Town of Two Rivers
District Schools

Newspaper Excerpts listing students of Two Rivers Schools
Teachers of Two Rivers 1913


                   Two Rivers Dist. #1 - Sandy Hill View

Sandy Hill View Scool was built in 1898. It was approximately 34by 24 feet, 
and made of brick. It was located in the SW corner of the SW1/4, of the 
SW1/4, Section 19, Range 25 East, Town 20 North.
Mr. Fred Luebke was the first teacher in the district, and taught for 4 or
5 years. He lived about ½ mile from school with the Matt Kimmes family, 
and paid $8.00 a month room and board.
The first enrollment was 26 pupils. The greatest number ever enrolled was 
33. The highest enrollment was between the years 1903-1910. From 1940-1942
it was necessary to close the school because enrollment dropped below 10 
pupils. The students were then transported to the Tannery school for one 
year and Rangeline the next year. In 1942, the school reopened with an 
enrollment of 14 pupils.
The school was one of the very few to have single seats and  real slate 
blackboards. A school was also considered properly equipped if it had a 
stage, and Sandy Hill and one across the front of the room.  
Pupils were taught reading, writing, arithmetic, physiology and language. 
Singing was always a part of the lesson plan.
Some of the other teachers were Charles Chizek, Pearl Kelly, Freda Heinz, 
Alma Zander, Erma Gostopherson and Mae Brievogel.

The Sandy Hill View School closed in 1958

Two Rivers Dist. #2- Tannery School In 1851, a shanty school was set up attached to the boarding house that housed the tannery workers and their families who worked for Cyrus Whitcomb. The shanty school was used until 1873, when a newframe school was built. It was 24 by 38 feet, and cost $300.00 to build. It was located on the Tannery Road between sections 24 and 25. Enrollment in the Tannery School in 1870 was 106 pupils, and two session were being held in the summer and winter. In 1880, a single session was held, and enrollment was 96 pupils. By 1890, there was only 50 students attending school. In 1900, enrollment declined to 23, and by 1926, there was only 7. In 1943, enrollment jumped to 42 pupils. There are no records of teachers before 1870. The district hired male teachers almost every year until 1900. Some of the teachers were: John Nagle 1871-72, Ida Robinson 1873 summer, S.W. Faville 1873 winter, Chas. Webster 1874-76, Thos. Walsh 1877, James Stitt 1878-79, H.C. Walsh 1880-82, Fred Christiansen 1884-85, C.H. Currens 1887, Robert Witte 1893-95, J. Shambeau 1896, Henry Koch 1897-98 and Sophia Jens 1904-05. The district maintained summer and winter classes up to about 1874, and were about 10 months long. After 1900, until 1938, female teachers were employed. On April 26, 1896, the wood structure school burnt to the ground. Plans were immediately made to build a new brick school that was 24 by 38 feet. A basement was added in 1927. Several years later, an addition was added on for indoor toilets. The Tannery School paid it's teachers $65.00 a month, which was the highest in the county. They also had some outstanding teachers who became noted in county, state, and national affairs. The Tannery School was closed in 1961.

Two Rivers Dist. #3- Crystal Springs School In 1869, Crystal Springs School originally was a small log building. The cost for materials, logs and labor was $200.00. It was very ill equipped for teaching, books were scarce, benches were desks, and boards painted black were used as blackboards. Crystal Springs School is located in the southwest corner of the NE1/4 of the SE1/4 of Section 21, Town 20N, Range 24E. The school site was purchased from Mr. and Mrs. August Wachtel for $1.00, only if it was to be used for a school. The school is often refered to as Goedjen School because Mr. Herman Goedjen, along with Mr. Henry Wilke, Sr. organized and set up the District 3 school in 1863. Crystal Springs School got it's name because of all the bubbling crystal clear springs in the area around the school. The original log school was removed, and a new school, which was constructed from wood framing, was built in 1905 at a cost of $1,500.00. Christ Tegen was the architect, and John Ebel was the builder. It was built with a basement that housed a furnace, fuel and playrooms. Enrollment in 1870 was 66 pupils, and the average from then on to 1905 was 30 to 50 pupils yearly. L.T. Wooden was the first teacher in 1869. Others were Ella Reisland 1872 Summer, Maggie La Plant 1872-75, Thos. Walsh 1876, Ella Murphy 1878-84, Mary L. Patnode 1885, Martha Magee 1886,Herman Schlundt 1887-90, Lena Miller 1891, Henry Arneman 1892-93, Elenore Mueller 1896, Henry Wilke 1897-98, Otto Engel 1899-1900, Christ Wulner 1901-03, and Lillian Westgate 1904-05. Subjects that were taught were: reading, arithmetic, spelling, grammar, writing, history, geography, and constitution. The Crystal Springs School closed in 1961 .............

