The Spring Valley District #57 with the White Schoolhouse and Log School

was formed soon after Green

Mountain and it incorporated part of the Green Mountain district and much of the Billy Irvine Ranch, the northeast end of Irvine Flats on property now belonging to Ron and Carol Swope. School opened in the district September 1, 1911. As more settler families moved into the region neighboring school districts continued to form nearby. In 1912 at least ten sections were transferred to the Rattlesnake Gulch District No. 69 to the west. In 1913 four sections of the district were transferred to Battle Butte School District No. 40 to the north which today lies mostly in Flathead County.

 

 

 

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The easternmost school, the White School, was a nice long two-room building with a teacherage. The White School was located on the northwest corner of Emily Irvine property the North _ of Section 36, Township 23 North, Range 22 West. The Log School was about four miles west on an acre deeded to Spring Valley #57 District by Arthur and Lee Larrivee for a Spring Valley School on January 8, 1920 on the southeast corner of Section 30. Arthur was a stepson of Billy Irvine. The land is more commonly known as Tat Browne’s land, or the old Irvine ranch. Josephine Browne was granddaughter to Billy Irvine and mother of Tat Browne. Art Larivee served as trustee in 1920 and obviously school was held at the Log School long before the deed was signed over. The Irvines’ probably permitted the school on their property for years without concerns but made it official when he saw the need as trustee.

 

In 1912 there were two teachers of record for the district, Maie Fischer and Mrs. Emma Pogue, and they could have been one at each school but they also could have both been teaching at the two-room White School. However the 1913-14 student registers indicate family names unique to two schools. By 1915 two schools were identified. Registers show them as "the East End and the West End" or The White School and The Log School. While both schools were labeled Spring Valley School, we assume school started first at the White School and it later ended there as well. The White School and Spring Valley School were terms that came to mean one and the same.

The Buffalo Ferry Bridge was built in 1920 which united Irvine Flats and Valley View. According to Korrine Wigen it was a great improvement. By 1923 when Lake County was formed Naomi M. Rudd was the teacher receiving $855 for the year with 12 students enrolled and a census for the community showing 25 people. The next year there were 17 students under Ethel Burton. Ethel was a White School student up to 1917 prior to teaching. From then on the decline in student numbers was constant even though Spring Hill School District No. 53 consolidated into Spring Valley School District No. 57 July 19, 1927. Together the newly consolidated district only enrolled eleven students. When Miss Nellie Standiford taught this school in 1928-29, Viola Jones, one of her pupils, boarded with her and also helped her with the janitor work. Viola, now Perkins, currently lives in Hot Springs. Viola’s mother had died when she was nine in Marysville and she was sent to live with grandparents who boarded her closer to the schools when possible. Viola remembers Miss Standiford complimented her on always washing her hands and keeping things clean.

As the years went by the drought came and the settlers couldn’t make a living so they had a sale and sold to their neighbors so there were fewer kids attending school on Irvine Flats. The 1931-32 school year Ethel Burton again taught with only two students enrolled. Ethel taught one year at Green Mountain also, the 1929-30 school year. The 1931-32 year was to be the last year of the Spring Valley District No. 57. In October the school board of West Lee, W. S. Burton, Alex H. Moore, and R. R. Beebe voted to consolidate with Green Mountain to form a combined Green Valley or Radio District #50.