The settlement of Township 77, Range 17 began in June of 1928 when Tom Deasley filed on the first quarter in that area. During 1929 about 15 more quarters were filed on and by Christmas 1939 there were 13 of the new homesteaders in residence. They were living in log or lumber shacks thrown… Read More

There were two schools at Swan Lake. One was called the North End School, built in 1925. Mrs. Kathie Easton was the first teacher here and Miss Annie Forbes was the second. The other school was called the South End School and it was built in 1924. Mr. Frank Ward was the first teacher at… Read More

By Vi BensonAfter 35 years of dedicated service in the educational field, Claude Galibois is retiring. From various parts of the country, teachers, principals, administrators, former students and admirers of Claude will gather to honor him for a job well done. Love, affection, respect and admiration will be showered on him, because of the debt… Read More

  1964-1965ADMINISTRATORS: Principal – Harry Dewar; Vice-Principal – Dave Watkins TEACHING STAFF: Peter Mergens – Science, Math Carol Casilio – Physical Education Pam Slade – English, Social Studies, Physical Ed Al Davy – Physical Education Dave Hutchings – English, Social Studies Mrs Lillian York – Library, English Barbara Bengough – Commerce, English Errol Barbaree –… Read More

© G.R. Clare, 1997Within a few years after settlement began in the Peace River Block, it became necessary to provide some schools. Families with young children were beginning to arrive in the area. An informal school had been set up in Rolla with Everett Miller doing the teaching, but by 1915 it was obvious that… Read More

From a tape made in 1957, re-taped in 1977 Cross-posted: 18-086: Mr. Mervin Simmons – Old-Timer MR. MERVIN SIMMONS: In those days the Peace River Country could be likened to a sea of horrors, with islands of prairie and crabgrass scattered here and there. Prairie fires in the spring and fall kept the forest from… Read More

Transcript of interview by Mr. A. Davie Interviewer: “This is another of the Peace River Historical Society broadcasts about the early settlers of this district. We have with us in the studio Mrs. Dorothy Clarke who was one of the early teachers. We are glad to have you with us Mrs. Clarke. I would like… Read More

Interviewers: Dorthea Calverley & Alfred Seidl Introduction by Dorthea Calverley Modernizing the Peace River School system in the 1940’s was a somewhat turbulent affair. A report on the preliminaries, taken from a scholarly research by A.H. Child, appears as Article 10-05 and should be read as a background to Mr. Livingstone’s reminiscences. The history of… Read More

  When I graduated from Teacher Training at the University of British Columbia in the spring of 1951, I applied for a teaching position with School District #59 (Peace River South) headquartered in the Village of Dawson Creek. It was the only school district to which I applied for a position, because two years before,… Read More

By Walter Schoen, March 2000  In the spring and early summer of 1939 a colony of Sudeten refugees arrived at Tupper, B.C., at the site of the old Tate Creek Ranch. A two-room school was built to serve the children and youths of these families. I was eight years old at the time, so my… Read More