The Harris Centennial
Harris --The past 100 Years
Muel Team School Bus
Page 25
Mule Team School Bus Was Used In Allison Township
During Early Winter Years by Two Families
Our recent snow and blizzard and our school busses stopped on account of blocked roads, made me think of the old days of school and our way of transportation to the house of learning.
“School Busses in 1888,” When I was a lad going to school we lived one and a half miles north of Center School in Allison Township. I still live on the old home place. We drove a team in winter hitched to a small sled we called a jumper. Had a small stable at the schoolhouse where we kept our team during the day. The prairie grass on the ground held the snow so it was about one and one half feet deep on the level and driving to and from school each day packed the snow very hard by mid-winter. The team needed no guiding, as they would keep on the hard beaten path. In severe weather we used a large umbrella to help protect us from the cold and had to be very careful or the wind would turn it inside out. Mr. Hall lived one mile east of the schoolhouse where the Ted Lowry family now lives. The Thomas family lived less than a mile north of there in the field. Their team was a large span of mules with a lot of good horse sense. In the morning Mr. Thomas would hitch them to a bobsled, The Thomas children would get in, as far as the Hall place, get the Hall children and away they went to school. Nona Thomas, now Mrs. John Stewart, of California, was the one way driver. The two families made a good-sized load. When they had reached the schoolhouse Nona turned the team around, fastened the lines securely to the box and started them home. When nearly time to get the children in the afternoon Mr. Thomas would again hitch up the team and start them down the road. Mr. Hall would be watching for them, he would start them going west toward the schoolhouse. They had it timed right so the team got to the schoolhouse at just about four o’clock. They would come up, turn the sled around and stop at the school steps, ready for the children to get in the sled. Each morning the team was turned around in the same circle and stopped at the steps. One afternoon, on Friday, we were “spelling down.” We did not get done until a little after four o’clock. The team came as usual, turned around and stopped at the steps, and waited a few minutes. Then we heard them start for home. One of the boys ran out, overtook them, and drove them back to the schoolhouse for their load of children.
-C. E. Benson