Filed Under DeBorgia

DeBorgia Schoolhouse

Remnants of ancient Indian trails, the Mullan Trail, the Milwaukee and Northern Pacific Railroads, and old Highway 10 are scattered across the narrow mountain corridor, where this schoolhouse was constructed in 1908. The few remains are evidence of the traffic that once used these historic transportation routes. The DeBorgia Schoolhouse was the first two-story frame building in the West End of Mineral County, built to serve the children of local valley residents. Two years later in 1910, the turn-of-the-century community of DeBorgia, along with the neighboring settlements of Haugan and Saltese, fell victim to a horrendous forest fire. This schoolhouse is the only building now standing that escaped the disaster. The DeBorgia Schoolhouse went on to serve several generations of students from grades one through eight. Sometimes there were very few students. During the 1910s, Mrs. Muriel R. Whinnery taught Neil Stoughton each of the eight grades. The unusual fact that he was the only student in his class was recorded in Ripley’s Believe It or Not. Although the school closed in 1956, the simple clapboard building with its wooded lawn and flagpole continued its second function as a social center and gathering place. In 1969, the Happy Homemakers, a small group of spirited ladies, assumed responsibility for the maintenance and preservation of the building. With their dedication and the support of other local groups, this historic treasure, so fondly remembered by many old-timers, continues to serve the tiny West End communities of Mineral County.

Location

Thompson-DeBorgia Road, DeBorgia, Montana | Public

Metadata

The Montana National Register Sign Program, “DeBorgia Schoolhouse,” Historic Montana, accessed March 29, 2024, https://historicmt.org/items/show/914.