The Past
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~ Enderby
~ Grindrod
~ Hupel
~ ~ John Dale
~ ~ Men At Hupel
~ ~ Hupel Stage
~ ~ Hupel School
~ Kingfisher/
Mabel Lake
~ Mara
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People
Schools
Transportation
It was in the year 1916 when the first
school, a small log structure, was built by the people of the community on the Rohan
Peters Road about a mile from Mabel Lake.
The first teacher at Kingfisher was a young man from Victoria by the name of Mr. Ferguson. He boarded with Sir James Baird, owner and proprieter of the Hupel Post Office and driver of the horse-driven stage between Hupel (about 4 miles west of Mable Lake) and Enderby. Mr. Ferguson had a distance of three miles to walk night and morning. Attending this school were the children of two early pioneer families - Mr. Price, ex Enderby Mounted Policeman, and Mr. Abbott, who for several years lived across the lake and later at the river mouth (Shuswap River).
The teachers after Mr. Ferguson were Miss Ireland from Armstong, Miss Hay, a Kelowna girl, Miss Nettie Harvey, also from Kelowna, and Miss Adams from Enderby, who now lives in Penticton. After this, the school closed and was later destroyed.
The next school to be erected was the Hupel School in 1922 about 4 miles from the lake, near the Hupel Store. It was built by Mr. Rene Potrie and Mr. Louis Simard. Mr. Potrie was for many years the secretary of the Hupel School District. The first teacher was Miss F. Johnson from Burnaby. Following her were Miss Libby from Vancouver, Mr. Brown, and Miss M. Martin from Lumby.
In 1927, the Hupel School closed and a new log school was built at Kingfisher to accommodate the larger population now at that end of the valley. Miss Isabel Moore (Mrs. I. Simard) started her teaching career in this building before construction had been properly completed. With no text-books, and to the accompaniment of loud hammering on the roof for two weeks, teacher and pupils, numbering eight struggled along as best they could.
During the fall of 1927 a flash flood washed out the Kingfisher Bridge. In order to reach the school, one had to cross over a raging torrent on a tree that had been felled for a makeshift bridge. In the spring of 1928, the river again rose so high that the teacher was obliged to walk on windfalls that doubled as a bridge.
From 1930 to 1936 the teachers at Kingfisher were Miss H. Glen, Miss A. Husband (Mrs. R. Large), and Miss M. McMahon (Mrs. E. Quesnel). After this the school closed due to insufficient pupils.
In the meantime the Hupel School had re-opened in 1929 with Miss Fraser of Enderby teaching that year. During the next three years Miss A. Tevini taught there, followed by Miss Jean Glen. When Miss Glen left in January 1936, the attendance had fallen to seven. In order to bring it up to the required eight, Mrs. Simard helped the situation by taking on the position of teacher with her four and a half year old son, David to complete the necessary enrollment. After two and a half years she transferred back to Kingfisher School which had re-opened. Miss Daem of Vernon carried on at Hupel, followed by W.M. Martin, Miss Nellie Bailey, Miss Marjorie Price, Mrs. Lydia Park and Mrs. M. Hilderbrand.
At the Kingfisher School when Mrs. Simard left, those that taught were Miss M. Roff, Miss Jacobson, Mrs. Narroway, Miss R.E. Reed, and Mrs. Soles. The school then closed from 1943 to 1947.
In the fall of 1944 a teacher was not available for the Hupel School, and again Mrs. Simard filled the breach. She stayed on for the next three years. During the spring of 1948, the Shuswap River rose so high that it flooded the road and flowed in around the school. The Potrie children were obliged to wade for quite a distance in water well above their knees in order to reach the school. The teacher too had to wade from the other direction, and Wilfred Simard, the school bus driver at that time, could be seen carrying his passengers across the flooded area.
The Kingfisher School opened again in 1947 with. Mrs. Simard teaching. In 1950, Mrs. M. Beecroft of Cawston took over, and in January of 1957, a classroom was added to the Community Hall to accommodate the overflow from the old log building, in which Mrs. Simard taught the primary grades. Mr. H. Dent followed Mrs. Beecroft as teacher of Division One and then Mr. H. Neuber. Division Two closed, and in 1953, a new modern building was constructed.
The old log school was closed and later burned down. It was sad to see it go after so many years of such good service, not only as a place of learning, but as a community center where dances, concerts, wedding receptions, meetings, church services, political rallies, and card parties were enjoyed.
In 1958, Miss Ogden (Mrs. Real) became the teacher in the new building. With an increase in population the classroom in the Community Hall was re-opened for Mrs. Real to teach the primary grades. Mr. Milton taught Division One followed the next year by Mr. R. Dagneau. In 1964 the addition of a new room transformed Kingfisher into a very modern Two Division School.
Charlene Gray
ALF School, 1989