Marker Name: Poplarfield & Area School Districts (and many other plaques)
Languages: English
Location:
King Buck Park
Hwy 68 and Hwy 17
Poplarfield
Marker Text:
Poplarfield & Area School Districts
This memorial is raised in tribute to the schools of the Poplarfield region. Dehowa School District named for a village in Ukraine, was formed in 1908. Wheathill School was constructed in 1913, Leeland in 1915, High Plains in 1916, Sharpewood in 1917, Reynolds in 1918, and New Star in 1935.
Each school - a daily focal point for students, teachers and trustees - became a centre for all residents and the surrounding community for concerts, athletic competitions, school picnic, community meeting, public health, and cultural activities. The schools were used as polling stations during elections, and on weekends they often served as halls.
Declining enrollment, school consolidation, and bussing led to the closure of these rural schools. By 1967. Dehowa was the only surviving elementary school in the area. In 1968, high school classes moved to Fisher Branch and Dehowa, too, was dissolved, fully 60 years after its inception as the first school in the area.
This memorial, and the school site markers, are erected on behalf of the people of Poplarfield with support from Manitoba Culture, Heritage & Tourism, the Rural Municipality of Fisher, the Poplarfield Development Corporation, the Poplarfield Ladies Aid Society, and many individuals whose lives have been touched by these schools.
August, 2020
Agency: Not listed
Website: Not listed
Link to HistoricPlaces.ca or mhs.mb.ca: Not listed
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