Education in Montrose County

Editor's Note: This is the 14th installment in a 17-part series looking at the history of Montrose County. Look for the final three installments in Monday and Tuesday's Daily Press. The entire series will also come out in a special section next Sunday.

The first school in Montrose was established in 1882 with classes held in a little log cabin which was rented for $15 a month. The teacher, Erena Osborn Parker, was paid by the parents.

The first order of business in May, 1882 when the town was incorporated, was to file a petition to withdraw from the Gunnison County School District No. 16 in order to form Montrose School District No. 1.

After Montrose County was carved from Gunnison County in February, 1883, the withdrawal of the school district was granted in time for the first school board election to be held on May 1. Charles Zahn was elected as the first president, C. W. Blackmer, secretary and A. E. Buddecke, treasurer.

In addition to the Montrose school, District No. 1 included Fairview, Cedar Creek and Sunnyside, all east of town; North Mesa; and two schools in Bostwick Park, for a total of 85 students ranging in ages from six to 21. The next few years brought several new districts in the outlying agricultural areas of Montrose County.

A vote was passed in 1883, approving bonds in the amount of $8,000 in order to build a new school house on the grounds where our library sits today. Joseph Selig, one of the town founders, donated the land.

The new building, Central School, was added onto several times throughout the years, being used until 1935. At that time it was torn down at a cost of $800 by L. R. Allen, the owner of the former Buckley Brick Plant, and construction was started on the Morgan School which now serves as the Montrose campus of Mesa State College. That building was principally constructed by WPA (Works Progress Administration) workers at an approximate cost of $75,000, which included a WPA grant of $17,500.

Montrose County High School was a two-year institution in 1889, with classes held in a little log building on N First and Cascade. In 1893, it advanced to a three-year school. A $10,000 bond issue was approved by voters in 1904 in order to build an official county high school on the site of the present Pomona school grounds. Students from Olathe and the west end attended classes there until Olathe got its own building in 1909 and Nucla in 1915. That building served until the original portion of the present high school was finished in 1941. At that time, the old high school was converted to a junior high.

Before reorganizing started in 1961, there were at least 35 school districts in Montrose County. That year the west end of Montrose County became the RE-2 District and in 1962, the east end of Montrose County became RE-1J.

The administrative leadership of all the county schools fell under the elected office of the Montrose County Superintendent of Schools, until that office was abolished in 1971.The superintendent’s job was huge. He or she was required to have a valid Colorado Teachers Certificate. Duties included the registration of all teachers and their certificates, handling school district expenditures and making budget reports, keeping permanent records of school census and “performing numerous miscellaneous functions connected with the children and schools of the county”, according to information provided by the late Edith F. Lee, final Montrose County Superintendent.

Montrose had 20 different superintendents over the years. Some of our long time residents will remember some of the names, such as John J. Tobin, Alice Catlin, Emma Full, Dessie Dobler, Helen Brown, Lucile Andreae and Lilian B. Cromie.

The salary was set by state law. In 1891, the superintendent drew a yearly salary of $800. Women teachers that same year made $50 a month, but the salary for male teachers was $75 a month. Average cost per month for each pupil was $1.65.