Back in 2008, I made a trip to Buena Vista and found a number a school ledgers from the 1890's and 1900's at the Buena Vista Heritage Museum. At that time, they were kept upstairs in their research room. It is a room full of books, newspapers, old photographs and other records. The ledgers were black, hard covered, and (I think) 6" by 9". In them were listed the names and school information for my great-grandpa, Jim Dodge, and most of his siblings. I wrote down what I had found. However, I didn't think to make any copies or take any photographs of the school records to take with me. I've gone back several times since then and have been unable to locate them.
On the first floor of the museum, there is a room that is set up as a classroom, displaying the schooling history of Buena Vista. When I was there in 2016, I had the feeling that these particular school ledgers might be somewhere in that exhibit, but I didn't think to look or pursue that thought.
Buena Vista Heritage Museum
Just a brief history on the building the Buena Vista Heritage Museum is housed in. It was constructed in the early 1880's and opened as the Chaffee County Courthouse in 1882. My great-great grandfather, Nathaniel T. Dodge, was a Justice of the Peace and very likely held court there. After the county capital was moved to Salida in 1928, the building was converted into a schoolhouse and was used for educating the children and youth of Buena Vista until 1972. Since then, it has been converted into the Heritage Museum, housing the history of this beautiful town in the Colorado Rockies.
The school ledgers I found back in 2008 are for Chaffee County School District #9 and cover most of the years between 1894 and 1908. There were other schools in the area at that time, and no doubt my great-grandpa and his siblings also attended other schools in the area during their youth. However, these records are the only ones that exist today (that I am aware of).
Here are the records that I coped down for Jim Dodge and his siblings. I have organized them by name, beginning with the oldest.
Edward Dodge (born January 1882)
1895-1896 School year
Age: 13 years
Date Enrolled: 11/18/1895
Grade Attended: 3rd
Days Attended: 3 in November
Notes: Kept at home to work
1897-1898 School year
Age: 15 years
Date Enrolled: 9/7/1897
Grade attended: 3rd
Days Attended: 29 between September & January
Notes: Left school
Clara Dodge (born March 1884)
1895-1896 School year
Age: 11 years
Date Enrolled: 9/3/1895
Grade Attended: 3rd
Days Attended: 42 between September & November
Notes: Kept at home
1897-1898 School year
Age: 13 years
Date Enrolled: 9/7/1897
Grade attended: 4th
Days Attended: 152 between September & April
Notes: Promoted to 5th Grade
1898-1899 School year
Age: 14 years
Date Enrolled: 9/5/1898
Grade attended: 5th
Days Attended: 54 between September & November
Notes: Went to a Country School
Rachel Dodge (born January 1887)
1894-1895 School year
Age: 7 years
Date Enrolled: 1/14/1895
Grade attended: 1st
Days Attended: 36 days between January & May
Notes:
1895-1896 School year
Age: 8 years
Date Enrolled: 9/3/1895
Grade Attended: 2nd
Days Attended: 20 between September & October
Notes: Too far from school to come
1897-1898 School year
Age: 10 years
Date Enrolled: 9/14/1897
Grade attended: 3rd
Days Attended: 62 between September & February
Notes: Promoted to 4th Grade
1898-1899 School year
Age: 11 years
Date Enrolled: 9/6/1898
Grade attended: 4th
Days Attended: 42 between September & November
Notes: Moved to the county Dec.
