Chinook High School - Breeze Yearbook (Chinook, MT)

Page 7 text:

May. 1925 THE CHINOOK BREEZE 5 HISTORY OF CHINOOK HIGH SCHOOL The old man regarded me with a fixed stare for perhaps a minute, then slowly and deliberately he drew out of his pocket an old pipe and a pouch of murderous looking tobacco. He filled up and commenced to smoke slowly. Could you give me any information on the matter? I asked him again, half afraid that he would kick me out for a foolish young loafer. He did not seem to hear my question, but continued to look at me in a very thoughtful manner. Suddenly he cleared his throat. So it’s a history of the school yer awan'-in. hey?” Yes, yes.” I said hastily, with renewed hope. Yes, that's what I want. Now if you would Now jest hold your shirt on.” he interrupted me. Why don't you go to John Whitehead or Mr. Willman? Them two would both give you the facts.” Facts, I told him. are not exactly what 1 want. I have interviewed both of the men you mention and they both helped me a lot. but what I want is the story; something that is more interesting than facts.” “Oh. it’s a story you want instead of a Ms-story, I see. He chuckled thoughtfully. You’re not so big a fool as I sized ye up to to be; but I sized you up to be a pretty big one so don't feel too cocky.” I gulped and grew red. but said nothing. The old man took a few more puffs from his Hire and then told me the following story just as it stands: Now there is jest one thing that's bound tc follow a bunch of pioneers, and that’s kids. An’ there is jest one thing that’s bound to follow kids, an’ that's schools. That accounts fer the school startin’ here in 1S90. the town bein’ started in 1888. Now Lizzie Curtis, the first teacher ” “You mean Miss Elizabeth Curtis? Nope, thar weren’t no Miss Elizabeth about it as fer as I can rec’lect. She were ies' plain Lizzie. As I was sayin' afore you interrupted me, Lizzie Curtis were the first schoolmarm. an' the first school was the old town hall. The kids in them days hated it as a school, jes' as much as the guys nowadays hate it as a jail. Lizzie were teacher fer two years an’ except fer gainin' the everlastin’ hatred of all the kids, which every good teacher in them days did, she were pretty well liked. The next director of the edikation of the younger set were a Miss Lenord. an’ her sister stood beside her a most able assistant. These gals held the reins fer about one season when they was relieved by Miss Black-stone. I don’t know very much about any o' these gals ’cause I was goln’ with a steady then an' didn't dare take any of ’em out to dunces and sicli. But I sure can vouch fer Liz-'ie—she were a pippin. “Durin’ this period of growth on the part of the town an’ the kids, the citizens got ashamed of sendin’ their kids to a future jail so they up an’ erects a four-room brick huildin' outa home made bricks, which were sure punk. At the head of this ‘venerable institution of knowledge.’ as It was called when they dedicated it. they placed Mr. John Whitehead, and his left hand they placed a bunch of kids fer raw material an’ told him ’Go to it. John: make sumpin’ out of 'em; there is some promisin’ kids there.’ ‘Yep.’ said John, lookin' straight at my nephew, ‘there are several likely-looking candidates fer Deer Lodge an’ one which looks like he might graduate from Leavenworth.' As an assistant. John were very lucky in hrvin' Miss Cook, which was later argued into changin' her name to Mrs. Sands, as it now stands. These two skeered the kids clear of the distructin’ rocks of ignorance fer two years an’ how they ever taught that nephew o‘ mine as much as they did gets me. fer he always took after his uncle, which is me. The next guy which took hold of the steerin' gear was a duck by the name of Drake, an’ he sure was some fowl, let me tell you. I ain’t givin’ no personal opinions, but from what I hoerd and seed, an' from what other folks said. I have come to the conclusion that the poor feller weren’t so crooked as the town made him out to be: however, that don’t help much, fer the town sure painted him up. My nephew, after he had got run out o’ school fer chewin’ to-baccy, said he were so crooked he would make a snake's tracks look like the edge of a ruler, but of course that’s jest a kid’s opinion, an’ a kid which had got plenty o’ lickin’s. at that. ‘‘Drake hung on fer one season, when he was relieved by Scotty