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Show LL: -:vtitJ , - 4 llll I if ' -- x?. v t wjy s Vv The first school was built on the banks of Parleys Creek. Historical data was obtained from Elbert E. Curtis. First School In Sugar House Was One-Room Log Building Uppermost in the minds of the pioneers was the education of youth, and the first school in Sugar House district was a one-room log building on the north side of Parley's Par-ley's creek a few rods below the i sugar mill. The writing desks were made by boring holes in the side of the wall, into which pins were placed. These pins extended far enough to place a flat board across them. It remained re-mained quite secure and firm enough for a writing desk for use of slate3 and slate pencils. The benches were made of wooden slabs with wooden pegs placed in the four corners for legs. A German convert was the first teacher. The next school house, at the (Continued on Page 7-B) sen( LeGrand Richards, Thomaa L 'wheeler, Edward C. Ftawson. Ernest Nelson, George Burbidge and Henry Anderson. These buildings cared for the educational spiritual and recreational recre-ational needs of the pioneers of Sugar House prior to 1887. In his stead. Bishop Eldredge died In 1866. From that date until Bishop Ap-polos Ap-polos Driggs was sustained in 1877t William C. A. Smoot was acting bishop. Ten years later, in 1887, the first church was built of brick by Edward Ed-ward Hemsley; first one large room, 63 by 32 feet, then a recreation rec-reation hall was added. This brick church had a beautiful beaut-iful location where the Irving junior high school now stands. It was used until the building on Ra-mona Ra-mona Ave. and 12th East was erected in 1924. Among the bishops back through the years were Milam T. Atwood, John M. Whitaker, William L. Han- church on Sundays and a dance hall for wedding and social functions. func-tions. People gathered from miles around in the evening, loaded with picnic baskets and small children, chil-dren, who always slept on benches in one corner of the vestry, while the parents enjoyed the dance. A supper was always served at midnight and the dancing often resumed until daylight. Later a two-story brick school house was built directly east of the little adobe one. This was known as the Central school and later named Ashton for Brigham Ashton, who was at one time superintendent of schools in Granite Gran-ite district, Salt Lake City, and the school was turned over to the city system. The name was then changed to Iriving. This was continued as a grade school until about the year 1918 or 1919, when the old brick building build-ing was replaced by the present First School (Continued from Page 1-B) site where the Irving now stands was made of adobe and was large enough to "dance four sets of plain quadrille and they could squeeze in six sets." This building was built by A. O. Smoot and Ira Eldredge. The desks were boards hung along the sides on the walls, the seats were rough board benches and the pupils had to climb over them to get in position to study. All class work was held in the center of the room with seats arranged ar-ranged so as to be pushed around the walls when social functions were held. The floor was covered with saw- i dust, to keep down the confusion of the boys' heavy shoes and protect pro-tect the floor for dancing purposes. This sadwdust was changed every Friday. Some of the early school teachers teach-ers were Elex Rogers, J. D. Cum- mingst Matilda Shreever, Sylvia Siddoway, Alma Roger, Charles Robinson and Adeline Harris. The men taught during the winter months, but when spring came to the mountains and the large boys were put out to work on the farmsf the women and girls could easily handle the remaining pupils and the school was turned over to them. The district composed the pupils living south of 9 th South and between be-tween Mountain Dell and the Jordan river. The building was also used as a modern Iriving junior high building. build-ing. A large addition to this building was completed in 1929. On February 16f 1849, a ward organization was attempted, called Canyon Creek ward. This idea was not carried out, but instead, a few saints attended church in the city wardsf and later Bishop Reuben Miller of Mill Creek ward and Peter McCue of the First ward had jurisdiction alternately. Finally it was decided that a presiding elder from Mill Creek should preside exclusively, taking charge of all affairs. Sugar House ward was finally organized April 23, 1854. A . O, Smoot was the first bishop. He presided until the spring of 1857 and then Ira Eldredge was placec |