Prairie Belle - District 52

Teacher - Mable Merklin

Prairie Belle - District 52 - 1935

Left to Right-
Back Row: Orral Ritchey, Bernita Wall, Wayne Ritchey, Vida Todd, Edward Wall, Floy Crabtree
Front Row: Glen Ritchey, Marjorie Todd, Clara Zuege, Bert Haynes, Doralene White

-- Submitted by Floy Ruggles (Crabtree) (Fisher)

Prairie Belle School - District 52

Back Row left to right: Marjorie Todd, Floy Crabtree, Edward Wall, Roy Zuege(Fred's), Clara Zuege(Paul's)

Front Row left to right: Deloris(Paul's), Doralene White, Glen Dale Zuege, Rodney White, Victoria Zuege(Paul's-visiting-not in school), Osa Todd.

We each got a picture so it is possible that there are some around. I met Marjorie Todd VanVleet last week in Walmart for the first time since 60 years ago anyway. She recognized me. She lives in Goodland. Edward Wall died quite a few years ago. Dale Zuege is gone, too. I think the rest are all around somewhere. Rodney is in Wray. Doralene White is out west, I think. Deloris married a St. Francis Krein.
-- Floy

Rattlesnake Gulch (Boyd School)

Does anyone remember the Rattlesnake Gulch School? It was located in the north part of Cheyenne County, Kansas.

My great aunts Serepta Crabtree, Mary Crabtree and my grandfather, Frank Crabtree probably all taught school there during the 1890s and early 1900s.

Email me if you know where this school is located.

Here is a picture of my great aunt Mary Crabtree in front of her school. I have the Teacher Contract for my Aunt Serepta Crabtree for District 52 and in a note made by my aunt Lizzie (Crabtree) Pate, she says that Aunt Serepta taught school in 1894 in Kansas at the Boyd School and they called it Rattlesnake Gulch. As you can see, James Boyd signed this Teacher's Contract for 3 months on November 25th, 1893. On the list of Cheyenne County schools, District 52 is listed as Prairie Bell School.


My mother, Alice (Crabtree) Gregory says that the Rattlesnake Gulch school was not the same as Prairie Belle. It was further east and a little north between where Tim Richard now lives and the Moorehouse Ranch where Leo and Jean Ann Richard live. There used to be a road that turned east, just north of Tim Richard's farmstead and went east along the fence row. This is where Alice's cousins, Margaret and Esther Stafford went to school and she visited there sometimes. It is also the school Frank Crabtree was teaching when he met Mae Bartlett, who lived in that district.

The Stafford family lived north of the school and the Harvey family lived east. They attended this school. Alice also says there was a family that lived in a dugout along that road to the school.


Can someone help me sort this out? If anyone knows about Rattlesnake Gulch School, please .
Email me.