McFarlane. Except fer an awful habit of eatin’ rolled oats every niornin’ fer breakfast, he were a pretty good guy. He were quite good at teachin the kids arithmetic by the means of rules or rulers. It weren’t no time before every kid in school was aware of the fact that two swats plus two swats not only equaled four swats, but it also equaled a sore bottom and no mistake. Scotty stayed with her fer a year an could a took another swing at her but he moved on to a higher job. so H. A. Davee stepped into his shoes and manned the rudder fer five years, which must ’a been a strain on his constitution, fer my nephew was back in school: that is. when he weren’t playin’ hookey. Mr. Davee has the distinction of bein’ the guy what started the three-year high school. The next guy I can think of was Rankin, which back in those days meant the same thing as argument, fer a bitter feud was fought over that guy. ‘His enemies were bitter an’ his friends were very staunch.’ says Shakespeare, or some one equal to him, an’ I guess he were right in this case. I was his friend, fer he taught my nephew the ten tables, which no teacher had been successful in doin’ before. This. I believe, is a standin’ monument to his abilities as a teacher. Rankin left, an’ in his place came Mr. Willman. of which you no doubt have heard. Now just as Willman came things were in awful shape. Durin’ all these years, while the kids’ edication had been bettered, the huildin'. strange to say. had been doin’ jest the opposite. Those old home constructed bricks were so far apart that when the wind blew the poor kids had to leave their hats on to keep the hair from Mowin' off their heads. After much arguin' back and forth, pro an' con. an’ a little fightin' on the side, it was decided to build the big brick buildin’ which now stands. There was much language spilt on the subpect of the size an' it was decided to only build half the buildin' an' then add rooms on as was needed. A room was added on every year. “Now while they were buildin this edifice as the dictionaries say, school was spread pretty much all over town. Some of it was held in the Church, some in the town hall, an' some in the Dickson block. Mr. Willman ruled with a strong and steady hand fer many years. He is the guy that was guilty of gettin’ the school on the accredited list an’ a bunch o’ other honors. He started football an’ made quite a reputation fer himself as coach of winnin’ teams. He also graduated my nephew, which is one o' the clouded mysteries o’ my life—it is almost as bafflin' as tryin’ to figure how he learned the ten tables. “Now while Mr. Willman were buildin’ up the standards of the old school, some crazy female ‘back east’ got some crazy idea about women rights an’ she started pushin’ fer woman suffrage, makin’ the men suffer more than the men ever did. Of course with the advent of the woman winnin’ the ballot, she commenced to win prestige in the way of edication. etc. “The old school had at that time a feminine principal an’ with the passin' of Mr. Willman the School Board decided to try to run the rapids with a woman captain, so Miss Dickey were installed as chief. “Now if I get bitter, excuse me. I cain’t help it. I used to like women quite a little, that is before I got married, but now I have to git a grip on myself before I can tolerate ’em. Next to the rustlin’ of a snake in the grass. I hate to hear the rustlin' of a woman's skirts. I’m gun-shy. boy—I got a reason to be—you oughta know my wife. Well, as I said. I have no use fer women, consequently I had no use fer Miss Dickey but man to man. if you won’t tell no one. I’ll say this—she didn't make quite so much of a flop as I thought she would. About the only mean thing she did was to kill off football. When Miss Dickey left, a young feller by the name of J. B. Tucker was ushered in. He. too. had a steady head an’ a hard hand. He managed the school with the utmost ability, but gainin’ the disfavor of certain residents of our fair city he left in the midst of cheers of his lovin’ friends. He were a real man. Up on the Big Flat, near Harlem, there lived a tall and solom man who had a wife equally as tall and equally as solom. When Tucker left he cast his eye upon the job an' offered himself as the next martyr to the glorious cause of edication. His offer was accepted and he spent three desperate years (Continued on page ten)