City/Town: • Fourche Valley |
Location Class: • School |
Built: • 1978 | Abandoned: • 2008 |
Status: • Abandoned • Restored |
Photojournalist: • Lana Yates |
Fourche Valley school district was created in 1928. Bluffton and Briggsville schools combined to form Fourche Valley. Red Hill was the third school to enter Fourche Valley and many followed to finally have combined the total of 13 local schools. Fourche Valley was named after the Fourche La Fave river. The land that the school currently sits on was donated by the Briggs family of Briggsville.
In 1978 a new complex was completed for the Elementary and high school students. In 1997 a new Agri building was constructed. In 2004 a new gym was constructed with a cafeteria for the students. The old cafeteria was tore down. Now, the only original building left was the home economic building which is still standing on the property. Fourche Valley had the longest bus route in the state. The Chula-Aly route started before 6 a.m. and arrived at the school at 7:45 a.m. The route was never actually confirmed as the longest but was never disputed as the longest. The narrow dirt roads, the low water Bridges and the mountain ranges made the ride long and tiring. The school closed many times because of high water. As soon as the creek started rising, the school was called by a parent from the Aly-Chula route. The bus left hoping the students were able to get home before the rising water made it impossible. Unfortunately due to the decline of students in the Fourche Valley area, Fourche Valley, Plainview-Rover, Ola and Casa schools combined to form the Two Rivers School District. The district was formed in 2004. Fourche Valley students were able to continue attending Fourche Valley through the 2008 – 2009 school year. After the 2009 school year all of the students were moved to another campus In the Two Rivers School District.
The school then set there, locked up, for seven years. In 2016 the community of Fourche Valley took ownership of the property. They are currently in the process of cleaning the building up. Fourche Valley has reunions there every year in October.
Gallery Below
If you wish to support our current and future work, please consider making a donation or purchasing one of our many books. Any and all donations are appreciated.
Donate to our cause Check out our books!
I love old fourche valley yearbooks and would love to have some for memorbila is there anyone out there that knows where I could find some old fourche valley yearbooks I can have access to or can keep
I hate that fourche valley school closed down I hate that all the other schools closed down they were really good schools I am a fourche valley Indian by heart and I love the school and always will
What's funny I went to Two Rivers right when they moved all the people to my school.
My grandmother aunts went to school here and so did my siblings is there anyway i can get a pic of old rock school for my grandmother
I could get a copy of this old rock building. It will not be in color. We sold copies at s reunion for $10 and I could copy and mail you one for that. Need your address. Send to p o box 474 in Pottsville at 72858.
Yes, I believe they would. You can contact Gary or Sheila Garner with any questions.
fgfdg
I went to school there from grade 1 through high school graduation. I think the "flooding" is overstated. "The river got up" about once a year when I went there. We students were always glad to have a day off school. It was not a "high flood"….not a lot of high water on the road. I wish the community could make a deal with some reputable company to rent or buy the facilities, probably the community would be willing to consider disposing of all of it except one small community building. That's just a guess. I am not on any… Read more »
My mom was a teacher there for 20+ yrs and says the flooding did get bad. She can remember the water up to the top of the road signs, a few times. I can remember the school parking lot being flooded and the creeks on each side being massively out of their banks and I didn't even go to FV (unlike my brother).
What are the future plans for the building? Surely more than a once a year reunion. I love that school. I mived back here after 35 years hoping my grandkids could go to school there only to find it had been closed down. Broke my heart.
Come to Reunion on October 13th at 12. We have plans to rehabilitate the gym. Meal will be served. Give me your email address and i will send you details.
It's sad to drive by there and see it just sitting. I graduated from there and loved our small school and loked forward to my children attending there. As far as bus route goes some of our children have just as long to ride the bus attending school at two rivers.
It is hard and sad to watch an abandoned school, because it seems that the time has stopped in that area. But I can definitely understand the parents who can't send their kids to school knowing that the level of the water may rise and put the life of their kids at risk.
I went to school there, and graduated from there, Have wonderful memories of this place!!!!
My mom taught there in the 90s!
I wonder if they would be willing to sell any of the books out of there? Do you know how to get in touch with them to ask?
Yes, I believe they would. You can contact Gary or Sheila Garner with any questions.