Early Schools in the North Delta

In the second half of the 19th century, the North Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta underwent a dramatic transformation. Once a region of tidal marshes, the Delta was rapidly reshaped by waves of settlers following the Gold Rush. As the population grew, so did the need for schools. Early schools were mostly small, rural and locally managed, serving the children of settlers, farmers and farm laborers. These schools reflected the ethnic diversity of the region and included Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Italians, Filipinos and Mexican Americans, along with Anglo and Black settlers.

Virtually every community built a schoolhouse, most of which were simple one- or two-room wooden buildings. Community involvement was key; subscriptions and fundraisers were the source of funding for these early schools. Once established, schoolhouses served as a hub for the community, hosting events such as church services, suppers, dances and other gatherings.

Challenges for early schools:

The Delta’s marshes and susceptibility to flooding made it difficult to build and maintain school buildings. Malaria was a common illness in children.
Low salaries made it challenging to attract and retain quality teachers.
Books, paper and other school resources were scarce. As a result, teaching often relied heavily on memorization and oral recitation.
While the state constitution called for public education, discrimination based on race and ethnicity was a persistent issue, leading to several segregated schools for groups such as Asian American children. Not all public schools in the North Delta were segregated, however.

Education focused on the fundamentals, often called the “Three Rs”: Reading, ‘Riting (writing), and ‘Rithmetic (arithmetic). Penmanship and recitation were also important aspects of learning. Teachers, both male and female, were highly respected and often became integral parts of the community. Families would often provide for the teacher’s needs, including housing and food. School attendance was often voluntary and irregular, depending on factors such as weather and the need for children’s labor at home. School terms were typically shorter than today, often involving a summer and winter term, with older boys primarily attending in the winter.

Recognizing and honoring the efforts of early settlers to educate their children and better their lives, we offer a gallery of early schoolhouses that thrived in the North Delta. Sadly, only a few of these schoolhouses survive today. One is the Merritt School, or 1883 Clarksburg Schoolhouse, where you now stand. We are grateful to the communities of the North Delta for their dedication to preserving this precious piece of Delta history.

Photos courtesy of the Clarksburg Library

Freeport Elementary School, 1892

Freeport Elementary School was built in 1865 on the south end of the community, about one block north of the Freeport Bridge. At this time there were 40 students enrolled, coming from both sides of the Sacramento River. In 1914, a new two-room school was opened across the road from the old one, on land granted by Mr. Dennis Rockwell Hunt. This school was closed in 1954.

Lisbon Elementary School, 1913

This school was established on May 4, 1870, by Mr. Joseph Miller and other Portuguese settlers in the Lisbon District. It was located about five miles north of Clarksburg on the Glide Ranch, west of the Simas property and the I.D.E.S. Hall. A one-room schoolhouse was built for classes through the sixth grade. As enrollment grew, a second room was added, and classes were expanded through the eighth grade. In 1871, there were 15 pupils, and the teacher was paid $400 for the year. The school operated until it consolidated along with Merritt Elementary School to form the Clarksburg Union School in 1923.

Merritt Elementary School, 1883

The first school in the Clarksburg area was built in 1856 on an acre of land donated by Mr. Joshua S. Curtis near the mouth of Elk Slough. The building was also used as a church and for social gatherings. In 1862-63, there were 23 pupils between the ages of five and sixteen and two teachers. On August 26, 1870, this schoolhouse was replaced with a two-story brick building, and in 1883, a single-story wooden structure became the Merritt School in Clarksburg. In 1923, the Merritt Elementary School was closed, and, with the Lisbon Elementary School, joined the current Clarksburg Union School.

The Holland Union Gakuen, Clarksburg, 1937

Beginning in the late 1920s, the Clarksburg Japanese School was the center for the Japanese-American community life in the North Delta. It was built in 1927 by immigrants who envisioned a future where their American-born children could retain Japanese language and culture, while flourishing in their adopted home. Tatsuki and Yaeko Sakata, who farmed nearby, generously donated land for the school. At its peak, the Japanese School employed three teachers to instruct approximately 120 students ranging in age from first grade through high school. In addition to reading and writing, students learned about Japanese culture and took part in an annual speech contest. The Gakuen was used by the larger Japanese-American community as a center for culture, entertainment and social gatherings.

