There are many faithful read-ers of this column who at-tended one of the country

schools in the Berthoud area. From 1873 into the 1950s there were sever-

al independent school districts in the rural ar-eas surround-ing Berthoud that pro-vided up to an eighth-grade education for children liv-ing in districts that generally covered six to eight square miles. Country school districts varied in size, but the general rule of thumb

was that no child should live much more than two miles from the school building. Even so, some local coun-try school alums still maintain that they walked six miles uphill through stormy weather to get to -and from- school.

The fi rst school in the Little Thompson Valley was a little log cab-in located on the homestead farm of Lewis Cross on the Little Thompson river bottom.

Built in 1873, the school was

known as “Little Thompson” and then “Berthoud” until 1887 when a a new school building was built in the town

In that year the school in relo-cated Berthoud became known as the “Berthoud school,” and the original school located on the river bottom became known as “Old Berthoud school.”

While the Old Berthoud school that was located one mile south of present-day Berthoud remained in operation at its original site until 1954, the Mars Hill school that was originally built one mile north of Berthoud in 1883 was moved to the site of pres-ent-day Campion a few years later. The original Mars Hill school build-ing, a large frame structure that is now used as a barn, still stands at a modern address at 2349 S. Garfi eld, Loveland.

The Red Rock, Blore — later to become Culver- Meadow Hollow, Sunnyside and Whipple school dis-tricts were also occupants of the Little Thompson Valley. The Pinedale, Lone Tree and Lakeview districts, which were more distant from Berthoud, also had ties to the town.

Country school districts collected taxes from landowners within the district and were commonly governed by three-offi cer boards that included a president, secretary and treasurer. Expenditures usually included the purchase of coal for heating and sala-

ries paid to teachers, who before the advent of the automobile boarded in the homes of local families.

In the case of the Meadow Hollow School, which is now located in the backyard of the Little Thompson Valley Pioneer Museum, the teacher’s sleeping quarters were in a family’s living room that was closed off with a curtain to provide privacy.

In those early days teachers were invariably young women who in some cases were a year or two younger than their oldest male students. For that reason, it wasn’t uncommon for them to use a yardstick to infl ict discipline if more humane means failed. It was also not uncommon for those teachers to be dismissed without notice, since the school board sat only an arm’s length from the classroom.

When area students return to school in a week or two they will abide by a calendar that is likely to be altered. That was not always the case in country school districts when epidemics of typhoid and scarlet fever emptied classrooms and sugar-beet harvest closed schools for a few weeks in the late fall.

In the summer of 1913 the Whipple School District, two miles east of Berthoud, hired a young woman by the name of Ivy Stockwell to teach a summer make-up session for all the young men who missed classes in October to harvest beets. That prac-

tice was not unheard of in the Little Thompson Valley a century ago but

would probably cause a student revolt today.

Berthoud Weekly Surveyor August 15, 2013 Page 5

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A LOOK AT BERTHOUD

The historical society and Mark French are interested in obtaining and copying old photos from Berthoud’s past. Please contact Mark at 532-2147 if you have any photos you would like to share.

Surveyor Columnist

Mark French

Berthoud’s country schools educated kids living in rural areas

Planning commission notesBy Rudy HemmannThe Surveyor

The fi rst agenda item brought for-ward by town staff at the Berthoud Planning Commission’s Aug. 8 meet-ing consisted of annexation requests for three properties owned by the town; the Carter, Richardson, and Jaskowski properties.

According to a staff report pre-pared by Town Planner Tim Katers, the role of the commission is to con-duct public hearings on the proposed annexations and make recommenda-tions to the town board concerning approval, approval with conditions, or denial of staff’s proposals.

Katers gave a brief presentation which outlined pertinent facts and locations of each property before turning the matter back to the com-missioners for discussion.

The Carter property consists of just under three acres located at the southern end of Berthoud Reservoir. It was purchased by the town in 2012 in order to gain access to the reser-voir with construction machinery from Larimer County Road (LCR) 10E during the reservoir bypass

water-line build. The property con-tains one modular home and three out-buildings.

The Richardson property is an approximately 86.3-acre parcel situ-ated north of Loveland Reservoir. It is bounded on the west by U.S. Highway 287, by LCR 17 on the east, Handy Ditch on the north and the reservoir on the south.

The property was purchased by the town, along with substantial wa-ter rights.

In his report Katers states, “As with the Carter land, proposed land uses on the Richardson property have not been determined at this time.”

