Is situated in the central-eastern part of Mound Valley township, and includes the town of Mound Valley. This district was formed in the summer of 1869, although there is nothing now on file showing that fact. The first annual report was made August 31, 1870, by Alexander Honrath, clerk; it shows 33 children in the district, 22 in school, with an average attendance of 11. In 1870 the board was composed of Josephus Moore, Alexander Honrath, and L. C. Wilmoth. A new two-story building was erected in the summer of 1882, and in 1885 an addition was made thereto. In 1885, the high school was organized, and since then there have been graduated 15 boys and 35 girls, total 50. Since the establishment of the high school, the principals have been: A. Moore, three years; J. T. McGee, two years; A. D. Martin, two years; A. J. Lovett, two years; C. H. Williams, two years; S. L. Fogleman, two years; and again, A. J. Lovett, three years.

While there is no record thereof, an attempt must have been made in the summer of 1869 to form the district, which probably failed. It was formed May 12, 1871, and lay in the southeastern corner of Mound Valley township. The first meeting was held May 27, 1871, on petition therefor, signed by Joseph Moore, Alexander Honrath, John Campbell, S. W. Slocum, E. Tanner and others. The first school in the district was taught in 1879, by Della Wilson, in a cabin on section 23, belonging to Rev. F. L. Walker. A school-house was not built until 1880.

On June 7, 1870, E. P. Emery, Wm. R. Ables, and others petitioned for a district in the southwestern part of Walton township. I find no record of its formation, but it seems to have been organized soon after the presentation of the petition. S. B. Shaffer, J. A. Jones and G. B. Hughes are reported as the board in 1870. A school-house was built near the southeast corner of section 20 in the spring of 1871. In 1890 this first building was replaced by a new and much better one. The first school in the district was taught by Miss Sophronia Emery, in a log house on R. P. Clark's claim, in the fall of 1870.

Was formed October 4, 1869, and embraced the southeast corner of Labette township and the northeastern corner of Mount Pleasant township, and includes the city of Altamont. In 1870 the board were G. Conner, J. C. Murphy, and John Elston. The first school-house was built in 1872, and was used until the number of scholars became so great that it would no longer accommodate them in any way, when it was sold to J. T. Waller, by whom it was moved across the street, where it still stands, and is used for a dwelling. In 1880 the district employed J. B. Jones to erect a new house upon the same site formerly occupied by the old one. The district again outgrew this house and in 1884 another room had to be added. The building thus improved accommodated the district until 1891, when $4,000 in bonds were voted, the old school-house was sold to the Christians for the purpose of being reconstructed into a church building, and a new two-story brick school-house erected under a contract with J. B. Jones, occupying the same site as its predecessors. Since the erection of the second school-house in 1880, and the employment of more than one teacher, the principals of the school, so far as I have been able to learn, have been: Lizzie Sullivan, Alvah Shick, Mr. Cotton, T. J. Gobble, H. A. Mossman, J. M. Chansler, H. C. Long, W. H. Conner, Charles Bell, Dean Coleman, D. H. Martin, S. O. King, Charles Harrington, L. Lightfoot, J. F. Johnson, S. F. McClelland.

In 1870, the petition of John Connor, John W. Logan and, other citizens was presented for the formation of a district in the southwest corner of Liberty township, which petition was granted, and on January 29, 1870, an order made under which District No. 44 was organized. William F. Gross, William J. Iliff and S. W. Collins were the first board, elected at the first meeting of the district, held at the house of W. J. Iliff, February 11, 1870.

Is situated in the northeastern part of Elm Grove township. I find no record whatever in reference to it prior to 1871, except the names of the board for 1870; they were Daniel McIntyre, John Lane, and Madison Sharp. The district must have been formed early in 1870. The first school in the district was taught in the summer of 1870, by Sarah Ackerson, afterwards the wife of Henry G. Pore, in her own claim cabin on the northeast quarter of section 14. The school-house was built in 1872, and Lon Blanchard taught the first school in it.

