Sunshine School - Sunshine, Colorado
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boB B giB
N 40° 03.695 W 105° 21.895
13T E 468878 N 4434656
The Sunshine School is important for its association with the history of the mining community of Sunshine in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Waymark Code: WM7QFT
Location: Colorado, United States
Date Posted: 11/22/2009
Views: 3
The town of Sunshine was named after a telluride lode was discovered by D.C. Patterson in 1874. The community quickly grew to 1,200 residents as other mines were established in the area. At its peak, the town contained three hotels and numerous commercial concerns. A newspaper was even published during the period 1875-1878. Early in its development, Sunshine established itself as an upright community for the moral and sober, where the saloons were required to close on Sundays. An indication of the aspirations for the social development of Sunshine was the early availability of schooling in the town. The first school was private with classes conducted by an unmarried woman. It was held in the loft of a barn in the spring of 1875. The Sunshine School District #28 was organized that fall to serve 103 pupils. The district raised $568.25 to construct the first permanent schoolhouse in 1875.
By the early 1920s, Sunshine had only around 50 residents. About twelve children, ranging in age from five to fifteen, attended school. The school bell rang at 8:30 am alerting the children to be on their way, as school started at 9:00. The typical school day began with recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and the Lord's Prayer. During the day, the children practiced handwriting, learned to read, and did arithmetic and spelling. Geography started in the fourth grade. By sixth grade, in addition to reading, spelling, arithmetic, writing, and geography, the students studied history, English, and "health habits".
The Sunshine School operated from September through April. The children often walked through wind and snow. Before cold weather arrived, the families studied the Sears and Wards catalogs then filled out an order for warm clothing needed by the children for whom there were no hand-me-downs. Older children often stayed at home from school to help their parents, especially if there was a new baby in the family.
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