7/18/2016 (2411)

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Seeking information of and pictures of the Pigeon School
From Joyce Grant-Worley:  Portland, OR.

Mr. Stokes. I’m seeking to find some old photos of the Pigeon School. My grandmother Ann McArthur Grant taught at the school around 1940. My uncle Jim Grant might have been in 1st grade, but my aunt Marjolaine remembers that she was taken to school and sat at the back when she was 4 or 5 as the person that was to care for her during the day was “not into child care”.  She tells people she had to do first grade two times.

I found an old town locator that puts the school in the vicinity just west of 34th street  on  97th / Lake Shooty Rd.

I will be in the Belcourt area around July 27-30 for a family reunion and thought I might try to find the spot, but I would really appreciate obtaining a photograph of the school. I understand that the Pigeon family built the school for kids in the area and it was a one room school.

Thanks for your consideration

Joyce Grant-Worley

Follow up message from Joyce
I plan on driving by what was designated on historic sites or old towns in ND. It marks the Pigeon School as just east of 34 street on what is 97th or Lake Shooty Rd.  From Google satellite it appear to be only farm land now and no building.

My uncle who was a first grader remembers that it was close to the road. My aunt a pre-schooler heard that the Pigeon family had many tenant farm workers and built the one room school house for the children. I guess my grandmother and the two kids slept at the school M-Th and my grandfather would drive over from Belcourt to drop them off and pick them up on Fridays. My uncle said I mother made potato soup for the kids to eat while there.

Can you post on your blog that I’m looking for any photos of the old school especially if they were taken close to 1940?Any would be much appreciated. I’m doing this for my genealogy background.

I figure the school district office is closed in July, but I might just stop in on my way from Bottineau (where my McArthur Grandparents lived) to Belcourt where a family reunion is occurring. I’m going to spend one afternoon at the Keplin Fest.

I started my own website through Weebly, just to post pictures for my four different grandparents. I hope then to get relatives to look at all the scans.

The Genealogical Forum of Oregon classes I’ve taken repeatedly remind us to tell our own story and get our own pictures labeled and in order. Really a person has to be retired to take up genealogy and these photo and sleuthing projects.

Thanks Joyce Grant-Worley

 

 

 

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Blog (482) posted on June 6, 2009

Posted on June 6, 2009

Message/picture from Dick Johnson (68): Dunseith, ND

Gary and Friends,

Thanks to Bill Hosmer for the information on the aircraft. I KNEW he
would know the details! My aunt Shirley Olson Warcup (’49) told of some
boys she remembered being in the jail while she and a friend were
skating. The picture I’m attaching appears to be taken in the old police
station / skating rink warming house. The jail cells are in the
background and the floor appears to be planks. That is the way the floor
was in the 50s-60s when I skated, although there was then a wall between
the cells and the warming room. This was before the little concrete
block jail was built near the alley. I remember an incident involving a
prisoner in the concrete block jail. I was at the Standard station
getting gas in my car when a Canadian pulled in and asked what that
little building in the alley was. I told him that was the jail. He said,
” Well then, your jail is on fire!” Russell ‘Sadie’ Pigeon was working
at the station for his brother Bruce, who was the owner at that time. He
grabbed a large fire extinguisher and jumped in my car. Bruce called
Frank Flynn to come up and open the jail. It took Frank quite a while to
get there, slipping his clutch and all. The smoke was getting worse and
worse out of the vents and around the door and we started to worry about
whoever might be in the jail. Frank finally got there and opened the
door and I could see a mattress burning in the back cell and a guy
laying on his back on the floor. Russell crawled in under the smoke to
put the flames out and I grabbed the guy by his shirt and dragged him
out onto the sidewalk. He appeared to be unconscious as he lay there in
front of Frank and me. Russell came out and just as he did, the guy
opened his eyes and was going to make a run for it! Frank yelled and
Russell blasted the guy in the face with the extinguisher! It pretty
well ended his escape attempt and had him hoping he wouldn’t get more of
it. After the smoke cleared, Russell asked, “What do we do with him
now?” Frank said, Throw him back in there, he lit the fire.” We left the
smoldering mattress outside and threw him back in and Frank locked the
door on him–after a few words with the guy, that I won’t repeat here!
There were a couple cells in the building but the prisoners generally
weren’t locked in the cells, just in the building. They had a small hole
carved through the plank door, through which their wives and girlfriends
could pass them cigarettes and candy bars etc. Do you suppose this jail
would pass the code for lockups today? It probably cured a few criminals
from ever wanting to come back!

This is a picture of Mona Dionne Johnson and her friend, in the mid
40s–I think in the PD. Right Mona?

Dick

L to R:

Mona’s Friend & Mona Dionne Johnson (48)

Posted by Neola Kofoid Garbe:neola@min.midco.net Minot & Bottineau, ND

Note: Christy’s parents are Jerry (60) & Margaret Bedard (62) Strong

Note:

Brooke Parrill is the Daughter of Rodney & Ann Parrill and Grand Daughter of Thurman & Marie Parrill from the Willow Lake area.

Jordan Kalk is the daughter of Brian & Karen Kalk and Granddaughter of Rodney (61) & Evie Kalk

Folks, this a cropped picture of Margaret & Bill from an original that I lost. The original picture also includes Phyllis McKay and Cecile Berube Reynolds. If any of you have the original, can you please forward it to me? Bill and Margaret both look so happy in this picture. Gary

Class of 65 reunion 7-12-07

Margaret Metcalfe Leonard & Bill Grimme

This is one of those famous Dale’s Jumbo burgers. I believe Bill

Grimme ordered this very burger. Served with chips or fries, I’ll bet

he was filled up when he was finished with this one.

Do any of you recognize the waitress in this picture?

Folks, I just had to share this wonderful picture of Phyllis with her students. Phyllis lives in Auburn, WA but I

believe she teaches close by in the city of Kent. Phyllis has been a teacher for many years in that area. Gary

Phyllis McKay (65) with her class – 2007