The large lake in T.1-R-21-W4th was named Shanks Lake
after Thomas Shanks, D.L.S. (1869-1926). He was Director
General of Surveys from 1914 to 1924.

On January 4, 1916 the Shanks Lake School District No.
3329 was established comprising the following lands:
West halves of Section 30 and 31, in Township 1, Range
20; Sections 25-29 and 32-36 in Township 1, Range 21;
Sections 1, 2, 11, 12 and those portions of Sections 3-5,
10, 13, and 14 lying south of the north branch of Milk
River in Township 2, Range 21; the west halves of Sections
6 and 7 and that portion of the west half of Section 18 lying
south of the said river in Township 2, Range 20, West of the
Fourth Meridian.

Official Trustee at the time was Albert Fisher of Del Bonita,
Alberta. The Committee responsible for establishment
included W. L. Baxter, Roy Winters, and H. E Munday.

On May 22, 1918 the following lands were added: Sections
5 and 8, the west halves of Sections 4 and 9, and the east
halves of Sections 6 and 7, in Township 2, Range 20, and
Sections 29 and 32, the west halves of Sections 28 and
33 and the east halves of Sections 30 and 31 in Township 1,
Range 20, West of the Fourth Meridian.

The school was located north of Shanks Lake. W. L.
Baxter and a few other local men built the school and barn.
The lumber was hauled from Magrath.

Mr. Thomas Roycroft was the first teacher. There were
eighteen pupils: Pearl and Ruth Helgeson, Ruby Greep,
Gerald, Mabel, and Tommy Lanoway, Maybel, Richard,
Floyd, and Alberta Smith, Estella and Louis Winters,
Thomas and Maureen Roycroft, Norah Guthrie, Gladys
Fisher, Russel and Irene Baxter, and for a short time,
their aunt, Ellen Aldrich.

Other official trustees were J. Morgan of Lethbridge,
appointed February 23, 1918; G. R. Dolan of Cardston,
appointed March 1, 1919; 0. Williams of Cardston
appointed October 23, 1919, and J. Scoffield of
Foremost, appointed June 12, 1923. Many local
people served on the school board.

During the 20's the school was closed for a few years
because enrollment was low. The children of school
age rode horseback to the Del Bonita School.
On October 3, 1936 the Shanks Lake School District
No. 3329 was included in subdivision No. 3 of the
St. Mary's River School Division No. 2.

In 1939 Shanks Lake School was included in the
centralized school system at Del Bonita. The building
was moved to the site and used for a class room in
1939-40. Then it became a teacherage. It was
purchased by W. S. Clifton in 1949 and moved to
his land where it was converted into a home.

Some of the students of Shanks Lake School recall
the fun they had swinging on the barn rafters, or
playing softball. The journey home often included
a race to see who had the fastest horse.

When Miss Hominuke was teaching at Shanks Lake
School, every day each family brought one thing to
put in the community soup pot that simmered on the
stove all morning. What a delicious smell! By noon
everyone was ready to eat.

The stove was a big pot bellied heater. Each family
took turns as custodian of the school for a certain
period of time. The fire had to be lit early to have
the school warm when the children arrived.

Most of the children walked to school, a distance of
two or three miles. Winter clothing was hard to get.
At times the children wrapped their feet in gunny
sacks to keep them warm and dry. The teacher
helped them to unwrap their feet, and dried the
sacks by the big heater.

Some of the teachers in Shanks Lake School were
Thomas Roycroft, Mr. Ora Neilson, Marion Bingham,
Arvid Larson, Sadie Hominuke, and Leah Sheffield.

The Shanks Lake School was closed for several years
during the 20's because there weren't enough pupils to
warrant keeping it open. Those pupils of school age
rode horseback to the Del Bonita School and were
given a small allowance for each day they attended.

Shanks Lake School re-opened in June, 1929. School
was held through the summer that year.

When Arvid Larson taught grade ten at the Shanks Lake
School, the class included Earl Weiss, Verda Weiss,
and Glen Powlesland from the Del Bonita district, Ethel
Robinson from Twin River, and June Swanson and
Anton Bryant from Shanks Lake.

In 1937 Andrew Kolasko was hired to van the students
from Hillmer to Shanks Lake school around by the bridge
at Swallow's. Herman Hillmer succeeded him. Pay for
this was $3.00 per day.

1938-39 was the last year Shanks Lake school operated.
Grade nine was taught there that year.

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