Pleasant Valley Grade School
District #14 was organized in 1888, and a frame structure was
used as a school - about 10 x 14 feet big. It was moved to be convenient for
teachers and students - once across the road from the Monk house when Anna Monk
taught, and across from the Ford house when Rilla Ford taught.
In 1901 it was called the McNichols district, still # 14, and Miss Minnie Dorman was the teacher. Winnie Dorman was teaching the Barbazat, district No. 17.
September 2, 1910 "Miss Edna Petrie will teach District 14.
Now what do you think of that Wesley?" (Her future husband. Edna's stepfather,
Frank Wesley Barnes had taught ten years earlier in the Hollingshead district near Waverly.)
In 1911-1912 Anna Monk (my grandmother, who was to give birth to my father in November 1912)
In 1912-1913 Frank Draper was the teacher
In 1913-1914 Mona Furneaux, 1914-1915 Ruth Lind,
1915-1916 Freda French and her grandmother Mrs. Ostrom.
When the 'new' school was built in 1923, the old school was moved to the Albert Monk place, where his three sons slept while his three daughters slept in their two-bedroom house.
Albert died in 1937, and his son Bert used the building as a shop.
This 1950 clip shows it to the left of the gasoline tank.
About 1953 Jennie's uncle Gus Wiklund and Bert re-sided
and shingled it, and moved it to Wray, behind the home of
Jennie's sister Lillie McGinnis on Cedar Street.
Gus lived there until his death, and it is still there (2019).
In 1912 a schoolhouse - called Hilltop - was built in the east
end of the district It cost $256 in materials from the Klein Lumber
Company and $74 for labor.
Elsie Wheeler, who became eligible to apply for a teachers
certificate in December 1922 (turning 18
years old), had grown up in Vernon, was engaged to Max Ross. Her daughter
Lois ROSS Blacker, wrote in a family history ""On January 1, 1923, she was given
a school, Pleasant Valley, located about twenty-five miles north of Yuma.
Max, Ila Downing (a friend) and Ila's boyfriend Ted Yount, took her there on
the first Sunday in January to begin her duties. She boarded with the Alva
Ford family. Pleasant Valley was a one-room school with all eight grades.
Elsie wrote Max about the difficulty of hearing all the classes recite in the
five and one-half hours of a school day. She also mentioned the challenge
of disciplining students who were bigger than she was. Max drove up to see
her, taking her home every other weekend. He spent Sundays with her on the
in-between weekends.
May 10, 1923 
It was built in 1917 at a cost of $449 for material from Hoch Lumber, and $230
labor.
September 8, 1921 "E.B. Blackburn came down from Denver Friday
He will teach at the Pleasant Valley school this winter.
Mrs. Blackburn and children will be here in a few days.
They will occupy a portion of the house of Andy Anderson.
The many friends of Mr. and Mrs. Blackburn will
be glad to welcome them back.
Thanks to the generosity of Lois ROSS Blacker, whose mother Elsie Wheeler
taught, the above are tentatively:
TOP ROW - Ella Johnston (Kipp), ??? , Jennie Johnston ,- or maybe Zella
Spelts, Zella Monk (Piper)
MIDDLE - Elva Ford, Bert Monk, Ernest Spelts, Ocie Moran,
FRONT - John Johnston, Zella Spelts, Phoebe Monk (Josh), Robert Ford -or maybe
Floyd Ford
June 7, 1973 
In October 1923 Cora Bowen of Eckley was teaching
at the Hill Top building,
and E.E. Ewingof Yuma
at the Pleasant Valley building. The district had two buildings, four miles apart on the same road (now numbered 53.)
April 17, 1924 "Our teacher, E.E. Ewing, took the teachers' examinations
last Thursday and Friday.
September 1927 Pleasant Valley items "Our west grade school opened Monday, with Miss Edna New as teacher and an enrollment of twenty pupils. Forrest Draper is again teaching the east school."
April 1928 " Miss Edna New and pupils of District 14 spent Wednesday picnicking on Old Baldy."
Edna M. New was the teacher at Hill Top, (Pleasant Valley) 1927-1928.
October 15, 1925 
May 6, 1926 
August 5, 1926 Forrest Draper was to teach Hill Top, and Viola McFarland to teach Pleasant Valley.
April 26, 1928 
April 18, 1929 "In Miss Johnston's Hilltop school two pupils passed the eighth grade examinations, Ruby Northcut and Melvin Brady."
(This was Ella Johnston, daughter of William Johnston.
Ella married Frank Kipp and spent her whole life in
Pleasant Valley. )
"The pupils in Pleasant Valley school, with Miss Railsback as teacher,
who passed the seventh grade examinations were Beulah Monk, John Johnston and Leroy Spelts."
July 11, 1929 "Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Bowen and daughters motored to Wray Sunday morning to
meet the lady's sisters Misses Alta and Edna May from Kentucky.
Miss Edna will teach Hill Top school this coming term."
Miriam West was the Pleasant Valley teacher 1928-1929.
October 1929 "Miss West, of the Pleasant Valley school, received three new scholars Monday morning, when Melvin and Donna Brady and Geneva Woodcock enrolled.
This makes a total of twenty-one pupils."
December 8, 1932 "Frances Cleavenger, teacher at Hill Top school, spent the week-end with home folks."
May 4, 1933 "Miss Mona Lindsey closed a very successful school term at the Pleasant Valley school April 26 with a picnic dinner for the scholars.
"The school meeting was held at the Pleasant Valley school with very little business to transact. Alva Ford was re-elected treasurer."
April 26, 1934 "Miss Edith New closed a very successful term of school at Pleasant Valley last Friday with a picnic dinner and weiner roast."
