A Long Time Ago
I’ve been exploring education in Sturgis from a long time ago.
When the one-room schools were formed each was its own school district with its own school board. Town schools were also their own entity. Over time schools in town kept getting bigger and by the 1950s many rural schools closed or joined the Sturgis Public Schools system. By 1960 most rural schools were closed.
Early on it seemed many Sturgis teachers lasted only a year or two. They did a lot of coming and going to different schools and grades, both to the rural or town buildings. Others stayed put.
The first Sturgis High School yearbook was printed in 1916. Then as I scanned through the decades I watched teachers come in young and beautiful and as time moved on they aged then disappeared.
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For lower grades we only have the names of staff and teachers. I have a theory that one principal wasn’t easy to work with – there were different teachers in that building nearly every year.
The rural schools usually have group photos with everyone lined up outside the building, but often no one is identified. We also have pictures of Dunning School’s outings at Klinger Lake, apparently at the teacher’s family cottage. It looked like fun.
A painting of Ox Bow School caught my attention.
According to the records Ox Bow School was built in the 1860s. It was replaced in 1912 and renamed Bogen School. It became part of Sturgis Public Schools by the 1955-56 school year and was no longer listed as a school in 1962-63 records.
It was open for nearly 100 years. That’s quite a run.
During that time, Bill Sandman, a student and artist, attended. We have his painting of Ox Bow School in 1907. I believe he was looking back to the good old days as he dedicated it to Louie Bogen. We also have a pencil drawing and a poem attributed to Sandman, all memories of 1907.
Sandman identified the teacher as Zella Case. The boys were Frank Bogen, Louie Bogen and Bill Sandman. The girls, Amy Boyd, Amy Sandman, Rose Bogen and Ethel Bogen.
Three family names – Bogen, Sandman and Boyd. Talk about a close knit group. Hopefully they all got along, but kids can love or hate by turn, depending on the day. Sandman’s poem creates an idyllic scene while his pencil drawing has cartoon humor.
Five decades later there is a photo of the 1954 Bogen School Christmas program. It shows the student count to be more than 50. By then it was a two-room, two-teacher building.
I found these in records belonging to the St. Joseph County Historical Society. It’s very interesting how some schools had folks who saved photos and kept records. For others we have very little information. From what was saved we have a peek into life from another era.
To learn more about education in Sturgis “A+ The Story of Education in Sturgis” a Mike Mort documentary, will premiere at 3 .pm. April 27, 2025 at Sturges-Young Center for the Arts. It is a kick-off for May Teacher Appreciation Month.
Tickets are on sale online at sturgesyoung.com for $12 per person and at the Sturgis Area Chamber of Commerce, Willer’s Shoes, Five Lakes Coffee and the Sturgis Historical Museum for $10 per person.