Children from Crystal Springs School in rural Two Rivers pose for a school photo. Front row from the left: Florence Schmidt Wondrash, Carol Brown Brauet, Delores Haws Schultz, Lorraine Haws Franz, unknown, Alice Silversack. Back row from left: Frederick Brown, Russel Goedjen, Evelyn Jacquette, Esther Chapleski, Donald Brown, Irene Chapleski, Marie Silversack, Marian Schmidt Langer, George Silversack, Roda Wachtel Kocian and George Chapleski. The teacher is Victor Shimon. Photo taken in 1932.

Two Rivers Dist. #4- Shoto School

Shoto School, Two Rivers, NO. 4 - 1914 Cost $2665.00. Building 38 X 34 ft.; Schoolroom 27 1/2 X 27ft. Basement. Frame Building. Heating System. Library. The Shoto School.....What comes to all our minds??? Fond memories of an era in our lives. Playing ball, children running, the simple life.How we wish our children had a chance to grow up and learn in a school that was like family. And most of our families attended the school together. All the grades together, older children helping the younger children. Days gone too quickly..... We used to laugh when our parents would say, "I had to walk five miles to school one way every day, even in blizzards. We used cardboard to put on the bottom of our shoes so the snow wouldn't get in. Or, we had so much snow, it was as high as the telephone pole tops and we had to walk to school!!!' Remember those days. How we long for them. Shoto School has touched all of us, even if you were not fortunate enough to go there. There are no records of a school in Neshoto until 1860. Children were probably taught at private houses while their parents worked in the mills. The 1856 Two Rivers township assessment roll, that was set for taxation purposes, shows the district contained sections 27,28,29 and 32 in the Town 20N,range 24E. In 1861, half of the section 32 was attached to District No.5. The first Neshoto School was built in 1860 at a cost of about $250.00. It was 30 by 60 feet, and contained one classroom. It was located about two blocks south of the bridge on a hill. An east-west road ran past the southern boundary of the schoolyard. The school adjoined a cemetery to the west. In 1875, Cooper and Jones, who owned the school property, were ready to leave Neshoto. They wanted to sell the property, so a new location for the school was necessary. It was decided to build the new school in Kingsville, a small settlement to east of Neshoto. The first schoolhouse was torn down, and the district bought the Depons property to build the school. The school has remained at this site and never moved. The second Shoto school was built in 1881 using some of the lumber from the first school. However, most of the school was brick, about 24 by 36 feet. It was built by a Mr. Schwantes and the cost was $336.00. It consisted of a large classroom, and entry and hallway, cloakroom and a fuel storage room. Text books that were used were brought from home, and slate was used instead of paper and tablets. Blackboards were boards painted black. The desks were double seats and tops. This school was known as Kingsville School. The third school, Shoto School, was built on the same site as the second school was. Brick from the torn down school was used for the basement, which housed the heating and ventilating systems, as well as a large library. It was built in 1913, and cost $2,665.00. It was no longer called Neshoto or Kingsville School, it was called Shoto School. It was a modern frame building with a large classroom, a roomy hallway, two cloakrooms, a large attic, large basement, and flush toilets. School furniture and equipment consisted of single seat desks, slate blackboards, bulletin boards, a piano and a steel filing case. Electricity was installed in 1930. Enrollment in District No.4 during 1860 was 30 pupils. By 1870, enrollment was 73. In 1875, there were 75 pupils. There was a steady decrease until 1890 when there were 22 pupils. This was because of the mills being moved to Neshoto. After 1890, the school enrolled between 30 to 40 pupils. In the 1900's average enrollment was around 20. No records of school officers were kept before 1872. Officers later were: Henry Depons 1872-74, Andrew Rutz 1874-80, Chas. Raimond 1880-?, and Chas. Hacker 1984-96. Other officer listed, but no dates are: Henry Rahn, William and Joseph Meyer, August Gehling, Carl Buenzow, John Petri and Alex Rutz. The Shoto School has a very interesting history. Three different schools, at two different locations make up it's character. Neshoto and Kingsville had a population of about 250 in 1837. The saw mills and grist mill employed these people, and their children enrolled in the Shoto School. As the mills closed, the population decreased, and so did the population of pupils. The names of the first teachers that taught at the Shoto School before 1872 are unknown. Some of the teachers who taught after 1872 are: E.H. Smalley, Louis H. Truetter, Catherine Stitt, Sara J. Thompson, William Ross, Henry Walsh, Peter Carrigan, Jessie P. Ross, Emma Emerson, Emma Morrison, Clara Filholm, Lena Miller, Alice Newcomb, Carl Zander, William Engel, Floyd Brown, Myrtle Mosher and Mary McCullough. Those teaching at the Shoto School after 1906 are listed in the county school annual, including Marie Hall and Richard Franz. The district maintained summer and winter sessions until 1870's. Subjects were taught from textbooks such as Ray's arithmetic, Phinneas grammar, Sanders spellers and readers, Guffey's history and Mitchell's geography. Teachers salaries were not noted, but they were generously paid. The Shoto School was closed in 1962