He also notes the town’s preferred land-use plan supports annexation of both properties, and both properties are located in high-density/mixed-use areas.

“Ownership of the Jaskowski Property, located between Lonetree Reservoir and LCR 14, was trans-ferred to the town by quitclaim deed and the consideration of $10 in July of last year,” according to the report. The property includes several recent-ly constructed buildings, including a 2,474 square-foot stucco house, an 8,080 square-foot indoor arena and a 2,112 square-foot apartment.

The property, plus right-of-way, totals just under 87.5 acres, all of which is under a conservation ease-ment held by the Legacy Land Trust. The conservation easement restricts uses of the land and ensures the orig-inal conservation goals and values

remain in place. According to the staff report, the

property also came with substantial water rights; however, they are per-manently tied to the land.

There was little discussion by the commissioners, and a motion recom-mending annexation for each proper-ty -in turn- was made and seconded. The motions also included the stipu-lation that the properties be rezoned as agricultural. All three motions were approved unanimously.

The commissioners next took up the question of revisions to the de-velopment code. Planning staff has kept track of portions of the code that would benefi t from revision. Items brought up by staff for discussion were:

• Plat dedication language related to mineral ownership.

• Fence provisions along side yards.

• Accessory building distance from an alley.

• Percentage of the façade of a house that may be taken up by front-facing garages.

Planning staff had reasonable sug-gestions for each issue, and a motion recommending to the town board that the suggested changes be adopted was made, seconded and unanimous-ly approved.

The meeting closed with a report by Katers concerning upcoming meet-ings, potential agenda items and the possibility of future commission va-cancies.

Special to the Surveyor

With the pool coming to a close, the manager and staff would like to say thank you for another successful 2013 swim season.

The Berthoud pool’s last day of public open swim will be Sunday, Aug. 18. Improvements made dur-ing the off season to the restrooms and the addition of a pool lift chair made the facility friendlier to use for patrons with disabilities. The new mechanical system ran great for the second year in a row and made it possible to stay open the entire sum-mer without having to close the for a maintenance issue. The unpredictable afternoon weather, at times, caused us to close early throughout July due to thunder and lightening. But de-spite those early closures, our commu-nity pool still serviced close to 7,000 people throughout June and July.

Usually, heading to the pool during summer days to swim or just have fun is not a concern of it being open; how-

ever, it can be in the month of August for the town of Berthoud.

Each year, a pool closing date is determined during the operational season after a July meeting with pool staff. Based on staff availability and when our employees return to their respective high school and college campuses, we chose the latest date possible that we can safely cover open public swim hours. The town employs many area high school and college students to work every season at the pool. Based on when they need to go back to school, we lose staff at dif-ferent days in the month of August. It is the Parks and Recreation Department’s desire to retain enough staff to keep the pool open as long as possible. Usually we can safely oper-ate the pool until past the second week in August and strive to do so.

This problem is common and shared by other communities that op-erate seasonal outdoor pool facilities and do not employ full-time lifeguards on an annual basis.

We are thrilled at the number of people who used the pool over the summer for various water activities and hope to see everyone back next year. Here is the schedule for the remaining days of summer until the last day of Aug. 18: Aug 12-16 — Lap swim: 6:15 - 7:15 a.m.Water aerobics: 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. Tuesday /Thursday onlyOpen swim: 1 - 4:30 p.m.Family swim: 4:30 - 7 p.m.Saturday and Sunday: Aug. 17-18; open swim: 12 - 5 p.m.

August pool schedule

Photo courtesy of the Berthoud Historical SocietyThe Old Berthoud school south of present-day Berthoud was the fi rst school district to be formed in the Little Thompson Valley. From 1873 to 1883 classes were held in a log cabin that doubled as a church. The new brick school house shown in the photo was completed a few months before Berthoud was moved to its present site in the winter of 1883-84.

Gov. Hickenlooper appoints Berthoud man to public construction boardSpecial to the Surveyor

Matthew Donald Throop of Ber-

thoud, was appointed in July, by Colorado Governor John Hicken-looper, to serve as a construction manager on the Public School Capital Construction Assistance Board. The Board was established to protect the health and safety of students, teach-ers, and other persons using public school facilities and maximize stu-dent achievement by ensuring that the condition and capacity of public school facilities are suffi cient to pro-

vide a safe and un-crowded environ-ment that is conducive to students’ learning.