Dear Editor:
We want to thank folks for their help with the second Moffat County Rural Schools reunion that was held June 15, 2019 at the Luttrell Barn. It was a fun event with students who had attended the country schools all over Moffat County. We had folks age 96 to much younger folks and we had students who had attended schools at various places all over the county like Elk Springs and Rock Valley School. There was a map displayed at the reunion of multiple schools in the county. The furthest a pupil came was from Virginia. We honored six teachers who had taught at those schools including Cedar Mountain, Powderwash, Morapis, Hamilton and Lower Big Gulch who attended.
We had numerous helpers that included businesses and individuals for this fun event. We appreciate each and everyone who helped or contributed to this gathering including the newspapers.
Yampa Valley Bank who donated a pen for each of the attendees and guests, about 140 of attendees
Masterwork Mechanical –Victor and Amy Updike who donated towards each meal that was provided for the event.
The Elk Head Wranglers who served drinks and helped the students, teachers and guests get their meals from Tracy Lawton, LawDawgs hot dog stand. They also served drinks and helped set up and clean up.
The Luttrell Barn Foundation who worked hard to restore the Barn we used for this event.
Jim and Pam Buffham, both students of country schools, who provided delicious doughnuts for the group and Ileana Updike, a student of Rock Valley in the early 1940s who furnished the coffee to go with the doughnuts.
Tim Hurst who was a teacher at Powderwash and worked hard on the reunion
Rhonda Counts and Linda Duncan who provided support for the gathering
Robin Hamill who was a student at Hamilton and worked hard on the event
Kathy Bower who was a student at Brown’s Park and worked hard on the event.
Dave Colby and Bill Wiggins took pictures of the participants and guests keeping a record for future events.
The country schools were conducted in those early years with the effort of teachers, parents and students and our reunion was a fun and successful event because of that same kind of cooperation and volunteer effort that made the country schools work for so many who attended them. John Allen had a saying, “We are Country School Smart” which was printed on a card and given to each attendee with pictures of a sample of the schools from that era.
Thank you again,
The Rural School group,
John and Mary Lou Allen, Wes and Beverly Counts
