The School, which is located on the Sun Prairie property about 50 miles southeast of Malta, was our first restoration project.
Built in 1912 for the Hockett family homestead, the schoolhouse was moved in 1943 to the nearby Shores family ranch, where classes were offered for grades one through eight. In 1948 the schoolhouse was moved again to its current site near the original location.
Young teachers lived at the school where they slept on a fold-up bed and cooked their meals on an oil stove. One teacher did not leave the school for three months. Many former students received a wonderful education at the Prairie Union School and developed lifelong relationships with fellow students and their families. The Prairie Union School graduated its last students in 1956. This small log school typifies many found on the prairie and is a part of the rich human history that shaped the character of the region.
The renovation of the Prairie Union School was completed in 2007 thanks to the generous donor support. A local company called Yellowstone Traditions offered its restoration expertise, and former students and members of the community donated original school materials.
We are very grateful to the many donors and volunteers who made this restoration possible. The preservation of this one-room schoolhouse is dedicated to those who obtained their education at this and other similar schools across the regional grasslands.