Is in the central part of Neosho township, west of the Neosho River. The record is entirely silent as to the date of its formation, and I find no report prior to 1871, but in 1870 the board consisted of E. H. Taylor, Samuel Frank, and E. H. Wells.

Was formed March 24, 1870, and embraced a tract of land in the southwest of Liberty township and the southeast of Labette township. This district was formed on the petition of Caleb Haskill, T. M. Gibson, and others, dated December 30, 1869. The first school meeting was held at the house of C. T. Haskill, April 4, 1870. P. M. Gibson, Edward Hiatt and C. F. Haskill are the officers reported for 1871.

Is situated in the northeast corner of Liberty and northwest corner of Montana township. In the spring of 1870 the first school was taught, in George Metcalf's old log house on the northeast quarter of section 13, by Miss Sidney Johnson; this was a subscription school. In the spring of 1871 an old store building was moved from Labette and placed on the northeast corner of the southwest quarter of section 12, township 32, range 20; this was the first schoolhouse. Two years later it was moved over onto the southeast quarter. The first school board, as now shown on the county records, was in 1870, and consisted of James Morning, director; S. S. Saytor, clerk; George Morning, treasurer. I judge from all that appears that the district was probably organized early in 1870.

Is situated in the central-southern part of Elm Grove township, bordering on the State line. I have no means of telling from the public records when this district was formed. The first official paper relative to it which I have been able to find is the report made by Jonas Burris, on August 31, 1870, showing 48 children in the district, with an average attendance of 21 at school. I find among the records a letter signed by Ben M. Smith, dated September 8, 1870, in which he says that the district is composed mostly of single men; that their school has been kept but two weeks, the teacher having been paid off and quit; and that in reality the district has no organization. The officers reported for 1870 were: Colton B. Pratt, director; B. M. Smith, clerk; and W. D. Scoggans, treasurer. It is therefore likely the report made by Mr. Burris should be credited to some other district

This district was probably formed in 1870, lying in the southeastern part of Elm Grove township. The first school was taught by Miss Unthank, in the house of Harvey Jones. The first board were: Ira Peck, director; D. D. P. Lucas, clerk; and George W. McGeyor, treasurer. The first public school was taught in the winter of 1871 and 1872, by Miss Frank Hall.

There is nothing of record showing any successful effort at organizing this district till December 29, 1875, when an order for its formation was made, and the first election had on March 6, 1876. The first school-house in this district was an old store building bought and moved from Parker to near the center of section 20, township 34, range 18, in 1879. In 1886 this building was sold, changes were made in the boundary of the district, and the school-house site was changed and placed at Valeda, which had just been started. A new school-house was erected in 1886.

This district lies in the central-eastern part of Mount Pleasant township. It was organized under an order made June 8, 1870, and the first election was directed to be held at the house of John R. Eldridge on June 20, 1870. The following officers were elected: (William Skilling, director, but declined to serve); Henry Story, director; G. A. W. Grant, clerk; John Eldridge, treasurer. In 1871 the hoard consisted of Henry Story, director; G. A. W. Grant, clerk; W. Jones, treasurer. In the fall of 1870 Susan Story taught a subscription school in the Morrison claim house, on the southeast quarter of section 14. In the spring of 1871 the school-house was built, in which, commencing that fall, John Hamblin taught the first public school in the district.

Was organized June 13, 1870, embracing the central-northern part of Walton township. The first school meeting was held at the residence of James Cahill, June 25, 1870. The first officers were William O'Brien, James Cahill, and Timothy O'Conner.

On June 20, 1876, Ernest Wadsack, John Richardson, and some twenty more residents of that territory, petitioned for the formation of a district in the northeast corner of Fairview township, which on July 6th was granted and District No. 54 was organized. This district was however, originally organized much earlier than this, although there is no record of the fact. In 1870 the board consisted of John Richardson, director; J. L. Williams, clerk; ___, treasurer. These are the first officers now shown by the records. The first school in the district was taught by Mrs. W. S. Park, in a cabin on the Dike farm, in the winter of 1870.