Richland Elementary School, 1861

This school was located half a mile south of the town of Hood and was established in 1861. In 1864, there were 60 students enrolled. Children on Merritt Island crossed the Sacramento River to attend school here until 1876, when the Jefferson School on Merritt Island opened. Mrs. Della (Atkins) Van de Mark and Mrs. Stephen (Mabel Holmes) Heringer were teachers at this school from 1909 to 1911. In 1921, the Richland Elementary School merged with the Bates Union School in Courtland.

Onisbo Elementary School, 1861

This school was located on the east side of the Sacramento River, two miles north of Courtland and one-quarter of a mile south of the Runyon home in the Pearson District. It was built in 1860 with the school using the first floor and the Franklin Masonic Lodge meeting on the second floor. In 1861, there were 63 students enrolled. The school closed in 1914, and the students attended the newly formed Bates Union School in Courtland.

Vorden Elementary School, 1904

The Vorden Elementary School was established in 1904 and joined the Bates Union School in 1921. This one-room school for nine grades was heated with a wood-burning pot-bellied stove and had a stable and outhouses. There were 35-40 students with Mrs. Cogsell and Miss Harriet Wilson as teachers. Miss Wilson taught here from 1908-1921, and then was the principal at Bates Union School in Courtland until 1949.

Kao Ming School/Joe Shoong School, Locke

This building was constructed in 1915, funded by the Kao Ming Tong, a Chinese fraternal organization. Initially, it served as a meeting place for members of the Kuomintang (Nationalist Party of China) and as a town hall for the Locke community. In 1926, funded by the Nationalist Party, it became the “National School” or “Kao Ming School,” where children learned Cantonese reading and writing skills after a full day at their regular public school. The school closed around 1940 but was refurbished and reopened in 1952 with funding from Joe Shoong, a philanthropist and founder of the National Dollar Store. Today, the building operates as the Locke Chinese School Museum and features exhibits on Chinese-American history and culture. Bronze busts of Confucius and Sun Yat-sen stand at the entrance.

Asparagus School, Ryer Island (No Photo Available)

As California agriculture flourished in the early 20th century, improvements in transportation allowed workers to move as crops ripened throughout the state. By the 1920s, there were 24 different crops to be picked in 36 counties. Cycles were one to three months and an estimated 10,000 children worked in the fields or accompanied their parents as they moved from crop to crop. Over concerns that child labor fostered illiteracy—thus causing societal problems—a series of “Migratory Schools” were established. Each school bore the name of the main local crop. The Migratory Schools gave the children of agricultural workers a respite from the hard labor of crop work. Teachers encouraged children to learn, create, and play, until it was time to move on with their families in search of more work. The “Asparagus School” was one such school on Ryer Island. About 23 students attended, most arriving by boat. Isleton also had a Migratory School.

Georgiana Elementary School, 1866

The Georgiana school was located on Andrus Island on the east side of the Sacramento River, about two miles north of Isleton. It was established in 1866 with twenty students in four classes from Andrus, Grand, and Brannon Islands. In 1877, there with eight classes with 52 students. The school was closed in 1921 when it became part of the Isleton Union School in Isleton.

Isleton Elementary School

The first public school in Isleton opened circa 1880, and classes were held in the Grange Hall until the first school building was constructed. When the first schoolhouse burned down, it was rebuilt on the Main Street Extension. Isleton was one of only four segregated districts in California. Segregation began in 1909. There was a school for Asians (Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos), a school for the children of migrant workers, and a school for all other students (Whites and Blacks). Due to the large Asian population, some of the Asian students attended classes in the migratory school. In 1920, the Isleton Union School District was formed, and in 1921, a new building was constructed for White and Black students. In 1925, two schools were built: one for Asian students and one for the children of migrant workers. Segregation ended in Isleton when the Japanese were interned in 1942.

