5LA.11863 Earl School
5LA.11861 Abandoned school near Walt’s Corner
5LA.11914 Tyrone School
Site types: • Schools • Teacherages 5LA.11947 Interior of Villegreen School
Education The establishment of school districts and construction of school buildings reflected the population trends of rural Colorado: where homesteaders settled, schools soon followed to serve a population spread out among farms and ranches. Because of the difficulty of travel—most students walked or rode horses to school—schools were typically located so that children would not have to travel more than five miles. Las Animas County once contained more than 130 school districts. The establishment of school districts followed the periods of settlement: a scattering of schools were established across the area in the 1870s and 1880s as the initial group of settlers arrived; few new districts were seen between 1894 and 1908; and more than fifty districts were established in the eastern portion of the county between 1909 and 1929, reflecting the homesteading boom.
5LA.11619 Remains of school desks
46
Most districts were represented by a single schoolhouse, typically containing only one room. Rural schools were the focal point of rural communities. A school building might be the only physical structure indicating the location of a rural neighborhood. It was used for social gatherings as well as religious services, funerals, and grange meetings.