Is located in the northwestern corner of North township. There is no record showing the time of its formation, but I learn it was organized in 1868 through the efforts of Mr. Ballentine; perhaps the organization was not till the next year; at least, there is no record of any officers reported in 1869. The neighbors built a small board shanty on the northwest quarter of section 36, in which Elvira Bingaman, daughter of A. W. Jones, taught the first school, in the fall of 1868. A year or two after that the district was enlarged, and a new school-house costing $700 was built on section 25, in 1872. This school-house was blown down in the storm that occurred on June 7, 1900. A new building was at once erected. In 1870 the district board was composed of George Skelton, director; Samuel Ballentine, clerk; Robert C. Livesay, treasurer. This is the first that appears on the county record respecting this district.

Was organized in the central part of Canada township July 13, 1878. The first meeting was held August 19, 1878, officers elected and organization perfected. I find no account of any earlier organization, although it seems probable that one must at least have been attempted.

Is located in the south-central part of Oswego township, and must have been organized early in 1870, although there is no record showing such fact. On August 31, 1870, T. Clark reported 47 children in the district, 41 attending school. The officers reported for 1870 are: John Overdeer, director; William Steel, clerk. Alice Spaulding was first teacher, her school commencing in the fall of 1871, in the new school-house which had just been built.

Was organized in the eastern part of Canada township, July 23, 1878, and the first meeting held August 21, 1878. No record of any earlier organization exists, so far as I have discovered.

As originally constituted, embraced the northwest quarter of Mount Pleasant township. I find nothing on record showing anything of the formation of the district, or anything in reference thereto prior to 1870. For that year the district board are reported to be B. F. Jones, S. M. Canady, and O. B. Clark. The school-house was built in the summer of 1871, and the first school was taught by Mrs. H. Pottinger, wife of Samuel Pottinger.

Is situated in the central-western part of Hackberry township. There is nothing in record showing when it was formed or what it did prior to 1871, when R. M. Roberts, John M. Morse and William Stevenson are recorded as the officers.

A petition of Daniel Corell and a number of the neighbors was presented for the formation of a district in the southwest corner of Richland township. There is no record of the date of this, but it seems to have been formed sometime in 1870. The officers for that year were: J. F. Chamberlain, director; F. M. Mendenhall, clerk; and Samuel Hull, treasurer.

Was formed May 18, 1872, on a petition of P. H. Cherry, G. Spicer and others, and is situated in the southeast corner of Neosho township.

James M. Kinnamon, Isaac Wylch and others presented a petition for the formation of a district in the central-northern part of Mound Valley township. It was formed June 18, 1872, an order for its formation having been made on May 20, 1872. It lies in both Osage and Mound Valley townships.

A petition of James Cahill, Wm. O'Brien, Timothy O'Connor and a number of others was presented to the superintendent for the formation of a school district embracing the central northern part of Walton township. This petition seems to have been acted upon, and the district formed in June, 1870. There is no record giving anything definite as to its formation farther than is here stated. November 10, 1871, on the application of Wm. M. Rogers, the first election was called for this district.

Miss Ida Stevenson taught the first school in the district, in the fall of 1870, in a small claim building belonging to J. O. Stotts. There is no record showing when the district was organized, but it was probably early in 1870. The record shows the board in 1870, which must have been the first board, consisted of __ Ames, director; O. F. Presson, clerk; and George McDole, treasurer. The first public school was taught by Mrs. H. A. Boleman, in one of the rooms of her dwelling, commencing in the fall of 1871; she taught several terms in succession there. The district is located in the northeastern part of Mound Valley township.

Is situated in the northwestern corner of Labette township. We have no record of its formation or work prior to 1872, when Alfred H. Lee, E. D. Graybill and John B. Daniels were reported as the board.

