Above is the school van that Archie and Sophie Keshen operated, date of photo is unknown, but probably the late 1930s. In the photo are Jean Sutherland and Jack Keshen. Trails We Blazed Together writes that the Keshens believed their farm would generate enough revenue for the family, but Archie found it necessary to drive a team of horses and the van.

Re: More info on Keshen’s school van picture, June 22, 2016 South Peace News

In March 1944, when I came to High Prairie, our neighbour’s son, Jack Keshen, drove the van and directed me to Miss Nellie Lewis’ one-room and my brother to Miss Jean McNaughton’s other one-room school.

At that time there were four schools located in the now Sports Palace block, plus a teacherage in the northeast corner where the Pratt family lived, and on the northwest was the barn that housed the horses that brought about seven vans with children from the surrounding areas to school.

Jack was taking his final school year and Jean Sutherland and her sister, Rosemary, Joe and Laurie Spendiff, Howard and Leonard Bissell, my brother, Eyner Osberg, and I rode in that van. I remember the horses’ names were King and Spinager. My guess that the picture of Jack and Jean was taken in 1943-44.

Jack moved to Ontario, where he made his home for many years. He married Audrey in 1947 and my dad and I attended their wedding celebration in the North-End Hall and I did get to see him on occasion over the years.

I remember Jean Sutherland as being a classy lady and having the opportunity to meet her in later years. I told her so. The Sutherlands moved away in about 1945 and Fred and Marta Marx purchased their farm and the Sutherland home and yard has been nicely kept up, in recent years by son Will and family.

After Jack Keshen left, Alma May took over driving the van until she had an accident when the horses had a runaway and she got burned from the heater that was in the front of the van. She may have been alone, but don’t remember the details.

I remember my mother and I visiting Alma, her son Donald, also her dad when they lived in town. The Bliss brothers drove the van for a while.

The Marx family started school and I remember Gunvar [Cindy] in the van. Her brothers, Lennart, Erwyn and William followed in later years. Will became a dedicated member of our History Book Society who played a big part in compiling Trails We Blazed Together, which contained the picture of the Keshen van mentioned above.

Route changes occurred when Wilbert Abernathy drove our van as he picked up Cindy Marx and my brother and I, then made the loupe east and picked up Larry, Winnie and Billy Babkirk; Evelyn, Kay and Arnold Cowell; Christina Hurka; Walter, Peter and William Klepachuck and Roger and Bud Keay. Bertha Keay and Patsy Vance replaced the Bissell brothers. I am guessing the Spendiff brothers had quit school.

In 1946-47 Mr. Palmer and family came from Massachusetts, USA in an army bus that became known as a dogcatcher bus and he convinced the School Division to buy it, which soon replaced the two north-end horse-drawn school vans and even picked up more children including: Steve Hubar; Annie, Nancy and Mike Wasylchuk; Vera, Verda and Mildred Wolfe; Janis and Kenny Evans; Dorothy, Carol and Marguerite Smythe and Dale Lys. I may have missed some of the younger siblings.

I know we were happy to ride in that bus, even though it sometimes got stuck in snow and mud, especially turning around, where necessary. George Bubiak became the first bus driver, then Arne Jacobsen took over driving it.

In 1947, a new Prairie River School was built and several new school buses were purchased and some country schools were closed – education changed for many that year.

Gradually, more improvements were made in the following years. The horse-drawn vans became only memories.

Jean Sutherland went into nursing as did some of the Konelsky sisters, who were friends of Jean. Stella Konelsky married Arne Jacobsen’s son Tippy, and they lived here for many years. Now, Tippy and Jean spend some time visiting friends and family here and at Shaw’s Point. If you happen to see them, Jean could fill in her earlier years in High Prairie, when she rode in a horse-drawn van. She is still a great lady!
Violet Komisar,
High Prairie.