Article
taken from A History of the Colorado Springs Schools
District 11 by Harriet Seibel
As
the town of Colorado Springs was spreading to the east,
a need arose for a school east of the Santa Fe Railroad
tracks. Bonds were issued for a two-story brick building
on the northwest corner of Boulder and Institute Streets.
By 1898 four rooms of the building had been completed at
a cost of $20,000. The size of the school was doubled in
1902 with the addition of four more rooms. After other additions
the building had six classrooms on the first floor and six
classrooms on the second floor. The gym was in the basement.
The site of the school had been donated to the city by General
Palmer and the Colorado Springs Company.
The
name Columbia had been suggested by Miss Fonetta Flansburg,
a seventh grade teacher at Garfield School. Much controversy
arose over this name, which was apparently chosen for patriotic
reasons as this was the year of the Spanish American War.
The rector of St. Stephens School had suggested to the School
Board that the building be named the Reed School in honor
of Dr. Jacob Reed, a pioneer medical doctor who had recently
died. Apparently Miss Flansburg was more convincing, and
the name Columbia remained.
The
first Columbia School, at 840 East Boulder Street was demolished
in the summer of 1972, and a new one-story brick building
was erected on the north side of the lots at 835 East St.
Vrain Street. The new school, built at a total cost of $417,424,
was erected in two parts, with Gordon Ingraham drawing up
the plans for the 1969 addition and Walter Burgess designing
the 1972 addition.
Colorado
was famous for mining interest in the precious metals, such
as silver and gold, but many residents were not aware of
the vast deposits of coal that were lying dormant near the
city limits of Colorado Springs. After the discovery of
coal ore in the late 1880’s, coal mining became a leading
industry in the Pikes Peak region. Many little villages
sprang up near the entrances to the coal mines on the north
and east sides of town. The need for schools arose as many
miners and their families thronged to the region. The residents
of the Danville coal mine area petitioned the School Board
to erect a school in their area. (The entrance to this mine
was on the north side of the 800 block of East Nichols Boulevard.)
The complained because their children were transported to
Roswell School in the school wagon, and the wanted a schoolhouse
in their own area.
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Before
the villages had their own school facilities, the children
were picked up each morning by the school wagon, a large box-type
vehicle with two doors in the back and a canvas cover over
the top. The children sat on benches around the inside of
the wagon. It was pulled by a team of two horses. Each morning
the driver would start out at the Pikeview mine to pick up
the children. After crossing Monument Creek, he proceeded
to the Williamsville, Pine Grove, Danville and Curtis mine
areas to gather up the children and transport them to Roswell
School where they attended classes. On cold mornings they
were all huddled together with heaps of blankets. When the
number of children increases, the school wagon was often crowded,
and some of the youngsters had to stand all the way to school.
This led the angered parents to petition the School Board
for classroom facilities in their own neighborhood.
If
you would like to learn more about District Eleven schools
and their history, the book A History of the Colorado Springs
Schools District 11 by Harriet Seibel will be a great
start. Check with your local museums or bookstores if you
are interested in obtaining a copy of this book.
Aren’t
you glad we didn’t have to go to school a hundred years ago!
The
Columbia Birthday/Reunion Celebration Committee has been working
hard coordinating activities for Columbia’s birthday! In January
the history of Columbia will be researched by the students
ending with them doing oral reports on the history of Columbia.
A special guest speaker is planned for the students in January
to talk about the "Way it Was". February will see the students
working on art projects depicting the fads of the century.
A new all school photograph will be taken in February to be
displayed along with the other photographs of the old school
in the main hallway. March the students will busily be sending
invitation to former students and teachers to join our birthday
celebration. April a tree will be planted for Arbor Day and
the original red sandstone with the date of 1898 from the
original Columbia building will be reestablished.
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