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Ossa School #744

Benson, Saskatchewan, Canada

Ossa School District #744
Approx 4-5 miles, NE of Benson, Saskatchewan, Canada
Located on the border of SW and SE 1/4 of
Sec 5, Tsp 7, Rge 7, West of the 2nd Meridian.

Named after a town in Ontario, where James Saunderson, an early pioneer in the area, had came from.

The original name chosen was Snowflake.

Need to rescan larger size- FIXME

Old Ossa School, Feb 3, 1928 New Ossa School, Feb 3, 1928, picture taken by my aunt Rose Gesell
The Old and the New Ossa Schools
Photos taken by my Aunt, Rose Gesell


Part of my Dad's 1927 Map showing Ossa School location

My relatives, the James Allen Saunderson Family, Evelyn, Russell, and Marion Saunderson, attended the Ossa School,
as they lived on a farm nearby, as shown on the map above.

Marion Saunderson was in the first class at ECI in Estevan.
Note- their name shows up as Sanderson in the Ossa Reunion info below. The correct spelling is Saunderson.
Russell Saunderson married my aunt Tillie Gesell.
Evelyn Saunderson became a teacher at Ossa School.

The CPR owned the Section the School was on originally

List of Teachers

source- from Reunion book below

  • J. A. Bedford
  • C. L. Burns
  • Mrs. A. Howe
  • L. A. Grier
  • May Wilson
  • Lottie McNeile
  • Ethel Nesbit
  • Lilla Hollingsworth
  • Miss Dumont
  • Josephine Dumas
  • Evelyn Saunderson
  • Dora Doolittle
  • Susie Wood
  • Lila Burnham
  • Pearl Stowger
  • Isabelle Lynd
  • Susan B. Wood
  • Nellie Murray
  • Hazel Miller
  • Eunice Swanson
  • Lois Gamey
  • Helen Clapp
  • Bernice Cunningham
  • Grace Campbell
  • Bernice Ackney
  • Florence Stapleton
  • Dolly Gesell
  • Ethel Rose
  • D. Bowdly
  • Evelyn Pletch
  • Mary Chaloupka
  • E. Humphries
  • Rea Spence
  • Alderich Dyer
  • Iris shaw
  • Anna Witzel
  • Kay Humphries
  • Isabel Gormican
  • Loretta Dechief
  • Edith Sellsted
  • Dorothy Brodland
  • Betty Krueger
  • Frances Verbeem
  • Elma Berglund
  • Jean Wilbraham.

Pioneers of the Ossa District

Source- Reunion booklet below + Western land grant info

RM 35

  • Gamey, John- NW 32-6-7-W2 RM35
  • Graham, Donald- NE 32-6-7-W2 RM 35
  • Hall, Albert Bruce- SE 32-6-7-W2 RM 35
  • Greatrix, James (Jim)- SW 32-6-7-W2 RM 35
  • Humphries, Edwin Alexander (Alex)- NW 28-6-7-W2 RM 35
  • Saunderson, James Allan- SE 28-6-7-W2 RM 35
  • Crozzer, Samuel Francis- NE 28-6-7-W2 RM 35
  • Humphries, William James- Part SW 28-6-7-W2 RM 35
  • Murphy, F. - NE 20-6-7-W2 RM 35
  • Murphy, Michael- NE 20-6-7-W2 RM 35 (First land grant)
  • Hewitt, Wes- SW 34-6-7-W2 RM 35
  • Hewitt, Joseph Addison- SW 34-6-7-W2 RM 35 (First land grant)
  • Hewitt, John- NW 34-6-7-W2 RM 35
  • Hewitt, John Ridley- SE 34-6-7-W2 RM 35
  • Meiklejohn, William NE 34-6-7-W2 RM 35
  • Stapleton, Robert Henry- SW 30-6-7-W2 RM 35
  • Huff, John W.- NW 30-6-7-W2 RM 35
  • Greatrix, Thomas- NE 30-6-7-W2 RM 35
  • Flood, Clement- SE 30-6-7-W2 RM 35

RM 65

  • Hall, George Easton- SE 4-7-7-W2 RM 65
  • Freeborn, Frank Charles J.- NW 4-7-7-W2 RM 65
  • Freeborn, James- SW 4-7-7-W2 RM 65
  • Millson, Fred.- NE 4-7-7-W2 RM 65
  • Morris, John Cyrus - SE 10-7-7-W2 RM 65
  • Murray, John- NE 10-7-7-W2 RM 65
  • Sissons, ?- NW 10-7-7-W2 RM 65
  • Bernhart, Antoine- W 10-7-7-W2 RM 65 (First land grant)
  • Krumm, William- NE 16-7-7-W2 RM 65
  • Roy, Lawrence N.- NW 16-7-7-W2 RM 65
  • Osborne, William Wilkeson- SW 16-7-7-W2 RM 65
  • Phillips, Robert- SE 16-7-7-W2 RM 65
  • Valentine, Thomas- SE 16-7-7-W2 RM 65 (first land grant)
  • Marchand, ?- ?

August 3rd and 4th, 1991 Reunion

Mounted on a the Cairn in front of the School:
In Dedication to the Residents
of the Ossa District
1899 - 1991
Teachers Who Taught and Pupils
Who Attended Ossa School #744
1903 - 1962

these are all photos, as my Mom glued this into her scrapbook making scanning very difficult

Ossa School Reunion Information Aug 3-4, 1991

500
Invitation to the Reunion sent to my Mom
Front cover of the Ossa School Reunion History Booklet, Aug 3 and 4, 1991
History of the Ossa School, printed in the Ossa School reunion history booklet
Page 2 of the School History,
List of teachers, and start of list of students
middle page of list of students
End of the student list, Class of 1962, last class, and list of pioneers of the district
List of Homestead land still farmed by descendants in 1991
Cover for the programme of Events, plus my mom's name tag
Program of events at Ossa School Reunion 1991
My Mom, Helen Gent, and my Aunt, Emilie Backman, inside the Ossa School- 1991 Reunion
Sisters to Dolly Backman, nee Gesell that taught at the school 1937-38
Photos taken my aunt Dolly Backman, via my Mom's scrapbook.
All are deceased now
Picture of the Ossa Teachers that attended the reunion

below are some pictures of the event.


Students of my aunt Dolly Backman, ca 1937-38
Mr and Mrs Roy Backman, both deceased now
Cairn in front of the School
Standing by the Cairn
Large Tent rented for the occasion
Inside the large tent

Somewhere in my Mom's scrapbooks is a booklet which I will scan in when I find it again.

Teachers that taught at Ossa School:
My Aunt Dolly Backman, nee Gesell, ca 1937-38
Charlotte McKechnie, nee McNeil, ca 1917

Located near Benson Saskatchewan




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