Written By John Caverhill
School Section #7 Lobo Township aka Bear Creek Public School: architecturally speaking its design was utilitarian; a rectangular wooden box with a peaked roof enclosed a single classroom, and a smaller similar box served as the entryway. A louvred belfry sat astride the upper-level roof and four times daily its bell summoned the pupils to “readin’, writin’, and ‘rithmetic”.
In my book collection is an old much-treasured hard-cover volume. On the front flyleaf is written, “Minutes of Meetings of Trustees of S.S. #7 Lobo Township – 1925”. The book is completely filled, in fact the minutes of the last recorded meeting dated September 3rd 1949 extend onto the flyleaf at the back of the book. Fascinating accounts of school business transactions go back 75 to 100 years ago. This book is a treasure both as a reference and a memory-jogger in writing about my own days at Bear Creek School.
Painted white with grey trim the school was framed by tall spruce trees and additional big maples shaded the centre path leading to the school entrance. The interior was one large classroom. Heating was supplied by a big box stove. Mention of the stove must include its colossal appetite during the winter.
In those days, every building heated by a woodstove or furnace had an accompanying woodshed in which was stored the huge amounts of wood necessary to get through the winter. A woodshed, unpainted but trim, stood on the north side close by the school entrance, handy for carrying in the firewood to feed the stove each school day. Tenders to supply wood were called each September to provide wood for the following winter. The minutes of the trustees’ meetings dated December 26, 1928 state: “Ask for tenders for 14 cords–wood–beech and maple, not more than half beech, 2’ long, sound body wood” (body here means tree trunk wood, no limbs). The price per cord averaged from $5.35 to $6.25 in the 1920s. In the mid-depression year of 1936, the price had dropped to $3.60, but by 1943 had reached $7 per cord (a cord measures four feet high by four feet wide by eight feet long). Maple is the best firewood, burning hot and clean and lasting longer than other woods. Beech, common in those days, ranked second. This begs the question: why not specify all maple? The hard, or sugar maple was and still is especially valued because its sap makes by far the best maple syrup. Naturally a farmer wasn’t going to cut any more maples than was necessary to meet the required half-maple per cord. For a box stove to heat a large uninsulated classroom top-quality firewood was required, hence “half-beech, half-maple” was the best compromise for the farmer and the school trustees.
Trunk wood cut in two-foot lengths would be split into large pieces that burned hot and also lasted well. The teacher could put two pieces (one beech, one maple) into the stove at each break and they would last until the next recess. Smaller diameter limbs burned hot but much too quickly.
In those days, woodlots were managed with the same care as the crop-growing fields. Each year, in late August before the leaf colours started to change, my father took an inspection tour of our woodlot. Trees storm-damaged or showing other signs of poor health were marked for removal. A dead branch halfway up a tree generally has no particular significance but a marked thinning of the leaves at the very top of a tree indicates that tree’s circulatory system is failing and it is slowly dying. Most hardwoods make good firewood so for personal use one didn’t use only maple and beech. By careful selection over the years a woodlot could be maintained with a good variety of healthy trees of all ages. As well as cutting firewood for the school the farmer had to prepare his own supply. The treetops left from cutting the school wood made very good firewood for his own use. To complete the tender the wood had to be hauled by horse and wagon to the school during summer holidays. The woodshed was filled and the remainder was stacked behind the shed. The shed was always kept full, ensuring dry wood for the burning.
When remembering the “good old days”, remember that all cutting was by hand with axe and crosscut saw. The high-energy work led to the old saying, “Burning wood warms you twice; first in its cutting, and second in its burning.”
