith. The school operated continuously until 1959.

The former school building is now maintained as a private museum by the Smith family, which has resided in the vicinity of the school for over 100 years. The museum is furnished as it looked in the 1950s and original record books and report cards are held in its collections. Further materials, including copies of school registers, can be found at the Carberry Plains Archives.




Deer Range School (no date) by A. B. Fallis



Interior of Deer Range School (June 2011)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough



 Dempsey School No. 189

The original Dempsey School District was formally established in January 1883 and a school building was erected in the southwest quarter of 35-11-14. The present school at the site, constructed in 1955, closed in September 1966. The building, now situated in the yard of a private residence, is remarkably well-preserved, with water faucets in girls and boys bathrooms, a water fountain in its hallway, a preparation room and teacher’s room, and a large classroom.



The original Dempsey School (no date) by A. B. Fallis
Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs,




The former Dempsey School (June 2011)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough



 Edrans Union School No. 1142

The Edrans School District was formally established in August 1901 and a school building was erected in Edrans. The first two schools at the site burned down, the latter one on 7 January 1943, and the present building, a two-classroom wood frame and stucco structure, dates from early 1944. It closed in June 1967. The building is now used as a church.



Edrans Union School (no date) by A. B. Fallis
Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs,
GR8461, A0233, C131-2, page 65.



Edrans School (1948)
Source: Jacquie Seaman Jones



The former Edrans School, now being used as a church (December 2011)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough



Elesmere School No. 1147

The Elesmere School District was organized formally in August 1901 and as of 1944 a one-room schoolhouse operated at the northeast corner of NW14-11-13. In 1950, the original building was replaced by a new one constructed on a three-acre parcel at NE23-11-13W. It closed in 1962.



Elesmere School (no date)
Source: Greg Pool



Fairview School No. 198
The Fairview School District was  established in February 1884, and a school building was erected on the northeast quarter of 12-11-15. It closed in January 1967 and the building was renovated into a private residence, which remains on the site as of 2011. A monument was erected nearby, in 1982, by the Fairview Community Club.



Firdale School No. 866

Known as Elk Park School when it was established in November 1895, in the Rural Municipality of North Cypress, its name was changed to Firdale School around 1918 when a new school was built at this site in the village of Firdale. It burned down in 1928 and, for some months, classes were held in a vacant house. A new buildng was constructed in 1929 using brick from the nearby Edrans brickyard. The school closed in 1966. The former school building, still situated on the original tree-lined playground, is now a private residence.




Firdale’s first school, built in 1883 (no date)
Source: The Carberry Plains: 75 Years of Progress.



The second Firdale School, built around 1918 (no date) by A. B. Fallis
Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs.


The third Firdale School, built in 1929 (no date) by A. B. Fallis
Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs,



 Harburn School No. 1313

The Harburn School District was established in October 1904 and a one-room schoolhouse operated at SE14-12-16W. In May 1915, the district was dissolved and the area became part of the Brookdale Consolidated School District No. 1299. The former school building was moved to the village of Ingelow in 1917 where it was used for many years as a community hall. Its contents were sold at auction in 1978 and the building was demolished.


The former Harburn School building (May 1967)
Source: Archives of Manitoba, Architectural Survey, Cardale.



Hazelgrove School No. 798

Hazelgrove School was built in 1894, at this site in the Rural Municipality of North Cypress, and a porch was added in 1909. It closed in 1917 when Wellwood Consolidated School was built. In 1949, the building was sold and moved away.



Hazelgrove School monument (May 2013)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough



 Kennedy School No. 1443

Kennedy School District was formally organized in December 1907 and a building was erected the next year. The school closed in the early 1940s and its students went to Wellwood Consolidated School No. 135. The district was dissolved in January 1966 and the building was torn down around 1970. A cairn at the former school site was dedicated in 2010 in memory of Gordon and Winnie Kennedy.



Kennedy School (no date) by A. J. Hatcher
Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs,



Kennedy School monument (May 2013)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough



 Langley School No. 2082

The Langley School District was established in August 1921, named for local resident W. B. Langley, and a one-room schoolhouse operated at SE4-10-13W. The original building was replaced in 1956. The district was dissolved in 1968.



