The Lamoille School was established in 1870 and serves the local community as a gathering place and special events center. The Rotary Club of Elko Desert Sunrise calls the Schoolhouse their Ruby Roubaix Gravel Fondo headquarters annually on the fourth Saturday in June. Part of the proceeds from the Cycling fundraiser pays for improvements around Elko County.
Southwest Gas, Canyon Pipeline, Carter Engineering, Jason Land, Mike Sarman with the Owl Creek Ranch, and the Lamoille Rancher's Center Board of Directors collaborated to purchase, deliver and spread 450 tons of Type II Road Base for a new parking lot at the Lamoille School House.
By: D’ette Mawson; Education Coordinator at Northeastern Nevada Museum
The Lamoille School was established in 1870, and class was originally held in an outbuilding on the Walker/Waterman Ranch. The following year, the County Commissioners voted to establish the Lamoille Valley School district. In the 1872-1873 school year, there were 50 students in attendance. The citizens of Lamoille voted to tax themselves for the funds to build a permanent schoolhouse. In those days, the school buildings were often moved from one ranch to another based on locational need or willingness to allow the use of land. In 1912, the third Lamoille schoolhouse was erected on the site of the present building. The property was purchased solely with the intent to use it for the school. Sadly, this structure burned in 1919.
School was held off the property for several years until 1923 when the building we know today was completed. The Elko Independent reported that the new schoolhouse would be up to date with all the modern conveniences and was predicted to be the finest in the state. It was in this building that Edna Paterson, a founding member of the Northeastern Nevada Historical Society, and her co-teacher Margret Hill began their teaching careers. They taught together for 9 months at which time Margret took a post elsewhere in the county and Edna married a local rancher, thus ending her career in public education. Another person of interest to sit at a desk in the Lamoille Schoolhouse is Morley Isaac Griswold, who became the 15th Governor of Nevada.
For those wishing to learn more, Northeastern Nevada Museum would be happy to share information.
Please, contact them at (775)738-3418 or visit the Museum at 1515 Idaho Street in Elko, NV.