Landru School No. 5 |
REUNION of the students and teachers who attended the old Landru school number five was held Monday in Forest City. Attending were, seated from left, Vergil Christensen Brones, Doris Taylor Swain, Luella Book Johnson, Ruby Farus, a teacher, Edward Schultz, Marjorie Taylor Gorball and Florence Tobiason Carlson. In the second row were Leona Jensen Lackore, Reba Taylor Powers, Mae Taylor Lackore, Martha Ness Cooper, Louise Andersen Hansen, and Laura Otis Wolff, a teacher. Third row included Milton Stout, Carroll Taylor, Gordon Bottleson, Harry Steffensen and Clyde Buckley. Clarion Peterson attended the reunion but was not present for the photo. ___ ___ Landru school No. 5 students, teachers hold reunion MondayReunion of the teachers and students from the orginal Landru school number five was held Monday at the Odd Fellows hall in Forest City. Attending the reunion were Luella Book Johnson, Marjorie Taylor Gorball, Leona Jensen Lackore, Mae Taylor Lackore, Louise Anderson Hansen, Carroll Taylor and Harry Steffensen, all of Forest City, Florence Tobiason Carlson, Clarion Peterson and DeVere Steffensen of Leland. Vergil Christensen Brones of St. Ansgar, Doris Taylor Swain of Amoret, Missouri, Edward Schultz of Mason City, Reba Taylor Powers of Crystal Lake, Martha Ness Cooper of Goldfield, Milton Stout of Albert Lea, Gordon Bottleson of New Town, North Dakota, and Clyde Buckley of Fertile. Two teachers were also present for the reunion. They were Laura Otis Wolff of Forest City who taught from 1924-1926 and Ruby Farus of Faribault, Minnesota, who taught 1926-1928. Mrs. Louise Hansen who started at Landru school in 1905 and Harry Steffensen who started in 1906 were the oldest students present. Mrs. Hansen attended six years at the school while Steffensen completed all eight grades. Built in the 1870's, Landru school number five was located two miles north and two miles west of Forest City. It was the center school of Forest township and used as a community center for township residents. The one room school housed grades first through eighth. The number of students ranged from 15-25. During the winter months, the children were served "hot lunch." A hot dish, soup or macaroni and cheese was prepared in a large kettle and skillet on a three burner kerosene heater in the entry way. The teacher and older girls prepared the food before school. Before lunch time, one of the older girls who was finished with her work, was allowed to re-heat the food for lunch. Water was carried by the students from a farm place located a quarter of a mile away to the school. Later the school had a crock cooler with a spicket. The building was heated by coal. The schoolhouse caught fire in the spring of 1927. The building was not severly damaged but residents constructed a new building on the same site. Albert Kessey was the contractor. Clyde Fox bought the old building and moved the schoolhouse to his farm. The new school was used until the Christmas of 1953. It still stands in the Carl Alm trailer Park. ~*~*~ |
