School: Rocky Run

Transcriber: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Olson, Gemmeke, Tanner, Brezic, Miklic, Hansen, Clute, Gullard, Engel, Lemberg, Govek, Lesar, Gosar, Trunkel

----Source: Family Scrapbook

Due to growing enrollments, and because of the extremely long distances some children had to walk to their respective schools, a new school district, Joint School District No. 1 was organized in 1921. It included portions of the towns of Mead, Warner, Eaton and Hendren. The first school board consisted of: Herman Olson, Director; Henry Gemmeke, Treasurer; Gottfried Tanner, Clerk.

For the 1921-22 school year a building was rented from John Brezic for $75.00. It had been the home of Louis Miklic. He had given up farming and sold his land to John Brezic. The Brezic farm is now owned by Francis Hansen. Frank Clute was hired as teacher for that term at $80.00 per month.. This building was moved to Braun Settlement by J. P. Gullard.

On March 28, 1922, land for the new building site was purchased in the Southwest quarter of Section 36 in the town of Mead from Engel and Sons, Mayville, Wisconsin. It was paid for with Check No. 1 from the Building Fund in the amount of $30.00. In the spring and summer of 1922, an attractive and for that time a modern schoolhouse, with burnout inside toilets, was constructed. A. P. Lemberg was the contractor with local labor helping. The school bell was purchased from Montgomery Ward for $9.85, plus $2.36 freight.

The new school was called Tanner School because the nearest farm was Tanners. The following year, at the school meeting, because the school was situated so close to picturesque Rocky Run Creek, the name was changed to Rocky Run School.

The first of classes began on September 4, 1922, with 42 happy and excited students in attendance, representing all grades from one through eight. Mr. Fred (Helen Chadwick) Behrens was hired as teacher at $90.00 per month. The school term was for eight months.

The school was in operation for 38 years; then due to dwindling enrollment and other factors, all school districts were dissolved and merged into one school district in Greenwood, effective July 1, 1957. Then it operated as a branch school of the Greenwood district, until its' doors were closed for the last time in 1959.

The golden era of the little schools had ended; warm, intimate, one room, one teacher schools. There is sadness in their passing. The building was sold to the Black River Bowmen, with one acre of land, to be used as a club house.

Submitted by: Frank Govek, Mary Govek Lesar, and Sophie Gosar Trunkel