Butte County CA Archives History - Books .....Schools In Chico Township 1882
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Book Title: History Of Butte County

SCHOOLS IN CHICO TOWNSHIP.

    The entire territory of Chico township was one school district until October
14, 1859, when three districts were formed in the northern part of the township,
and named respectively Pine creek, Rock creek and Mud creek, leaving all the
country east and south of .Mud creek in the Chico district. Schools were at that
time maintained in each of these districts, that in the Chico district being
situated about three miles north of the present town of Chico, near the
residences of W. W. Davis and J. W. Hicks.

    CHICO DISTRICT.—The census report for 1861 was 170 children; but as these
were scattered over so large a territory, there was but one school maintained,
and that at the place already named, near the border of the Mud Creek district.
The first public school in Chico, or what is now the Chico district, was taught
by Mrs. L. L. Sproul. She has for years held, and still holds, a position in the
school. Mrs. Sproul seems young to this day, but we must here record her as the
veteran teacher of Chico township. The school referred to was taught in a house
on the farm near where the present large new school-building stands, in what is
known as Oakdale Addition. It opened January 16, 1861, and continued five
months. From these beginnings schools were maintained in Sandy Gulch, or the
Davis school-house, as it was called, and also in or near the Chico town during
the next several years. In the meantime private schools were from time to time
maintained in Chico, by R. H. Allen, Mrs. Mott and Mrs. Doty. In May, 1863, R.
H. Allen sold the furniture and apparatus used by him in his private school, and
the school was, from that time until the old brick building was erected, taught
in the Allen building, on the corner of Fourth and Sycamore streets. At this
time the Dayton district was set off, and the funds honorably divided between
the two districts. The schools in Chico district were at the same time styled
No. 1 (the Davis school) and No. 2 (the Chico school). At this same meeting—May
16, 1863—of the board of trustees, it was resolved to take steps to erect a
building. To this end an election was called for the sixth of June, 1863, "for
the purpose of levying a tax on the taxable property of this school district,
for the purpose of locating, building and furnishing a school-house in the town
of Chico; and that the amount proposed to be raised be $2,500. The election was
held at the time appointed, and the tax voted by 60 votes for and 16 against.
The tax was levied at .50 cents on the 8100 worth of property.

     In 1864, the census marshal reported 199 children in the district. During
this year the walls of the Old Brick school-house, as it is now called, were
erected to the extent of one story high. On the eleventh of October there was no
floor in and no roof on. The trustees accordingly resolved to use the money
remaining in the county fund for the purpose of roofing, and J. D. Watson was
subsequently awarded a contract to put on roof and set in windows and doors. H.
T. Batchelder was elected teacher, and was permitted by the trustees to send to
the lumber-mill in the mountains and bring down fencing-boards, with which a
temporary floor was put in, the ends of the boards lapping over, instead of
being sawed and joined. In this condition of the house Mr. Batchelder taught his
first term of school in Chico, in the winter of 1864-and '65. The next year
another tax was voted by a majority of 123 to 53. The building was finished
during the spring of 1866, and furnished with desks.

    In February, 1867, the school-land troubles began. Gen. John Bidwell had, in
1858, made a donation of lands for school purposes. These lands having been
donated before the territory was divided into the districts, in February, 1867,
Chico, Dayton, Sandy Gulch and Butte Valley districts were interested in them.
February 6, 1867, a convention of trustees of these districts was held in Chico,
and arrangements made to collect funds and have the said lands surveyed.
Settlers on the lands contested the claim of the schools, and the courts awarded
the lands to the settlers.

    A primary department was opened in 1867, in a house rented from R. H.
O'Farrell. June 27, 1868, A vote was taken to tax the district for the erection
of a building for the primary department, but the tax was rejected. An election
was held September 26, 1868, at which a tax was voted for the purpose of
erecting the frame building standing near the old brick, and used for years
after by the primary department.

    The school-rooms being utterly inadequate to hold all the pupils, the
trustees submitted to the people the question of voting a tax for building,
April 29, 1871; the tax was rejected May 6th, 1871. During the session of the
legislature in 1874, the trustees and people of Chico district procured the
passage of a bill authorizing the district to vote whether it would issue bonds
for the purpose of building a school-house. The election was held May 16, 1874,
and it was decided to issue bonds for $25,000, to be paid within ten years. The
vote stood 143 for and 23 against issuing the bonds. The bid of Chas. Sutro, of
San Francisco, at $1.02 5/8, was accepted. The premium which the $25,000 of
bonds brought amounted to $656.25.

    The business of adopting a plan, letting the contract and setting forward
the work of building the school-house was done by the trustees as expeditiously
as possible, but could not be accomplished before the winter set in. When the
walls were well up, before they were finished, heavy rains set in and the
foundation gave way, causing a large part to fall and serious cracks to appear
in the part left standing. Upon reconstructing the walls, heavy iron rods were
put in. In the Spring of 1875 the new building was finished and furnished and
the schools moved in. The building has three stories, there being three
school-rooms in each story. It is very handsome in exterior appearance.

    The school has gone on increasing in number, until now ten teachers are
employed. Two years ago the citizens voted another tax of $25,000, with which
the old brick building was put in very handsome repair, the wood-work being
nearly all made new. H. T. Batchelder is principal.

    WOODMAN ACADEMY, CHICO.—Mrs. S. N. Woodman opened a private school in Chico
in the fall of 1863, and has continued it ever since. The academy building,
which was erected in 1865, was burned November 12, 1874, supposed to be the work
of an incendiary. School was continued in the dwelling on the adjoining lot, and
the following year a more commodious room was added for school purposes. The
school has accommodations for eighty pupils and twenty boarders. There are
seventy enrolled for this term. The teachers are Mr. and Mrs. Woodman.

