Bringing Klickitat County back to its roots

This week’s story, “Long community Service Recalled: No. 12 Schoolhouse Has Store of Memories” was first published November 6, 1958. This was in the same edition as the Bruce Spaulding retirement story featured a while back. Mr. Spaulding’s retirement was at the No. 12 schoolhouse which stirred up memories from some of those attending the event. For reading convenience we have not put it in quotes.

The old No. 12 schoolhouse became alive once more last Wednesday evening when Bruce Spalding was honored for his years of service as a rural mail carrier. Since the school was closed in about 1938, it has been utilized for many such occasions as a community hall. On election days it serves as a polling place of No. 4 precinct. It is one of the county’s best examples of useful service which may be performed by the abandoned school.

At the Spalding dinner, a canvass was made of the over 50 guests, and 16 were found who felt especially at home because a part of their school days had been spent in the room. They included Victor and Dave Thompson, W. J. Young, Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Story, Oren Story, Cecil McDowell, Mr. and Mrs. John Hoctor, Mr. and Mrs. William Hoctor, Joe and Fred Hoctor, Abram Tebbs, Mrs. Bruce Spalding and Walter Story.

The schoolhouse was built in about 1892 or 93 according to the memory of W. J. Young and Clyde Story. It replaced an ear- lier building located about a half mile away on the Pierce place, which is believed to have been one of the fi rst schools erected in the county.

Best remembered of the school’s teachers was said to be F. S. Calvin, who taught there for 17 years.

Jim Hill, Mrs. Bowen, Kirby Lyle, Cary Ramsey, Kathryn Reader and Edith Niles also were mentioned as teachers, and Mrs. E. C. Kaiser was said to have been the last teacher of the school.

Calvin is said to have planted the fi r trees on the schoolhouse property, carrying them in gunny sacks from mountain sources over 50 years ago.

According to Richard Lefever in our “Looking Back” section, quoting a story from February 11, 1892, “The No. 12 schoolhouse has been repaired, so school clerk C.M. Phillips informs us. Directors N. H. Shank and A. Wing moved the old school one-half mile south last November. [The No. 12 school, located at the intersection of Hoctor Road and Number 12 Road, is one of the few remaining oneroom schoolhouses standing. It was consolidated into the Goldendale School system in 1938.]