Two Rivers Dist. #5- Fillmore The first Fillmore School was a log structure built in 1856. It was 18 by 24 feet, valued at about $80.00. The first chosen site was a ½ acre of the NW corner,Township 19N, Range24E, Section 3. Because of the dispute over the deed, when a second school was built, a new site was donated by Mr. Schwantes. This was in 1867. The school was 24 by 34 feet with windows on the long side. The schoolhouse was abandoned in 1885, and moved next door to the cheese factory where it was used for livestock. Later, it was turned into a garage, and then was destroyed by fire in 1928. The first Fillmore School had homemade desks, and meager furnishings. When the second schoolhouse was built in 1867, the first one was sold to John Krueger for $2.00. It is unknown what it was used for. In 1885, the third Fillmore school was built out of brick, was 24 by 40 feet and cost $571.00. There was no basement. It's heating and ventilation system was located in the northwest corner of the schoolroom. Water was supplied by an artesian well. Enrollment in 1856 was 14 pupils, but the district reported there were 26 school age children (4 to 20 years) living in Jt. 5. The school population increased steadily until 1885 when it peaked at 160 pupils. After that, there was a steady decrease that by 1900, only 74 school age children lived in Jt. 5. The first Fillmore School officers were: Wm Klop- Clerk, Solomon Denis- Treasurer and Kurt Meyer-Director. Other board members before 1906 were: Christ Schmidt, John and Fred Raatz, Henry Beeck, Fritz Sommer, Francis Svatz, Frederick Schwantes, Joachim Marquardt Carl Stueck and Ernest Schwantes. The first teacher in 1856 was Mary Jush and was paid $20.00 for 3 months of 22 school days per month. Teachers from 1857 to 1861 were: Jos. Luchanak, Wm Klop, Henrietta Lehman, Jos. Farrel and Amy Parker. In the 1870's, the teachers were: John Hussey, Mary Arp, August Nicolaus, James Kiwan and Frank Blesch. Teachers in the 1880's were: Henry Deters, Fred Braer, F.C.Christiansen, R. Neckley, Maggie Kelly, Louis Kahlenberg and Herman Schlundt. In the 1890's, the teachers were: R. Stockinger, A. Hanson, August Grimm, Carl Zander, Fred Althen and Henry Wilke. Teachers until 1906 were: Henry Wilke, Nora Johnson, Emma Eberhardt and Louis Ahlswede. The Fillmore School prefered male teachers, paid the best salaries, and many teachers taught at Fillmore for many terms. The last teachers at Fillmore School was Mr.William Ledvina. Fillmore School was closed in 1937.

