CATO 10- RIVER BEND
     Valdis Sengbusch


    River Bend was considered
an appropriate name for the
school in Cato district number
10 because it is located near a
bend in the Manitowoc river.
The Clarks Mills school is the
more common name because it
is situated in the village of
Clarks Mills.
    Cato No. 10 was organized
early in the 1850's when Cato
township still belonged to
Maple Grove. In 1855 when
Cato was a part of Franklin,
the district was known as
Franklin No. 10. When Cato be-
came a township by' itself in
1857, the school district became


Ca, NoU. 1U. .At. thati; thueI the
district consisted of sections 21, 22, 23, 24, and the north one-half of
sections 27 and
28, all in Cato. Many changes in boundary lines have occurred since the district
or-
ganization. To list all the detachments and attachments would require pages
of de-
scription. The latest attachment occurred about 1931 when an area northeast
of Val-
ders was taken into Cato 10. Today the boundaries are very irregular with
the school
building .iot centrally located in the district.
    With the founding of several mills by Ira Clerk in the early 1850's,
a community
of settlers soon sprang up. The children of these pioneers, through the efforts
of the
parents, were soon given an opportunity to get some "larnin". A
log cabin was ac-
cordingly erected about 1854, just west of the present site. The best of
pioneer school
equipment was provided by installing home-made desks and benches for the
older
pupils and a low bench along one wall for the little ones. Evidently the
building prov-
ed unsatisfactory as to size and structure for it was soon abandoned. No
record is
given as to what was done with the old school after the new one was erected.
    About 1868, the present frame school building was constructed from lumber
saw-
ed at Clark's sawmill. The school was built east of the log building on the
same site.
The original frame building was set on a stone foundation without a basement.
The
schoolhouse was about 28 x 36 feet with a large entry-cloakroom and classroom.
Four
large windows were placed in each long wall and this cross-lighting is still
common
today. It is said that shades were at first deemed unnecessary for the windows.
The
early equipment of this school consisted of double desks, blackboards, a
globe, maps,
and a teacher's desk. The traditional elevated platform at the front of the
room plac-
ed the teachers so that they could observe all "goings-on" in the
room. The other
schoolyard buildings consisted of outdoor toilets and a fuel shed. The sum
of $366
was spent in 1903 for repairs and additions.
    In order that the children of the district might be provided with physical
condi-
tions in school comparable with the modern homes in the district, a remodeling
pro-
gram was undertaken in the early 1930's. At that time a full basement, indoor
lava-
tories, and a basement entrance were constructed. The lavatory rooms were
made by
partitioning off each end of the old entry-cloakroom. The basement has a
furnace
heating and ventilating plant, a fuel room, and a large playroom. Electric
lights were
installed about the same time. Modern single seats and desks are gradually
replacing
the double desks. Because of the large school census, this school has more
than the
averaged-sized library, with the books housed in cupboards and bookcases.
The school
now has most of the present-day teaching and learning equipment such as maps,
bulletin boards, blackboards, reference books, file, tables, chairs, etc.
    In spite of the large district and the quite densely settled community,
the enroll-
ment has never been too large. The establishment of the parochial school
across the
road as well as the 'decline of the industries in the village and other rural
population
trends have had their effect on the school enrollment. During the 1860's
and 1870's
when summer and winter sessions were common, the year enrollment was above
80.
During the rest of the 1800's the attendance averaged between 50 and 60 with
pupils
ranging in age from 6 to 20. After 1900 the enrollment dropped decade by
decade un-
til now the average yearly attendance is about 20. The 1945 school census
shows that
the district had 110 children between the ages of 4 and 20.
    Early township assessment rolls show that John McCulley, L. W. Knowlton,
Frank
Marlborough, Andrew Kendall, H. W. Tucker, Win. Hume, Ira and S. Clark, Robert


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