SUNNYSIDE SCHOOL

DISTRICT NO. 23
BY: MELVIN HYDE
(AS TOLD BY CAL AND CORA FERGUSON AND MARY HYDE AND C.L. BRITTON)

  SUNNYSIDE WAS ORGANIZED ON DECEMBER 23, 1887 WITH ROBERT BRITTON AS THE PETITIONER.  THE MEETING OF ORGANIZATION WAS HELD IN HIS HOME.

  SUNNYSIDE SCHOOL DISTRICT LOCATED APPROXIMATELY FIVE MILES NORTHWEST OF TAYLOR.  BEFORE THE TURN OF THE CENTURY THE BUILDING WAS LOCATED ONE-FOURTH MILE WEST OF THE FERGUSON RANCH BUILDINGS.  LATER THEY BUILT A NEW SOD SCHOOLHOUSE ONE MILE NORTH OF THE PRESENT FERGUSON RANCH AND ONE MILE SOUTH OF THE C.L. BRITTON RANCH.  IN THE EARLY 1900'S AS MANY AS 40 PUPILS ATTENDED THE SCHOOL WHICH WAS HELD IN SEVEN MONTH PERIODS.  LATER A FRAME SCHOOLHOUSE AND BARN WERE BUILT AT THE SAME LOCATION.

  THE EARLY HOMESTEADERS SETTLED ALONG THE RIVER ON ACCOUNT OF THE WATER SUPPLY.  SOME OF THE EARLY SETTLERS IN THE DISTRICT WERE:  JESSE CASSIDY, ALFRED WIRSIG, BOB BRITTON, THE BEAVERS, JOHN GRIMMITT, AND THOMAS CROUGHWELL.

  AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY, BEFORE AND AFTER THE KINKAID ACT, PEOPLE STARTED SETTLING FARTHER BACK IN THE HILLS.  THEY COULD RECEIVE A SECTION OF LAND ON WHICH THEY COULD MAKE A LIVING AND PERHAPS A LITTLE MORE.  SOME OF THESE EARLY DAY SETTLERS WERE:  CHARLEY BRITTON, JOE FERGUSON, GEORGE BISHOP, BILL PAYTON, H.H. RISLEY, A.M. PATTERSON, D.C.ROASH, ELMER MITTON, JOSH PERKINS, JAMES SMITH, JOHN WARD, MCCLINTIC'S, ELI POWERS, HENDRICKSON'S, HENRY WILKE, JOHN HERNNINGS, ORY PARKERS, ECK COLEMAN'S AND WARREN BARNES.

  OTHER FAMILIES LIVING IN THE DISTRICT IN LATER TIMES WERE: LEM BRITTON, ELMER POWERS, PERRY PERKINS, DANA NEWBURY, CORA, CAL, AND LUE FERGUSON, C.V.HYDE, JOHN THOMSEN, FRANK HOINES, OCE AND HANK LEWIS, PAT MAULER, ROY BISHOP, TOM ROBLYER, MORRIS VINNEDGE, JOHN HARVEY, AND HARRY VANHOUTEN.

  THE SCHOOL WAS THE CENTER OF ALL COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES.  SINGING SCHOOL WAS HELD WITH HENRY WILKE AS LEADER.  AT ONE TIME BOXING AND WRESTLING WERE ONCE A WEEK UNDER THE DIRECTION OF BILL RAGAN.  THE BIGGEST FOOT RACE IN THE HISTORY OF THE STATE OF NEBRASKA WAS HELD ONE FOURTH OF JULY IN GRIMMITT GROVE.  IT WAS BETWEEN ESTEL PAXTON, WHO WEIGHED 440 LBS. AND GEORGE BISHOP WHO WEIGHED 325 LBS.

  BARN DANCES AND PARTIES WERE A WEEKLY OCCURRENCE AT DIFFERENT HOMES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND IT WAS A FREQUENT PASTIME TO TAKE A SEINE TO THE NORTH LOUP RIVER AND GET A LOT OF FISH AFTER WHICH THERE WOULD BE A FISH FRY.

  SUNDAY SCHOOL AND CHURCH WERE HELD EACH SUNDAY.  D. S. HULBERT WAS THE SUNDAY SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT AND GEORGE CASSIDY PREACHED.  IN LATER YEARS A.L. HOLMES, JOHN WARD, AND E.J. POWERS KEPT THE SUNDAY SCHOOL IN OPERATION.  ON SUNDAY AFTERNOONS THE PEOPLE MET AT ONE HOME IN THE DISTRICT WHERE A GOOD TIME WAS ENJOYED BY ALL.

  SUNNYSIDE WAS NOTED FOR ITS LITERARIES.  THE LITERARY PAPERS CAUSED A LOT OF INTEREST AND LAUGHTER.

  THERE WAS ALWAYS A LARGE CROWD AT THE SCHOOL AND OTHER FUNCTIONS ON SUNDAYS EVEN THOUGH THEY CAME BY FOOT AND ON HORSEBACK OR BY TEAM AND WAGON.  EVERYBODY LIVED GOOD AND HAD A GOOD TIME, BUT HAD LITTLE MONEY.

  SOME OF THE TEACHERS OF THE SUNNYSIDE SCHOOL DISTRICT WERE:  HANNAH PERKINS, LAURA PERKINS, CLARA PERKINS, GUS MCDANIEL, HARRY MOON, LOTTIE ROSE, LESLIE ROBLYER, NELLIE OBERT, RHONDA ROBLYER, CORA FERGUSON, EVA DYE, EVERETT SATTERFIELD, BILL EVANS, AURAL STEVENS, MARIAN HELMKAMP, FERN LAKE, HAZEL HATFIELD, MARY FERGUSON, CARRIE SATTERFIELD, CONDA HOOBLER, LEONA COLEMAN, ETTA WARD, STELLA HARPHAM, ILA DUNNE, AND PHYLLIS BEAT.

  IN 1942-1943 WAS THE LAST YEAR SCHOOL WAS HELD IN THE SUNNYSIDE DISTRICT.  A FEW YEARS LATER THE LAND WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE TAYLOR DISTRICT.

source: Loup County Centennial Book 1883-1983

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