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| This page talks about the ever changing school system in Rock River Township, area clubs and organizations from the past, and the days of the railroad. |
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| From the earliest days of Rock River Township, schools have been focal points in the community. Although the English language was totally foreign to many of the pioneer men and women, they, nevertheless, exhibited a strong desire for an education for their children. |
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| First Louds Spur School in early 1900's. |
| Kids entering school soon discovered they were there to learn. Rules were strictly enforced and a child reprimanded by a teacher seldom got a sympathetic ear from parents. Roads were not plowed in the early years and many children walked long distances to schools. Despite this, absenteeism was low. There were no "snow days" because of bad weather. In fact, it was a badge of honor to brave a storm to get to school. Mo self-respecting child would disgrace himself by allowing a mere blizzard to stop him. Of course, it was a day of great rejoicing when a teacher could not make it. A canvas sack slung over the shoulder carried the day's lunch. By spring, one must admit, the bottom of the sack tended to become a bit 'gamey' from the milk bottle, |
| which invariably leaked. When Rock River Township was organized, it had three schools, one each in Rock River, Limestone, and Winters. The children's parents built the first school in Rock River. J.I. Winters, L.W. Trenary, and G.A. Lindquist. Mary McKinnon was its first teacher. |
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| The Chatham school before second story was added in 1915. |
| The first school in what is now Rock River Township was built in 1896 at Chatham. It was a frame building and Dr. Niles was the teacher. The next year, a one-room school was erected two blocks south on the main street. Mrs. Chan (Agnes) Brown who had previously taught at Rock River was the first teacher in the one-room school. When that school was outgrown it was sold and moved off and replaced by a modern two-room building. The upper floor was added in 1915. As more settlers moved in, schools were built in nine |
| different locations in the township. The first school in Eben (today the Eben Apostolic Church) was built between 1902 and 1904. Many Snyder was the first teacher. John Kuja built an 18' x 34' school at Deimling for $750. Salaries in that year were: Chatham school principal, $80, and other township schoolteachers, $50 per month. Firewood was sold to the school for $1.60 per cord. Some other schools and the men who built them were: Louds Spur in 1908 by Matt Kamppinen and Isaac Tunteri for $318; an addition to the original Eben School in 1909 by Matt Kamppinen and Isaac Tunteri for $323; Cold Springs in 1919 by Jacob Luoma for $2,094; a new school in Deimling in 1920 by Matt Kamppinen for $4,344.77; a new school in Rumely in 1923 by Matt Lammi and Axel Jokipii for $5,358; a new school in Louds Spur by Matt Lammi for $4,655. Other earlier schools were Ferguson, Dorsey, Slapneck, and Rumely Valley. A bond issue for $25,000 ($15,000 for a new school in Eben and $10,000 for rebuilding the Chatham school) was voted down 47 to 28 in May 1914. A month later, with the cost reduced to $20,000 to cover construction at both schools, the issue passed by a vote of 49 to 15. Bids were immediately let for the projects and the following contracts were awarded: George Leiphart of Munising for the new Eben School, and Sam Leppamaki and Matt Kamppinen for the Chatham school rebuilding which included the addition of a second story. Oscar Robertson was the lowest bidder ($20) to clear the land for the Eben school site. Thomas Hallstrom was stonemason foreman on the Eben school project. The cornerstone for that building was laid June 10, 1915, and the school opened before Christmas in 1916. It was understandable that residents of both Chatham and Eben wanted the high school in their own village and a rather heated controversy developed over the issue. The matter was put to a vote and in a close election, 77 voted in favor of changing the high school from Chatham to Eben, 72 against. Arthur Welton was Rock River Township school superintendent in 1913, Gibson sometime before or after, and Otto Maienknecht from 1917 to 1938 when William McNeil succeeded him. Others since then have been William Acker, Reino Kauranen, Albert Ikkala, Alvar Kurin, David McNeil, Tony McLain, and at present Bill Lammi. |
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| The New Eben School, 1916. |
The entire Rock River Township school system was gradually consolidated into one school at Eben. The Veterans Memorial Gymnasium at Eben was built in 1948 and the elementary school in 1961. Another addition was the vocational annex in 1978, which included a new shop room, band room, science room, and home economics room. Limestone Township soon joined the Rock River system, and in 1987, Mathias Township consolidated with |
| Rock River to form the new Superior Central School District in Eben. With the addition of well over a hundred students from the Trenary district, a new school was desperately needed. The fire marshal did not help matters much by declaring the basement and top floors of the old Eben School off limits from students because of a potentially dangerous fire hazard. Portable trailer units were brought in for more classroom space, and the larger classrooms inside the vocational annex and elementary schools were split in half to accommodate the need for space. During the winter of 1991, the residents of the three townships (Rock River, Mathias, and Limestone) came together to vote on a new bond issue to build a new school at the Eben site. The resolution passed soundly, and construction on the project was to begin that summer. With the building of a new school came the demolition of the old Eben School in early June of 1991. Many former students, teachers, and staff came out to watch the old building come tumbling down in front of their eyes. It took only a day to knock the structure down, and the rubble removed within a week's time. Construction on the new school started in the fall, and a new school was opened before the fall of 1993. A new gymnasium and high school wing were included, along with a remodeled elementary wing. Classrooms that were split in half during the need for space were opened back up to their original use, and the temporary classroom units were removed. This new school, Superior Central Schools, could now finally begin the education process with the appropriate facilities. |
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| Probably the first organization in which local residents were involved was the Finnish National Temperance Association. On October 6, 1901, a charter was granted to a group of 14 Finnish men and women and Matt Kamppinen was elected president. We have no information as to how long this organization lasted. Many other groups, some social clubs and public service organizations, have since been formed, including Home Extension Clubs, Ladies Aid, the Chatham Ladies' Wednesday Night Club, Boy Scouts, Parent-Teacher Association, Lions Club, Veteran of Foreign Wars, 4-H clubs, church groups, and farmers' organizations. The Chatham Lions Club was organized in 1951, with Onen Pantti the first president. Since 1963, the club has sponsored the annual Chatham Homecoming, which attracts many former residents. |
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| The importance of the railroad to Rock River Township can not be over-stressed. It was the railroads (LS & I and Soo Line) that made possible the logging operations and subsequent settlements. It is ironic that as we look back over the first hundred years of the township's life, the rails of LS & I, the railroad once described in Ripley's 'Believe It or Not' as the "richest little railroad in the world," have been pulled out. The Soo Line discontinued operations in Rock River Township several years ago, and Wisconsin Central Railroad eventually bought the Soo Line name and property throughout the Upper Peninsula. During the time of the railroads in Rock River Township, great piles of logs stretched from the Eben depot all the way to the old Chatham Co-op. Passenger trails even made regular runs through Chatham via the depot. |
| Questions, Comments, Suggestions? E-Mail Me At: [email protected] |
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| Last Update: January 28, 2005. |
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