Where did you go to school?

On a ranch situated 10 miles north of Flathead Lake, 30 miles south from Glacier National Park, and 50 miles south from the Canadian Border was where Frank Lambert Houser, my Grandpa, grew up and spent his early childhood years.

Living in the wilderness of northern Montana, a two story family farm house with two bedrooms upstairs, one bedroom downstairs, and one indoor bathroom was a luxury few families had.  Luckily for Frank, his mother and father were one of those lucky family's.  Their indoor bathroom was serviced by a water tank located  in the attic (which was filled by a pump).  This tank also supplied the  kitchen with 'running' water.  To get hot water for the house, they used the kitchen and living room stove to heat water in a pipe with some kind of baffle that closed and opened when needed.

School on Houser land in Montana
 (I believe the young boy 2nd from the left is
 James Morrison Houser (Grandpa's brother))

When you grow up 10 miles from the nearest town, Kalispell Montana, taking your child to the nearest city school was unrealistic.  What does a family do to educate their children? Why they build their own school.

Frank Houser Sr. donated a small section, about a quarter of an acre, on the southwest corner of his ranch to have a one room school house built. At any one time, there was between 10-12 local rancher's children being educated there.  The single, childless, teacher, Nellie Redlingshafer, taught students between 1st and 8th grade in that one room school house.

In the background of the picture to the left, you can see the little school house where Frank received his early childhood education. In the forefront of the picture is (left to right); Frank Morrison Houser, James Morrison Houser (nicknamed Buster), Nellie Radlingshafer (teacher at Riverside School), and Grace Lena Buck Houser.