Was organized December 15, 1870, and embraced the southeast corner of Howard township. The first meeting in the district was in the house of E. B. Baldwin, on April 8, 1871, at which the following officers were elected: W. J. McClintock, director; E. B. Baldwin, clerk; Benjamin Wade or J. M. Hart, treasurer. This was the first district organized in Howard township. The first school in the district was taught by J. M. Hart, in a little cabin on his place, in the fall and winter of 1871. This was a subscription school. In the spring Of 1872 a new school-house was built, and, commencing April 22, 1872, W. J. Millikin taught the first public school in the district.

Is located in the western part of Mound Valley township. C. H. Lesley, E. Stapleton and Alexander Moore were interested in the securing of its organization, which was effected under an order made December 30, 1870. The first school-house was built by subscription, out of native lumber, and a school taught therein by Mrs. Hess, in 1871. That year bonds were voted, and the house was remodeled and fixed for a winter school, which was held the following winter. After the division of the district in 1883, additional bonds were voted, and a new school-house was built in 1884. Elisha Stapleton, J. J. Dickens and A. Moore were the first officers.

Was formed January 31, 1871, and embraced the southwest corner of Labette township. The first meeting was at the house of Isaac Padget, February 20, 1871. In the summer of 1871 the first school-house was built in the district; this was the first school-house in the township. The first school in the township was taught in this building by Miss Carrie M. Beggs, commencing the first of December, 1871. Andrew J. Heaton, Robert Vance and S. M. Hinshaw were the first officers; in the spring of 1871 John P. Hight, Isaac Padget and S. M. Hinshaw were elected.

Was formed February 8, 1871, and lay in the eastern part of Hackberry township and western part of Richland. The first meeting was held at the house of Isaac Butterworth, in February, 1871. The first officers were Samuel Cellars, L. H. Reed, and L. H. Lockwood. The school-house was built, but not plastered, in the fall of 1871, and in that winter James Dickey taught the first school. A new schoolhouse was erected in 1892.

Was formed May 1, 1871. It lay in the southwest corner of Fairview and the northwest corner of Hackberry. The first meeting was held at the house of G. W. Williams, and the following elected as the board: James Newell, director; Samuel B. Good, clerk; James Pottenger, treasurer. The first school was taught in a building belonging to James McCoy. This district has had two school-houses; one was built in the early "'seventies," and it was replaced by a new house late in the "nineties."

Was formed May 3, 1871. It lies in the central-eastern part of Elm Grove township. The first meeting was held at the house of Henry Pitman, on May 15, 1871. L. Edmondson, D. S. Robbins and C. ___ were the first officers.

An order was made May 3, 1871, for the formation of District No. 73, lying in the central part of Elm Grove township, and an election called for May 15, 1871, at the house of Owen Wimmer. The district failed to organize under this order, and on May 30, 1872, a new order was made for the organization of the district, and the first election called for May 30, 1872, at the house of P. C. Goodwin. The building in the district was erected in the fall of 1872, and completed the fore part of December. It was completed on Monday, and on Tuesday W. J. Millikin opened therein the first school in the district. The building stood in the southeast corner of the northwest quarter of section 30, township 34, range 19, and when the railroad was laid out the projected line ran directly through the building. It was then sold to Thomas Bickman, and moved a little to the north and used as a Free Methodist church. In the fall of 1886 a new four-room school-house was erected and furnished, at a cost of $2,000. Since then, the principals of the school have been: 1887-89, A. R. Bell; 1889-90, A. D. Martin; 1890-92, M. N. Baldwin; 1892-94, C. C. Robbins; 1894-96, A. J. Lovett; 1896-98, H. W. Todd; 1898-99, S. O. King; 1899-1900, L. Lightfoot; 1900-01, J. F. Johnson.

Embraced a tract of land lying north and west of Oswego, extending from the Neosho river to the west side of the township, and was organized May 8, 1871, on a petition dated April 14, 1871, signed by J. H. Holt, R. P. Bagby, Elisha Hammer, A. C. Baker, and others. The first election was held May 19, 1871. This district has undergone many changes since its organization. After the organization Of the district, the school Was taught for some time in the old college building. After that was torn down and removed a new school-house was built.