June 1934 "A contract was signed by K.C. Hinde of Haxtun to teach Pleasant Valley school for the coming term."
August 30, 1934 Mr. and Mrs. K.C. Hinde and sons are moving this week to the farm which Otis Skeels farmed this summer. Mr. Skeels will move to the place farmed by Mr. Hinde. Mr. Hinde will teach the Pleasant Valley School this term."
September 10, 1936 
Hill Top was the other school in District 14 - about five miles east.
September 15, 1938 
April 25, 1940 
The Pleasant Valley school was often called the Ford school, because it was near the Alva Ford house, and a mile from the "U.B." church.
May 22, 1941 
1941 "Mrs. William Meier and daughters and Mrs. M.C. Rogers and sons cleaned the Pleasant Valley school house last Wednesday. Miss Olga Hollars, of Greeley, teaches at the Pleasant Hill school and Mrs. Stuck, of Yuma, teaches at Pleasant Valley.
September 17, 1942 "Pleasant Valley school opened last
Monday with Mrs. Floyd Neuschwanger as teacher
and eleven pupils enrolled. Joyce Korf and Mary Strickland
are new pupils and beginners are Dorothy Allen,
Shirley Salvador, and Joy Strickland."
February 22, 1945 "Miss Bessie Conway of Wray stayed overnight with Mrs. Nelson at the Pleasant Valley school house."
Because of gasoline rationing, rural school teachers lived at or near their
schools.
March 3, 1955 "Mrs. Mellberg, Pleasant Valley school teacher, stayed Monday night with the Bert Monks because the roads were so bad."
Alice J. (Green) Manning's obituary, born August 7, 1903
"Alice taught in various school in the Yuma area, including the Korf School and Pleasant Valley School for ten years."
This building was moved a mile and a half east sometime in 1953-1954, when the two small
schools in District 14 merged. Dennie Salvador said "I remember riding my
bicycle up that mile, and the teacher was a lady from Haxtun."
We're certain that Jennie Monk's father Olof Oman supervised the moving.
He had big beams, big dollies, and big jacks. Men would dig trenches under
the building to slide the beams under it, then use jacks to gradually lift the
beams sufficiently to slide the dollies under. Then they'd lower the
jacks, hook up a tractor, and go down the road. The process was reversed
at the new location.
With the Pleasant Valley school's new location, there was a windmill, well, and
water cistern. So this school had a hand-pump and WATER FOR THE
SCHOOLROOM. We could wash our hands and have cool water to drink !
September 4, 1952 "The school bell rang again at Pleasant Valley school Monday with Mrs. Pearl Osborn of Wray as teacher."
June 7, 1969 
In 1960 the building was moved to Yuma, where Bud's Swap Shop used it for storage on east
2nd Avenue. Later it was moved two miles west to the Golden Pheasant
location on the north side of Highway 34.
Photograph contributed by Lois ROSS Blacker
Marion (Brophy) Greenfield was a teacher in the early 1950's.
"Early on Saint Valentine's Day, Marion went to meet her Lord, surrounded by several of her children, the result of a fatal stroke.
Born in Wray, Colo. to Peter and Precious Brophy, Marion was the middle child with 6 siblings:
Lois, Gene, David (deceased), Lillian, Anne and Pete, Jr.
She grew up on the family farm in the sandhills
20 miles north of Wray during the Great Depression.
After graduating from Wray High School, she attended CU for a certification to teach in a one-room country schoolhouse in Yuma County. She married Blaine Greenfield in 1952, became a housewife and mother to 10 children.
Blaine left in 1965. Marion was on her own and with the help of family, neighbors and her church raised 10 kids, ages 12-baby.
She was quickly employed by the welfare department to make ends meet. Marion was accepted to the ADC program allowing her to move to Greeley in 1967 and enroll at CSC. She received a bachelor's degree in education, in 1971 while raising her children.
This amazing woman became an elementary teacher in the Greeley school district for 6 years while continuing to mold and keep up with her own children.
In 1977, she accepted a job with Yuma County Social Services and moved back to Wray with the 2 youngest.
After retirement she moved to Yuma for several years, until moving to Windsor to live with a son and daughter-in-law until her death.
Through her courage and determination, as well as her welcoming demeanor, everyone that came to know Marion admired her as a beacon of love and fortitude.
She touched many lives, sharing her home and a meal with her children's friends, her many relatives and acquaintances throughout her life.
Her faith in God and the community of her Catholicism was the source of her strength. She volunteered in her church and community. She loved to play a game of cards, Rockies baseball, and trips to Blackhawk, Brophy watermelons/any farm produce, baking, and to share a meal with whoever would sit at her table.
She will be deeply missed by all who were blessed to have known her.
She was preceded in death by her parents; brother, David; son, Gary; and daughter, Karen.
She is survived by 5 siblings; children, Dennis (Patsy), Dallas, Barry, Michael (Judi), Linda (Dave Walters), Ken
(Mark Trubell), Mark (Jennifer), and Cindy; grandchildren, Jacob and Spencer, Dusti and Ashley, Thomas, Richard and Erica, Casie, Lauren, Chase, Melissa, Meagan, Mariyah and Kayla, Tyler and Paige, Brandon, Tatum, Joslyn, and Taylor; many great- grandchildren and extended family.
A rosary will be held at 9:30 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018, with a funeral mass to follow at 10:30 a.m., at Saint Andrews Catholic Church, 412 Dexter St., Wray,
Colo., gravesite ceremony; followed by a lunch at the
church hall. A Celebration of Life for family and friends at 1 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018, at Eaton Country Club 37661 County Road 39, Eaton, Colo. In lieu of flower arrangements, donations are requested to go to Michael Greenfield, 4 Cottonwood Ct., Windsor 80550 or CatholicCharities.org "
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