(August 2023)
Tim Spitzack
Editor
You’ve heard of school closures in Minnesota due to blizzards and extreme cold. But what about high winds? That’s what educators dealt with in the early 1900s at Stickney School, South St. Paul’s first public school building.
Located near the site of the present-day secondary school, Stickney was the first of five red brick school buildings constructed in South St. Paul in the late 19th century. The others were Lincoln, Gladstone, Sibley and McGrath. The push toward having new school buildings was championed by eager city leaders who had formed their own school district shortly after the City of South St. Paul became incorporated in March 1887. Before then, school was held in houses and administered by Dakota County.
Christian Zinck was awarded the contract to build all five schools, and Stickney was the first to open in 1887. It was named after the founder of the St. Paul Union Stockyards Co., Alpheus Stickney, who donated land for the school.
It turned out administrators didn’t adequately plan for the city’s explosive population growth. As a result, they had to renovate the school just three years later. They added a 2-room addition in 1890 then a second story later that same year.
Things were going swimmingly until 1903, when a janitor discovered a crack that ran the entire length of an outside wall. School officials conferred and decided the best course of action was to use timbers to prop up the wall. Undoubtedly, some of the most adventurous students thought they were given a new climbing structure for playtime during recess. A year later a building inspector came out, viewed the structural deficiency, and shook his head. He scribbled notes and went back to his office. A short time later he issued a citation that the building be condemned. That put school administrators in a tight spot. There was no plan for where else to educate the students, so they continued holding classes at Stickney, much to the chagrin of the teachers. Legend has it that nerves heightened whenever breezes increased in intensity. When the winds got wild, classes were dismissed. And when that happened, it is likely that the howling of the wind was drowned out by the howling of the happy students.
Classes resumed at Stickney in the fall of 1904, but the following spring – during the windy season – enough was enough. The school closed that April and was eventually demolished to make room for Central High School, which opened in 1907. The closure of Stickney has forever since put an end to “Wind Days” for South St. Paul students. We hope.
<<< Home