The schools of any American community must always be accorded a place of first importance. While our space does not permit extended details, we must make mention of the beginnings in this vital feature of the life of the county.
The first school seems to have been the Owsley School, five miles below Pomeroy, built in 1872. At that time the children of the Pomeroy family were the only ones in the future town to go to school. As other families came in the need of another school was manifest, and a new building was completed in 1879 on what subsequently became the home of Mr. Benbow. That building was paid for by private subscription, Mr. B. B. Day being the largest contributor. There were about fifty pupils in that first Pomeroy School, and from the names the first families can be noted, there being representatives of the Pomeroy, Heaton, Rew, Milan, Potter, Hull, Dyer, James, Owsley and Benjamin families. Mr. and Mrs. De Bow were the first teachers.
In 1873 the first school district on the Pataha Flat was organized by a meeting of the settlers at the blacksmith shop belonging to George Gill. The first teacher was William Butler. The pupils met first in a little log cabin, but in 1874 a schoolhouse was built.
Such was the inauguration of the school system of Garfield County and of Pomeroy. The first school in Pataha City was started in 1878 with twenty pupils and the first teacher was Mr. Ogleby. The limits of space forbid us to do more than touch upon the chief stages of subsequent growth. It may be said that several of the Pomeroy and Pataha teachers have attained high rank in their profession in other parts of the state, and that the school system of Pomeroy, including the high school, has made an enviable reputation for breadth and thoroughness of instruction. That condition in the chief town has had a tonic effect upon the country schools. In 1889 the first considerable school building in Pomeroy was erected at a cost of $10,000 and Mr. Brown became first principal. Mr. Yerkes followed and under his regime a high school with a three year course was established. The principals following Mr. Yerkes were: J. A. Fertig, E. V. Kuykendall, D. E. Schnebley, Walter Lingenfelter, H. C. Benbow, C. H. Knaff, A. Kuykendall, R. R. Grant, and in the year 1910, the position of city superintendent was created, with C. C. Ockerman as incumbent. He was followed in 1912 by E. W. Collier who still holds the place. A large addition to the school building was made in 1905, and in 1916 the present elegant and well equipped high school building was opened. Through the courtesy of Miss Belva Ball, county superintendent, we are enabled to present the following data, covering the statistics of last year both for the county and for Pomeroy.
There have been forty-five districts in the county, numbered consecutively from one to forty-four. There is also Dist. 100 in Pomeroy. Several numbers have dropped out, through reorganization. These are Nos. 2, 15, 22, 25, 27, 30, 38 and 40.
No. 11 is Pomeroy. The teaching force in this district consists at the present date of Prof. E. W. Collier, Jessie Campbell, Ella Fisk, Emma Spenger, Charlotte Marshall, Mrs. Laura Davison, Gertrude Wilson, Dessa M. King, Jennie Dean, C. B. Lindahl, Mabel Owen, H. C. Hayes, Marie Schmidt, Brightie Considine, A. S. Kubitz, Mamie McCoy.
The total assessed valuation of the county by current report is $4,192,340. That of the school property, including grounds, buildings, and equipment, is $370,240.
The total school enrollment is 1,074, the school census is 1,339. The enrollment of the Pomeroy High School is 120. This is an accredited school. The school at Pataha has one year high school work. The total number of teachers in the county is fifty-five.
TOWNS OF GARFIELD COUNTY