Getting to school

In Nov. 1917, instead of walking to a nearby school building, students were transported in school buses to their new consolidated high school. Mound Consolidated High School opened with 10 school buses, still somewhat experimental in the consolidation movement. In the era before automobiles, the school bus was a horse-drawn wagon, owned by a local family and contracted to deliver students to school, with heated soapstones to keep feet warm and blankets to keep out the cold winds.

Ira Peterson (Class of 1927) and his sister, Mary, with their school bus

[Classroom Voices, p. 283]

In the 1920s, even though some students came on the train from St. Bonifacius, Hutchinson and Mayer, most came by bus. Students of all ages rode the bus together. The school day started and ended at the same time for all grades K-12.

Mildred Krenke Banks, class of 1921, was in the first class to go through all its years in the new building. In her book Minnetrista Memories (1993), she wrote:

“True, we shared our quarters with the lower grades, but the building was known as the high school building.

Come take a few trips with me to Mound School circa 1917 or 1918. This first one is on a beautiful, colorful fall day. Come, our bus has arrived. It is, of course, horse-drawn. It has a van-like top, which is mounted on a high-wheeled lumber wagon. We must mount in the rear and climb several steps.  We find ourselves in a rectangular enclosure with seats extending along each side. Above our seats are rolled-up curtains. We find seats among the jostling occupants. It may take us an hour to get to school three miles away, as there will be other stops, and some of the kids may be late. But who cares? We’ll have fun teaching each other.

The second trip takes place in the dead of winter. This too may be fun but will be a bit more exciting. This time our van top has been placed on runners. As we enter the enclosure, we find ourselves in gloom … The side curtains have been let down to keep out the cold winds … But now for the excitement I promised you. The roads have been partially opened since yesterday’s storm, but it’s rocky, uneven going. Our driver is uneasy about his top-heavy load and rightly so, for we may tip over.

'Whoops!' We’re leaning well toward that bank.

'Whoops! We’re going over,' shouts our driver. 'Lean the other way.'

All in vain. Over we go amid screams and shouts. Now, good lads and lasses, scramble your way out. No injuries! It’s up to you to right our vehicle. The sled runners stand firm, so heave and shove, everyone. We heave and shove. We can do it. And yes, we did it, for the van is again on its runners, and we can go on …

The above vehicle was our transportation for several years. By that time, though still horse-drawn, much more sophisticated buses with glass windows came into use, but even through my high school years they were still not mechanized (p. 126-127)."

Students came to MCHS from many neighboring towns. By the 1930s, the buses were mechanized, still owned and operated by local residents who contracted with the school district for a route. Here are some parked on the circular drive in front of the high school building. 

[Undated newspaper photo]

Some high school students would drive from their homes down to Maple Plain in their cars to meet the MCHS bus.  

From Island Park: Gerry Robbins (class of 1938): "The roads were clay and the buses got stuck. Children had to walk to the county road that was blacktopped to catch the bus."

From Maple Plain: Margaret Jorgensen Zoldahn (class of 1938): "There were children from Loretto, Maple Plain, Lyndale, Mayer and St. Boni that got on our bus."

From Minnetrista: Mary Sincheff Evanoff (class of 1933): She missed the bus once in the wintertime and walked from the farm on North Arm Drive to Mound, five or six miles. "My legs got blistered from the cold, because girls wore dresses to school, of course, and my stockings only came up to my knees."