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As It Was: Early Schools Survive Frequent Closings Around Grenada, Calif.

Some early schools in Siskiyou County were rebuilt and abandoned multiple times, but continue to serve present-day students.

The Vineland School District, established in 1868 with a one-story brick building, closed in 1929 when the district was annexed into the Greenhorn and Grenada districts, but operates again today along present-day Old Hwy 99 about eight miles south of Yreka.

The Big Springs School District was established in 1884.  Its first schoolhouse was moved and abandoned before being replaced by a brick structure.  County records show that Nellie Timmons taught from 1890 through 1891 with an enrollment of 22 students.  That building was torn down in 1955, but present-day Big Springs has a small school.

The school and community’s name derived from the natural springs that covered the area surrounding Mount Shasta.

Grenada was established in 1916, and served as a stop on the Southern Pacific Railroad Co. line. The Grenada School District was established in 1918 with classes held in a back room at the pool hall.  Mary Quadros was the school’s first teacher.

A new schoolhouse was built in 1920 and replaced by the present-day school in 1952.

Source: Hester, Dick. "Grenada's Long and Colorful History Not Without Some Spice." The Siskiyou Pioneer, vol. 10, no. No 72, 2016, pp. 23-26.

Gail Fiorini-Jenner is a writer and teacher. Her first novel "Across the Sweet Grass Hills", won the 2002 WILLA Literary Award. She co-authored four histories with Arcadia Publishing: Western Siskiyou County: Gold & Dreams, Images of the State of Jefferson, The State of Jefferson: Then & Now, which placed in the 2008 Next Generation Awards for Nonfiction and Postcards from the State of Jefferson.