Is located in the central and northern part of Mound Valley township, and was, on the petition of Josephus Moore, Seth Wells, R. W. Simpson, and others, organized by order dated May 12, 1871. The first meeting was held May 25, 1871. The first school officers were S. W. Slocum, Wm. Robbins, and Henry Terwilliger. The schoolhouse was built in the summer of 1871. The following winter a three-months' school was taught by Mr. Jones, at a salary of $25 per month.

This district is situated in the central and western part of Osage township. I have not been able to find any record giving an account of its formation, nor have I found any of the old settlers who can give such information. But the order for its formation was evidently made in 1871. It is said that the first teacher in the district was Miss Sadie Chambers. This has been one of the most enterprising districts in the county, and the school has always stood high.

On July 27, 1871, George W. Blake, J. A. Jamison, P. Stevenson, and a great many others petitioned for a district in the southeast part of Osage township, on which the superintendent made an order October 20, 1871, forming it into District No. 77, and appointing the first school meeting to be held at the house of J. L. Hills. The first officers consisted of J. T. Hills, director; George W. Blake, clerk; P. Stevenson, treasurer.

Lies in the Western part of Mount Pleasant township and eastern part of Canada, and was organized on an order made October 20, 1871. The first meeting was held at the house of S. Briner, November 19, 1871. W. H. Steel was elected director; D. S. Jackson, treasurer; W. H. Mapes, clerk. The first school-house was built by subscription, and in this the day and Sunday-schools were held until the erection of the new house.

This district is situated in the northwest part of Osage township, and was organized in 1870, on the petition of Wm. Padget and others. The first school was taught by Miss Maxwell; Maggie Adams and Edna Blake were early teachers. The first officers were David Lensy, Paulus Eisley, and A. H. Lockhart.

Was formed January 3, 1872, on petition of J. T. Waller, John Elston, J. O. King, Thomas D. Bickham and others, on December 19, 1870, in the corners of Fairview, Liberty, Labette and Mount Pleasant townships. The first meeting was held January 20, 1872, at the house of M. V. B. Watson. The following officers were elected: Silas Prayther, director; M. V. B. Watson, clerk; J. O. King, treasurer.

On June 10, 1872, an order was made for the organization of District No. 81, in the northwest corner of the county, on the request of J. B. Quinn. It seems that this territory was thereafter formed into a union district, and on March 18, 1875, a new district with this same number was organized, in the southeast corner of Walton township. The first meeting was held April 24, 1875.

Originally embraced three miles square in the northeast corner of Labette township, and was formed January 10, 1872. The first meeting was held at the house of John M. Caldwell, January 5, 1872, at which the following officers were elected: L. A. Wood, director; John M. Caldwell, clerk; James Martin treasurer. Miss Carrie M. Beggs taught the first school, in a private claim house. School-house completed in 1872.

On January 1, 1872, E. M. Reeder and a number of others petitioned for a district in the central and western part of Labette township. On May 15, 1872, an order for its formation was made, and the first meeting called for May 30, at the house of William Collins. In the summer Miss Carrie M. Beggs taught the first school in a claim house. School-house built in 1872.

This district was formed in the northwest part of Canada township, on an order made March 5, 1872. The first election was held at the house of J. Herrington, March 28, 1872, Otho Wilson taught the first school. Bonds in the sum of $1,000 were issued, and a house was built in the fall. Alexander Duncan taught the first school therein. The first board was composed of J. J. Higgins, Alexander Duncan, and James Sweet.

On March 26, 1872, Christian Lieb and a number of others petitioned for the formation of a district in the southeast of Canada and northeast part of Howard townships, and on May 15th an order was made for its formation. The first election was called for May 30th, at the house of Christian Lieb. This school-house was built in the summer of 1872, and that winter J. K. Russell taught the first school therein. The first board consisted of Christian Lieb, John D. Vance, and Jonathan Pearson.