In January, 1939, one of the Elementary School's heating plant's pressure tanks exploded. The School was damaged, however, no students were injured. School resumed the next day with students occupying the less damaged areas of the school.
Title based on photograph contents and description on backside of photograph.
Fonds No.
C2
Item No.
P0407
Accession No.
1979.7.351
Physical Description
1 photograph: b & w; 11.5 x 7cm.
Scan Resolution
96dpi
Negative Number
PN 00407;F43
History / Biographical
Identified left to right: Peter Small (hanging over the cab), Guy Ludgate, Bud Emerson, Bill Hann, Harrey Kenney, Gordon Hetherington, Harold May, Marg Swift, May Roth, Marg Erickson, Ruth Anderson, Bill Leach.
Written on back "Art Simpson and truck load in front of 'new' School."
Postcard format. Writing on the back reads: "My dear Daddy, Can you find the kiddo "schoolgirl" among this group? We had this taken at the masquerade on Friday. Just after we unmasked [Gerty?] bobbed down + so wasn't in it. Fondest love, Hetty." Written by school teacher Ethel Barwise who is third from the left in the back row.
Series contains records pertaining to the Muheim Elementary School, including past iterations of the School such as Smithers Elementary School and Second Elementary School. Records include five Smithereen yearbooks (1933-1934 [digital only], 1938, 1940, 1941, and 1942), a centennial photo booklet c…
2.5 cm of textual records; 59 colour slides; 31 b&w photographs; 156 MB of textual records (PDF/A)
Date Range
1933-1934; 1938; 1940-1942; 1967-1970s
History / Biographical
Smithers Elementary School, also known as Smithers Public School, was built circa 1915 as a two-room, two-storey building on Third Avenue South. Two more rooms were later added to create an L-shaped building. The school taught grades one through seven. It was used as a temporary hospital during the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918. Another two-storey building was later constructed on the same grounds by the local contractor, Ernie Hann. In the early 1950s the original building was demolished and replaced with a new eight-room school, renamed Muheim Memorial Elementary in 1959 after the School District’s first secretary, Alex Muheim. New facilities, including a gymnasium, four new classrooms, a staff room, and a library, have since been added, with the whole school receiving a renovation in 1979.
Scope and Content
Series contains records pertaining to the Muheim Elementary School, including past iterations of the School such as Smithers Elementary School and Second Elementary School. Records include five Smithereen yearbooks (1933-1934 [digital only], 1938, 1940, 1941, and 1942), a centennial photo booklet containing five photographs, and 26 photographs (P7976-P8001) and 59 colour slides (P6311-P6369) depicting the school in the late 1960s and 1970s.
Published by the B.C. Printing and Litho. Ltd. in Vancouver, B.C.
History / Biographical
Came from a black photo album. Inside the first page was P2644 and this note "To: Joan Muriel and Allan McGill. With Best Wishes. From the United Church Sunday School. Smithers, B.C. June 30th 1935."
Postcard format. Writing on back reads: "What do you think of my new school? Don't you think it a nice building? I want the trustees to have the grounds fenced around + ploughed so the children can have school gardens next year." Signed "Ethel" (Ethel Barwise).
2020-06-05 Note found in G.C. Killam photo album: “1st school @ Smithers, room at the left opened 1916. 1st teacher Miss Ethel Barwise & 8 grades 40-45 children. The flagpole was cutdown from the forest by Harry Darling and Ernest Dawson – Gov’t sent flag & schoolchildren helped erect pole + fly the flag – with national songs. A great day. Great kids. Bless em.”
Photo is a modern reprint. Negative copy also available.
The Smithers Public School eventually became Muheim Memorial Elementary School. The cover of this yearbook has incorrectly been identified as a yearbook for the Smithers High School.
Written on back "Another Smithereens staff: can you pick out Mae Roth, Toyo Fushimi, Margarey Erikson, Ken Houghton. Editor Ray Cauliffe seems to be feeling his responsibilty."
Ray Cauliffe is most likely sitting at the desk and Toyo Fushimi is on the far right.
Photograph of a page in the 1940 Smithereen scrapbook made by Smithers Public School. It includes photos of the staff and editorial board. Names of subjects are written on the front and back.
Item was donated to the museum in 1981 by Della Herman. It was put into the School District 54 (GF3) fonds and remained there until June 2020 when it was switched to the Della Herman fonds to better reflect its provenance. It was also scanned and given a P number at this time.
Scope and Content
Photograph of a page in the 1940 Smithereen scrapbook made by Smithers Public School. It includes photos of the staff and editorial board. Names of subjects are written on the front and back.
Staff members include Percy Davidson, Art Jones, Percy Glover, Della Carpenter, and Vera Doodson.
Editorial board includes Della Roth, Archie Leach, Bill Brummit, Alex McDonald, Bill Barker (?), Pat Hann, and Marty Monks.
Possible identification from L-R: Allan McGill, Angus Seaton, [Jack McDonnel], Eddie Morris, Molly Mathews, [LaRue Messner], Harold Tanner, Fred Watson. Phillip Kenney identified as standing at left rear.
Smithereens staff according to an Interior News article from June 20, 1934:
A. Jones - supervisor (principal)
LaRue Messner - editor in chief
Francis "Eddie" Morris - literary editor
Angus Seaton - art editor
Fred Watson - sports editor
Allan McGill - assistant editor
Harold Tanner - manager
Molly Mathews and Jack McDonnel - business board
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