The Forgotten Pioneer School of Clark, Wyoming

The Pioneer School in Clark, Wyoming, is a historic 1914 rural schoolhouse located in Park County on Road 1AG, near the Montana border. Designed by Curtis Oehme and built by H.P. Anderson, it operated until 1969 as a school for the local farming community.

Key Details about the Pioneer School:

Situated in the Clark Fork Valley, approximately 8 miles north of Clark.

It is a 1.5-story frame building, representing a significant upgrade from earlier one-room log schools, featuring high ceilings and large window banks.

The school was in operation from 1914 to 1969. It was deeded to the Pioneer Service Group in 1970 for use as a community center.

A 'teacherage' (teacher housing) was added in 1953, and a music room was added in 1956.

It has sat abandoned for years.

The Wyoming State Historic Preservation website has a page on this site.

The Pioneer School was designed by architect Curtis Oehme and constructed by H. P. Anderson in 1914. The original school consisted of one large classroom on the ground floor with a double door in the entry and a storage closet.

In 1953, work was completed on a two-room teacherage addition to the east end of the building, which consisted of a combination living room, kitchen, and one bedroom. That one room would be for the teacher. In 1956, the school was upgraded, and a music room addition was constructed on the north side.

Pioneer School held classes from 1914 to 1969. Class rolls indicate that enrollment fluctuated from as few as five students to as many as twenty-eight students over the years.

School District #4 consolidated with Powell School District #1 in 1969. On August 14, 1970, the Pioneer School, along with two acres, was deeded to the Pioneer Service Group to be used as a Community Center.

The Center has been used to hold dances, extension club meetings, card parties, anniversary and wedding parties, receptions, benefits, carry-in dinners, and the Clark Reunion, serving as a gathering place and landmark tying the community to its past.