Abstracted from "Old Country Schools of Canyon County, includes Gem and Payette County" by Corinne Moyers. Privately published, 1988. (p. 26)
Located on what is known as McConnel Island in the Boise River, also bounded by the Snake River, the school was constructed in 1885 and named McConnel Island School after Dave McConnel, father of Fred, Mervin, Cora, Emma and Margaret McConnel. For many years one had to ford the Boise river to get to and from the island, a difficult task when the water was high in the spring.
Children listed in 1893 were Thomas, George, Frank, Lillie and Maggie Farley; Samuel, Alfred, Cynthia and Katie Bowles; Stella, Benj and Fred Allen; Nettie Price; Fred, Emma, Mervin and Maggie McConnel; Cora Isenberg; Olive, Nellie and Harmon Givens; Elmer Givens and Will Hickerson attending school in this district.
The district formerly owned another building which was moved three times by vote, as no one was satisfied with its location. The school burned on June 12, 1915 and another building of board and bat construction was erected the following year. The average attendance was 17 and had run as high as 27.
The school bell came loose from its moorings and crashed into the school yard when Margaret Koolhof taught there. Fortunately the recess had ended and all the children were in class.
In 1946 Virgil Raney was chairman of the school board, James Hedges, clerk and Donald Scott, member.
At an election held in April 1954 six school districts voted to become reorganized into Class A District #137, Parma. The vote of the Island residents was 28 in favor and 19 against.
Margaret Koolhof, former teacher, took a picture of the school house in 1971; the top had been taken off and the roof lowered to make a barn for feeding calves.
Copyright © 2009 - Sharon McConnel. All Rights Reserved.
Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. - Thomas Jefferson