Harrison Grade School
2065 Fir Street
Butte, Montana
(1901 - 1974)
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This entire web site now resides in the Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives also.
    Ask for it.
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It is reported that Harrison was the smallest grade school in Butte.     (Alice Given)
It is also reported that Harrison was the best.
(Trefor Roberts)
     
This large 2 story brick building was the biggest structure in the entire community.
(To see this East Butte community and all it's surroundings, click
HERE)
Well, the school was biggest with the exception of the slag structure which housed the remains of the deep shaft
Pittsmont mine located about 1 1/2 blocks south of the school.   But, as kids, we never let
such a danger bother us much ... if at all. (Tis a wonder any of us made it into adulthood!)
NEW !  
Click HERE to see a 1951 list of all residents in East Butte.
NEW !
     
The other landmark building visible in the above picture is the East Butte Volunteer
Fire Station located just to the right of the Pittsmont slag.   Although not Harrison
Grade School related, I would be
remiss
if I did not give you the opportunity to see
the following historic photograph.   It is a photograph of all the East Butte fire men gathered
proudly along side their modern fire truck.   Just click
HERE.
     
The Harrison was a grand building with large double doors, wide
spacious
halls and stairways (no
elevators here) and huge classrooms.   Click
HERE to see how it appeared after the 1919 remodel.
  It's versatility is unequaled by any modern day
building.   A school by day, a general meeting facility in the evening.   The lunchroom
played host to squaredancers from time to time.   The gym doubled as a theater for our
outstanding theatrical performances at Christmas and Easter.   The library did duty as
a music room as well.   For all 8 grades we had 4 classrooms !   Do the math.   Yes, that's
1 classroom, 1 teacher and students from 2 grades!   Yet, our education did not suffer.
     
The school was still standing (although not in use) well into the 1970's when it met,
along with most of the East Butte neighborhood, it's final
demise
in the hands of
progress ... open pit mining progress.   Click
HERE to see the sad devastation of a landmark.
  Warning ... this photo is NOT for the fainthearted !
     
Let me introduce you to many of the students that passed through this fine school.
In the sections that follow, I do not have full information and many times I do not
have identification for students.   I hope that you can
assist
me with this project.
Please, if you have information that I lack, send it to me for posting.   Thank you.
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