1899-1900 School year
Age: 12 years
Date Enrolled: 9/19/1899
Grade attended: 5th
Days Attended: 31 between September & December
Notes: Withdrew Dec. 4
1900-1901 School year
Age: 13 years
Date Enrolled: 9/4/1900
Grade attended: 6th
Days Attended: 70 between September & December
Notes: Withdrew Dec. 2
Frances Dodge (born November 1888)
1897-1898 School year
Age: 8 years
Date Enrolled: 9/7/1897
Grade attended: 1st
Days Attended: 50 between September & January
Notes: 1st Grade Work
1898-1899 School year
Age: 9 years
Date Enrolled: 9/6/1898
Grade attended: 1st
Days Attended: 33 between September & November
Notes: Do 1st Grade Work
1899-1900 School year
Age: 10 years
Date Enrolled: 9/18/1899
Grade attended: 3rd
Days Attended: 40 between September & December
Notes: Left town in December
1900-1901 School year
Age: 11 years
Date Enrolled: 9/5/1900
Grade attended: 5th
Days Attended: 64 between September & December
Notes: Withdrew Dec. 17
1902-1903 School year
Age: 13 years
Date Enrolled: 9/3/1902
Grade attended: 7th
Days Attended: 121.5 between September & April
Notes:
1903-1904 School year
Age: 15 years
Date Enrolled: 9/28/1903
Grade attended: 8th
Days Attended: 35 between September & November
Notes: Left school to work
Dwight Dodge (born March 1891)
1897-1898 School year
Age: 6 years
Date Enrolled: 9/7/1897
Grade attended: 2nd
Days Attended: 30 between September & November
Notes: First Grade
1898-1899 School year
Age: 7 years
Date Enrolled: 9/6/1898
Grade attended: 1st
Days Attended: 46 between September & December
Notes: Must do 1st Grade work again
1899-1900 School year
Age: 8 years
Date Enrolled: 9/18/1899
Grade attended: 1st
Days Attended: 59 between September & December
Notes: Withdrew in December/left town
1902-1903 School year
Age: 11 years
Date Enrolled: 9/2/1902
Grade attended: 2nd & 3rd
Days Attended: 40 between September & November
Notes: Promoted to 3rd Grade in November/Left School
1903-1904 School year
Age: 12 years
Date Enrolled: 10/16/1903
Grade attended: 4th
Days Attended: 21 between October & December
Notes: Moved away after third month
1904-1905 School year
Age: 13 years
Date Enrolled: 9/6/1904
Grade attended: 4th
Days Attended: 42 between September & December
Notes: Dropped out
James Dodge (born August 1894)
1902-1903 School year
Age: 8 years
Date Enrolled: 9/2/1902
Grade attended: 2nd & 3rd
Days Attended: 34.5 between September & November
Notes: Withdrew
1903-1904 School year
Age: 9 years
Date Enrolled: 10/7/1903
Grade attended: 2nd
Days Attended: 23 between October & December
Notes: Moved away
1904-1905 School year
Age: 10 years
Date Enrolled: 9/6/1904
Grade attended: 2nd
Days Attended: 50 between September & February
Notes: Withdrew
1905-1906 School year
Age: 12 years
Date Enrolled: 2/12/1906
Grade attended: 3rd
Days Attended: 14 between February & March
Notes: Dropped out of school
1906-1907 School year
Age: 13 years
Date Enrolled: 10/1/1906
Grade attended: 3rd
Days Attended: 19 between September & October
Notes: Left school in October
Annie Dodge (born January 1898)
1904-1905 School year
Age: 7 years
Date Enrolled: 9/6/1904
Grade attended: 1st
Days Attended: 41 between September & December
Notes: Withdrew
1905-1906 School year
Age: 8 years
Date Enrolled: 2/12/1906
Grade attended: 1st
Days Attended: 10 in February
Notes: Withdrew-sickness
1906-1907 School year
Age: 9 years
Date Enrolled: 9/17/1906
Grade attended: 3rd
Days Attended: 24 between September & November
Notes: Left to attend country school
1907-1908 School year
Age: 11 years
Date Enrolled: 11/11/1907
Grade attended: 3rd
Days Attended: 10 in November
Notes: Withdrew
There is one interesting thing that these school records help show. In the 1900 Census, Nathaniel and Fannie Dodge have 10 children. The youngest is a little girl named M.L. Dodge born in January of 1898. It is believed that her name was Mildred (that is what has come down to me). Based on other records that I have found on my family, she was alive to at least 1903. The thought has come to me that had she been alive at the beginning of the 1904 school year, she would also have been listed in the school records with her siblings. She would have been six years old and would very likely have started school with her older sister, Annie. These records help place Mildred's death to around 1904.
