One crop Nights.

SCOTTS BLUFF COUNTY SCHOOLS

The beginning of the school in the North Platte valley was in Horseshoe Bend, when a part of Cheyenne county. A new district had been taken from the old number ten and number eleven by the Williams, the Shobars, the Rayburns, and others. Gertrude Ashford taught this school, and she stayed at the Rayburn homestead during the week, and rode home over the glorious hills at the weeks' end. This district is in Banner county.

Within the limits of the present Scotts Bluff county the first school was at Minatare, and Lora Sirpless was the first teacher. I have spoken of the Gering schools in an early day, and of some of the other schools. I asked the county superintendent, Ada M. Haldeman, to give me a snapshot of the school situation past and present, and how well she has done this will be seen by the following story, which is remarkable, not only in the concise way in which it has been stated, but also by the wonderful progress of education in the county.

This is but one of the ways of education that is offered by Scotts Bluff county. Every farmer has the benefits of the experiment station, the irrigation college, the county agent, and the expert irrigators and field men in connection with the sugar company. They are principally without cost to the people.

The chautauqua is another way by which we become informed. This institution was first brought into Scotts Bluff county by some of the Scottsbluff people, probably more as the result of the initiation of Rev. E. E. Thompson than any one man. In 1921 Gering offers a number one program.