Two Rivers Dist. #6- Rangeline Rangeline is named so because it is located on both side of the range line, between town-ships 24 and 25 East. It is in the N1/2 of the N1/4 of Section 13, Town 20 N, Range 24E. The one acre of land was purchased in 1862 for $2.00. The first schoolhouse was 20 by 26 feet, and was made of logs. The school would not be completed in time for the winter session, so it was decided that classes would be held in a room at the home of Franz Heyne. Classes were held from October to January. Caroline Volk was the first teacher, and was paid $75.00 for three months term of 22 days per month. The school house took from 1863 to 1865 to construct. The land owners in the district agreed to build the school themselves. In 1878, the first Rangeline school was destroyed by fire. The second Rangeline School was built in 1878 by Herman Witte for a cost of $373.68. The original building was 20 by 24 feet, and had three long windows on the long side. In 1898, enrollment increased so much that an addition of 20 by 30 feet was added to the west end of the school. A list of teachers who taught at Rangeline School before 1906 were: Caroline Volk 1862-65, Susanna Meyer 1865-68, Christian Trautman 1868-71, Mary Walsh 1872-74, Charlotte Flynn 1874-78, Fred Damler 1878-80, Otto Weigand 1880-81, Wilhelmina Berger 1881-82, Cora Buhm 1882-84, Hattie Siems 1884-88, Tina Arnemann 1889-90, Felix Walsh 1890-91, Martha Sechrist 1892-95, Sophia Jens 1895-99, Ernest Ferman 1899-1900, August Nimmer 1900-01, Otto Engel 1901-02, Louis Levenhagen 1902-03 and H.C. Wilke 1903-06. The frst well was drilled in 1892 and was 15 feet deep. In 1903, the second well was drilled and lasted until 1913, when it went dry, and then a third well was drilled. In 1940, water was piped into the school from the home of William Monk who lived to the north of the school. A storm shed was added to hold the pupils overshoes and coats. The district needed to purchase a ½ acre of property for the children to play on without breaking school windows or damaging neighbors crops. It was purchased from Mr. Vogeltanz for $100.00. A souvenior pamphlet titled "History of Rangeline School" by Mrs. Josephine Guetschow dated 1945 gives a more detailed history. Rangeline School was closed in 1961.

Two Rivers Dist. #7- Oakland Two Rivers No. 7 district was organized in 1856, and in 1857, a half acre was purchased from Henry Molle for $2.50. It cost $12.00 to clear the land of stumps and logs. The first Oakland School was located in Section 11, T19-20N, Range 24-25. The first school was built by Charles L. Sinkel for $53.00 labor. He also constructed thirteen seats and desks (that were about 6 feet long), a 3 by 4 table for the teacher, one "blackboard" that was 3 by 5 feet, one large armchair and two settles that were a form of a bench. The schoolhouse had a shingle roof, double floor, five double windows and a framed door. About 3,000 feet of lumber was used to build this log structure at a cost of about $30.00. In 1879, voters passed a motion to build a new school and change the site because the old school was not centrally located. One acre of land was purchased from Henry Funk Sr. for $25.00. A brick structure 24 by 36 feet with 3 windows on the long side was constructed for about $600.00. The foundation was stone and put three feet into the ground. A building committee was appointed which consisted of John Samz, Henry Kasch and Frederick Mandel. Each district voter either had to help haul materials, construct the school or pay their fair share with money. The school was officially named Oakland in 1918 because most of the district residents owned an Oakland model car, and they liked the name. The front of the school faced west and a small storm shed was added to hold overshoes and coats. An oil burner was installed during 1947 for heating, electric lights were installed in 1946. The playground featured a merry-go-round. In 1870, only 31 pupils attended Oakland. About 60 attended in 1885. Enrollment fluctuated with the times. By 1941,only 5 pupils attended, and voters decided to close the school and transport children elsewhere. By 1946, the school reopened with 11 pupils. The first school clerk in 1857 was Henry Volche, Director was Frederick Brandes and the treasurer was David Mandel. Caroline Volch was the first teacher, taught for 6 months, and was paid $16.00 a month. She also taught in 1859-60. Other teachers were: 1860's Adam and Bertha Sechrist, Alvira Birdsall, Caroline Volk, and Susanna Magee. In the 1870's, there were: Etta Pilon, Mary Ann Wright, Mary Ross, Mary and Katie Walsh and Aggie Scott. In the 1880's: Fred W. Broer, Mary E. Burke, Hattie McIntosh, Rose Burke, J.F. Magee and Mattie Sechrist. The 1890's teachers were: Lizzie and Katie Sechrist, Henry Behlow, Ernest Fehrman, Reinhold Eis and Julius Schwantes. Teachers from 1900 to 1906 were: John Wrieth, Edgar Jones, Dora Knutson, Ora McMillian and Mary Wallow. The road which passed Oakland School was known as Shingle Mill Road. A shingle and sawmill was operating in the area by Gustave Volk. The Oakland School closed in 1961

Sisters of Charity School In around 1849, about a half mile north of the village of Shoto, a parochial Catholic school was conducted by the Sisters of Charity, and the schools popularity was due to the fact that it accepted children from ALL religions, not just Catholic. It was said that the school was where the John Petri farm was in the 1890's, followed by the Croker family, the Pfeffercorn family, the Radandt family, the Petska family, and various other owners since. It is located in Section 20, Town 20 Range 24. The current family living there is the Roy Randall family.