Log School House facts for kids

The original Yellowknife School House, photographed in 2015.

This small log cabin was the very first school in Yellowknife, the capital city of the Northwest Territories in Canada. Built in the 1930s, it now sits on Franklin Avenue in the city's downtown area. Because of its important history, the building was named a City of Yellowknife Heritage Site in 1998. It is also listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places.

The cabin was first built by a gold mining company. But as Yellowknife grew quickly, it was turned into a school in 1938. The school was managed by Yellowknife Education District No. 1. The group in charge of the school, called a school board, was the first government body in the territory to be chosen by a public vote.

The school was tiny, and even with only 20 students, classes had to be held in two separate shifts. Sometimes, miners passing by would peek in the windows, thinking it was a place for refreshments, which would interrupt the lessons.

After two years, the school moved to a bigger building. The log cabin was later used as a laundry and a home. In 1987, it was given to the city to be preserved as a historic site. It was moved to its current spot, where it has been restored. Today, it stands as a museum to show people what school was like in Yellowknife's early days.

History of the School

A Town is Born

Gold was first found near Yellowknife around the year 1900, but not in large amounts. In the 1930s, a huge discovery of gold changed everything. This caused a "gold rush," and people from all over rushed to the area hoping to get rich.

Within a few years, Yellowknife became a busy boomtown with over a thousand people. Most people lived in an area now called Old Town. A local newspaper wrote that a school was one of the first things a new community needed.

The First Classes

Teacher Mildred Hall had to teach her 20 students in two separate shifts because the cabin was so small.

By the winter of 1938, the people of Yellowknife decided to start a school. They created a temporary school board and raised money from the community and the Canadian government. Classes began in a resident's home in January 1939.

Soon after, they rented the log cabin from a mining company to use as a schoolhouse. The first teacher was a volunteer, but he was soon replaced by Mildred Hall, a certified teacher from Alberta. Winter weather had made it difficult for her to travel to Yellowknife, but she finally arrived in February 1939.

Challenges in the Cabin

Mildred Hall had very few supplies, but she made the best of what she had to teach her students.

Teaching in the log cabin was not easy for Mildred Hall. It was so small that she had to teach her 20 students in two shifts. To stay warm in the freezing winter, all the windows and doors had to be kept shut.

The school's location also caused problems. It was near a busy path, and noisy miners would sometimes peek through the windows, distracting the students. Once, two men even appeared at the door, mistaking the school for a shop.

Hall also faced a lack of supplies. She had no textbooks and very few materials. She had to help older students catch up on years of missed school while also teaching the younger ones. When spring arrived, floatplanes were able to land on the nearby lake, bringing much-needed books and supplies.

At the end of the school year, 12 students graduated. Each one was given a silver dollar to celebrate.

A Proper School District

With the school up and running, the community needed a long-term plan. A formal, three-person school board was elected. This was a historic moment, as it was the first democratically elected government body in the Northwest Territories.

The new board officially created Yellowknife Education District No. 1. They set up a property tax to fund the school, so they no longer had to rely on donations.

Classes started again in the log cabin in September with 21 students. But by the end of the year, the school moved into a larger building that had enough space for a classroom and a separate living area for Miss Hall.

The Log Cabin Today

After the school moved out, the log cabin was used for many different things, including a laundry and a private home. In 1987, the city bought the cabin to preserve its history. It was moved from Old Town to a new location.

In 1998, the city officially named it a Heritage Building. A few years later, it was moved to its final spot in front of the Mildred Hall School, an elementary school named after the famous first teacher. In 2006, the cabin was added to the Canadian Register of Historic Places.

The building is a one-story log cabin on a concrete foundation with a shingled roof. It has a simple wooden door and a few windows. A plaque on the front tells visitors about its history. The cabin is a reminder of how education began in Yellowknife.

See also

• Fireweed Studio, another relocated log cabin from the early mining days, located nearby and also listed by the city and the Canadian Register
• List of historic places in the Northwest Territories

Images for kids

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  A view of the cabin's north side.