    Miss WHITE'S ACADEMY, CHICO.—This private school is taught by Miss M. J.
White; has a large building capable of accommodating sixty pupils and about
twenty boarders. It was for a season quite flourishing. The present attendance
is not large.

    PINE CREEK DISTRICT had seventy-five children in 1861. In 1865 it had
increased to ninety-one, but has since been gradually declining. The school goes
quietly along, but has a very small attendance compared with what it once had.

    ROCK CREEK DISTRICT.—In 1861, the census report was seventy-one children; in
1865, ninety-eight, and in 1869, only forty-two. This is owing to the cutting
off of its territory to form other districts. The district has never owned a
school-house. During this decade it occupied an old, dingy shanty, the poorest
apology for a school-house to be found in the county. This state of things grew
out of the fact that there was no central place on which the district could
agree for a building. In 1865, an unsuccessful attempt was made to divide the
district. The only event of especial interest which has since occurred was the
removal of the school from the old shanty to a rented house in the town of Cana.
The quiet farmers in this district had fallen into the habit of neglecting the
election of trustee, allowing the superintendent to appoint from year to year,
until there was a full board to be elected. The citizens of Cana took advantage
of this in 1878, attended the election in force, and elected trustees to suit
themselves. The result was, the school opened in the fall in the town of Cana,
and has there remained. Families living remote from Cana, along the southern
border of the district, asked to be set off to the Meridian district, which was
done by the supervisors in July, 1880.

    MUD CREEK DISTRICT had seventy-eight children in 1861, from which time it
has varied but little. In a quiet way the school has gone on and done well. The
house is a good one, well situated and well furnished.

    MERIDIAN DISTRICT, when organized, August 31, 1867, was called Missouri
Bend. The present name was taken because of the fact that the Mount Diablo
meridian runs by where the school-house formerly stood, one mile east of Nord.
In 1877, the district having decided to remove the school house from the
meridian point to the town of Nord, voted a tax for the purpose, and built at
Nord one of the handsomest school-houses in. the county, at a cost of $5,000. It
is a two-story frame building, with front tower and double porches, and is a
model for beauty and convenience.

    YORK DISTRICT was formed December 29, 1869. Its territory lies in the
triangle between Chico, Dayton and Durham, and is quite small. It has a good
school-house, well furnished.

    WEBSTER DISTRICT was formed March 7, 1870. Its territory lies between Chico
and Mud Creek districts, and the school supplies the place of the old Sandy
Gulch school. It has a good school-house, well furnished, and standing in a
beautiful grove of large oaks.

    ANTELOPE DISTRICT was formed August 3, 1872. Its territory lies north of Mud
Greek district. The school-house stands about ten miles north of Chico, near the
boundary-line of the county. It is plain, and poorly furnished.

    LITTLE CHICO DISTRICT was formed November 12, 1872. Its territory lies to
the east of Chico, and the school-house, a very excellent one and well
furnished, stands near Little Chico creek, three miles from town. The school has
always been well attended, and has been taught by some of our best teachers.

    MEADOW DISTRICT, situated in the extreme northern end of the county, was
organized May 21, 1874. It is a joint district with Cascade in Tehama county.
The county-line runs just in front of the school-house, leaving the building in
Butte, though a majority of the children reside in Tehama. It is on the Humboldt
road, thirty-five miles northeast of Chico. The school has been taught
altogether by Butte-county teachers.

    FOREST DISTRICT was formed May 7, 1878. There is quite a history of efforts
to form a district midway between Chico and the Meadow district, which we have
not space to give. August 8, 1871, the journal of the board of supervisors shows
Tomo district formed, but no school seems to have resulted. Again, September 12,
1877, Tomo district was formed. School was kept a short time and the district
lapsed. Again, in 1877, efforts were made to form a district in the same, or
near the same territory, but lower down. After two abortive efforts to get the
matter rightly before the board of supervisors, the district was finally formed
as above stated. The school is near the Forest Ranch hotel, on the Humboldt
road, sixteen miles from Chico. A rented house had been used until the past
fall, when the trustees built a good house, and are now taking steps to procure
the best style of furniture.

    NORTH POINT DISTRICT was formed July 16, 1878. Its territory lies on the
mountain side between the headwaters of Mud creek and Rock creek. It has a
comfortable school-house, and about thirty children are in attendance at the
school.

    CLAYTON DISTRICT was formed June 15, 1881. It occupies a place at the foot
of the mountain, between Mud Creek and North Point districts. It is now in the
midst of its first session, with J. H. Childress as teacher.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

HISTORY OF BUTTE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA,
IN TWO VOLUMES.

I.
HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA FROM 1513 TO 1850.
BY FRANK T. GILBERT.

The Great Fur Companies and their Trapping Expeditions to California.
Settlement of the Sacramento Valley. 
The Discovery of Gold in California.
BY HARRY L. WELLS.

II.
HISTORY OF BUTTE COUNTY,
From its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time. 
BY HARRY L. WELLS AND W. L. CHAMBERS.

BOTH VOLUMES ILLUSTRATED WITH VIEWS AND PORTRAITS.
HARRY L. WELLS,
517 CLAY STREET, SAN FRANCISCO
1882.

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1882, by HARRY L. WELLS, in
the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.

FRANCIS, VALENTINE & Co., Engravers & Printers
517 Clay St., San Francisco

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