The Black Forest Log School is celebrating its 100-year anniversary this year.Donna Arkowski, Black Forest Log School volunteer and secretary of the Black Forest Community Foundation, said about 20 to 30 families lived in Black Forest in the early 1920s. The families petitioned the school district to build a local school for their children; the next closest school was near the south end of Black Forest and Woodman roads, she said.ìThis was when there were no cars and it meant crossing the prairie on foot or horseback, which could be difficult and hazardous especially during the winter months,î Arkowski said.The Burgess family donated land, and the families joined together to build the school using the ponderosa trees on site, she said. Kindergarten through eighth-grade classes were taught at the school. ìIt wasnít easy being a teacher back then; there was no running water or electricity,î Arkowski said. ìThey had to arrive early to get the stove going and make sure there was lunch for the kids who might not bring any. Remember, nothing else was there at that time; no Black Forest Community Church or community club, no stores across the street.î The outhouse used at the time still stands but is not functional.Edith Wolford taught at the log school from 1936 to 1945; she went on to teach at Edith Wolford Elementary School. The elementary students also transferred there when the log school closed; the older students went to Falcon schools, she said.The El Paso County Highway Department bought and owned the log school building from 1947 to 1981; their highway man and family lived there from 1948 to 1971, Arkowski said. Plumbing and electricity were added, plus a living room, kitchen and a couple of bedrooms, she said.For the next 10 years, the county used the building and property to store equipment and other items until they moved to the new facility farther west on Shoup Road, Arkowski said.ìThe school was in limbo for a while; there was an early effort to have Pikes Peak Library District use it for a branch library, but that didnít work out,î she said. ìIn 1990, someone suggested getting the school placed on the National Register of Historic Places; thatís when The Old Log School Committee was formed.îArkowski said the process involved research, trips to old schools and paperwork; the school became a historic site in 1992. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and also as a ìRural School Building in Colorado” Multiple Property Submission for the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties.The roof and foundation have since been replaced with grant money from the Colorado Historical Fund. She said the plumbing and all the added rooms had to be eliminated to be authentic to its original state; however, they were allowed to keep the electricity.The Log School Committee continued to look after the school until 2012; they then joined forces with the Black Forest Community Foundation, which takes care of the park and the area next to the log school, Arkowski said. The committee renamed themselves Friends of the Black Forest Log School and are responsible for fundraising for the upkeep of the log school, she said.They are hosting a quilt show and fundraiser to mark the 100-year occasion of the school. The show is Sept. 10 and Sept. 11 at the Black Forest Community Club. Admission is $5. People from the community will be showing their quilts; any monies raised will go toward general maintenance, Arkowski said.The school will be open one more time this season, Sept. 10, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., she said. Group tours are encouraged; contact Ron Mitchell at vancerus@earthlink.net to make arrangements. They are always looking for volunteers who are interested in sharing the log school history, Arkowski said.The log school served the community from 1922 to 1945. ìIt has been an important part of our community for 100 years,î she said. ìI donít think most people realize that this is actually the real school the children of the Forest originally attended.î