St. Gertrude’s Academy, Rio Vista

St. Gertrude’s Academy (shown above) was established in 1876 by Joseph Bruning, a prominent Rio Vista landowner, to provide academic and religious education for young women. Located on land donated by Bruning behind St. Joseph Catholic Church, the academy was staffed by the Sisters of Mercy, led by Mother Mary Camillus McGarr, for 35 years. The school quickly gained prestige and operated as both a boarding and day school. The academy was named for both St. Gertrude the Great and Bruning’s wife, Gertrude. St. Joseph’s Military Academy evolved from St. Gertrude’s, starting with the education of the Bruning boys in the Bruning home. It eventually grew into a military academy. Both schools attracted students from throughout Northern California, and both schools were closed in 1930/1931. St. Joseph’s Military Academy was moved to Belmont. The original buildings were later demolished.

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Merritt School Classes

Class with a Teacher, 1894

Third row left to right: Helena Winters (Mrs. George Cornish), Tina Krull (Mrs. Walter Hinsdale), Sydney Ammons, Laura Adele Waterbury (Mrs. Edward Hudson), Henry Woodruff Berkenkamp (Bonsaline Hite), Lucy Ammons (Mrs. William Greene), Lillian Waterbury (Mrs. Delbert Rose), and Gertrude King. Second row left to right: Russell Berkenkamp (Marion Moore), Carrie Rose, Mattie LaMontagne (Mrs. Berry), Mr. Osburn (Teacher), Hattie Hugaboom (Mrs. Frank Husick), Stella Ammons (Mrs. Sherman Coster), Eva LaMontagne (Mrs. LaMontagne cousin), and Percival Webber (Sadie Berry). First row left to right: Danny Webber (Catherine Herbert) and Edward Krull (Mary Jesse).

Third Grade Class, 1912

Fourth row left to right: ?, Miss Ferguson (Teacher), ?, Brown, ?, Ralph Waterbury, Leona Waterbury, Ruth Krull, Georgia Colby, Mamie Valine, Seacrist, Helen Kneppel, and Gerald Kurtz. Third row left to right: ?, Alfred Lee, ?, ?, ? ?, Ethel Soto, Burnice Soto, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, and ? Lee. Second row left to right: ?, John Colby, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, and ?. First row left to right: ?, Manual Davis, Ralph Krull, ?, ?, ?, and ?.

Classes with Teachers, 1921

Seventh row left to right: Miss Carlson (Mrs. Foster) and Miss Brown (Mrs. Curtis) (Teachers). Sixth row left to right: Harry DuVall, ?, Robert Angela, Vernon Husick, Alfred King, John Neves, Leonard Anderson, and Lester Avilla. Fifth row left to right: Rose Valine, ?, Mary Alamo, Velma Avila, Vivian Brown, Rose Wimmer, Eleanor Monica, Florence Terra, Eleanor Souza, and John Waxon. Fourth row left to right: Electa DuVall, Marie Neves, Agnes Nunes, Connie Rose, Isabel DuVall, Margaret Valine, Geneva Anderson, Florence Miyacki, Rosline Lee, and Frieda Spani. Third row left to right: Misao Ishino, Marguerite Link, Ida Valine, Norma Rose, Edna Terra, Annie MacFarlane, Florence Ishino, Margaret DuVall, Bill Valine, Nellie Rose, and Helen Bremer. Second row left to right: ?, Tominoga, ?, Joe Valine, Lawrence Angelo, Manual Valine, ?, ?, ? ? Valine, Princess King, Ida Spani, Frieda Bremer, and Kazayo Oki. First row left to right: Clarence Terra, Takio Hiashi, Norris Monigowa, Jack Kneppel, Bert Rose, Joe Neves, Lewis Ishino, Malcolm Silva, ?, ?, and Ernest Angelo

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Merritt Elementary School (1883 Clarksburg Schoolhouse)

The oldest known picture of the school, before the addition. The building is at ground level.