Linwood School No. 641

The Linwood School District was organized formally in April 1891 and a wood frame, one-room schoolhouse operated at SW19-10-14. The original school building was replaced in 1942, with the old structure being sold and moved to Carberry where it was used as a private residence. The district was dissolved in 1962.  In 1963, the brick building was moved to the site of Arizona School.



Linwood School (no date)
Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs,



The former Linwood / Arizona School (circa 1986)
Source: Historic Resources Branch, Public School Buildings Inventory.



 Melbourne School No. 234

The Melbourne School District was established in March 1883 and a one-room schoolhouse operated at SE32-10-13W. The district was dissolved in 1962.



Melbourne School (no date) by A. B. Fallis
Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs,



 Montrose School No. 242

The Montrose School was built on the southeast quarter of 8-12-15 on land donated by Angus McBean in an agreement with trustees J. Mack, S. Bain, and R. Connor. It was named after the Montrose Post Office. The community became known as Harte with the coming of the Canadian Northern Railway. The school was replaced by another building in 1915, which operated until 1967.


Montrose School monument (October 2010)
Source: Allan Drysdale



Oberon School No. 259

The Oberon School District was established in 1884 and a school building was constructed at SE17-13-15W on land purchased from farmer Alex Ross. Around 1892 or 1893, the building was moved about two miles east, to NE10-13-15W. It operated until June 1939 when it closed due to low student enrollment but reopened in December 1944. It closed permanently in June 1951.  



Oberon School (no date) by W. C. Hartley
Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs,



Petrel School No. 268

The Petrel School District was formally established in January 1884, and a school building was erected here, in the northeast quarter of 36-11-15 west of the Principal Meridian in the Municipality of North Cypress-Langford. It closed in September 1967 and its remaining students went to Carberry Consolidated School No. 2404. The school building is no longer present at the site but is commemorated by a monument in a small park, now situated on the Trans-Canada Trail.



Petrel School (no date) by J. B. Morrison
Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs,



 Pleasant Point School No. 267

The Pleasant Point School District was established in 1884 and a one-room schoolhouse operated at SE13-10-14. The district was dissolved in 1962.



Prosser School No. 2040

Prosser School District was formally established in April 1920, and a building was erected in the southeast quarter of 16-10-14  during the summer and fall of 1920. In January 1962, it was consolidated into Carberry School No. 2404 and the wood frame building was converted into a granary. 



The former Prosser School building (December 2011)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough



 Stinson School No. 325 (RM of North Cypress)

The Stinson School District was established in January 1884 and a one-room schoolhouse operated at NE10-11-14. The district was dissolved in 1962. No vestige of the former school building remains at the site.



Stinson School (no date) by A. B. Fallis
Source: Archives of Manitoba, School Inspectors Photographs,



Sumerville School No. 160

The Sumerville School District was established around 1884 and a one-room schoolhouse operated at SW21-11-15W in what is now the Municipality of North Cypress-Langford. The original building was replaced by a new one in 1904, and the former school was moved to a nearby farm and used as a granary. The district was dissolved in 1967.



Wellwood Consolidated School No. 135

Wellwood Consolidated School opened in the village of Wellwood (named for Rev. J. M. Wellwood), in 1917. It consolidated rural schools from the surrounding area, including Brucefield School No. 799, Hazelgrove School No. 798, Kennedy School No. 1443, and Wellwood School No. 135. The school closed in 1976 and its building was demolished. A monument, topped with the school’s bell, remains on the former school grounds.



Wellwood School (1967)
Source: Archives of Manitoba, Architectural Survey - Wellwood 5.



Wellwood School monument (June 2011)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough



Woodlea School / Ingelow School No. 560

The Woodlea School District was established in 1887 with the name selected by Mrs. Thomas Morgan. A building was erected on land donated by Thomas McQuarrie, in the southwest quarter of 4-12-16 west of the Principal Meridian. It opened in January 1889. Grades 1 to 9 were taught through the school’s 71-year history. In the early years, due to severe winters, the school year ran from April to December with one week holiday in July. Teacher George Charlton planted the spruce trees at this site in 1898.



Woodlea School
Photo from the Carberry plains Archives

The Grand Trunk Railway created the nearby station of Ingelow in 1908. Woodlea School was renamed Ingelow School in 1923. It operated until January 1960. A monument was dedicated in 2003 to the former pioneers, school trustees, teachers, and students of the district.



Source: Allan Drysdale