27

P2010.39.7: McKinlay, Lauboucane and Hawkins children with a snowman, circa 1930
circa 1930
McMurray, Alberta, Canada

Credits:
Winnie Hutchinson
Fort McMurray Historical Society

28

P2011.51.36: Rex Terpening cross-country skiing with a local teacher, Helen McRae, October 1933
October 1933
McMurray, Alberta, Canada

Credits:
Rex Terpening
Fort McMurray Historical Society

29

P2011.40.26: Hugh Stroud, Ron Morrison and Ann Morrison at the Christmas Concert, 1929
1929
McMurray, Alberta, Canada

Credits:
Stroud Family Collection
Fort McMurray Historical Society

30

Attendance:

Attendance was often a cause for concern in McMurray. If a student missed school, he or she needed to bring a note from home excusing their absence. Students had many responsibilities at home, and were sometimes required to skip school in order to look after younger siblings or help with the harvest. Illnesses and accidents were a common reason, particularly during the flu epidemic in 1918 that caused several fatalities among the citizens of McMurray. Tuberculosis was another fatal illness among the children. During the winter, students were sometimes unable to go to school because it was too cold to walk to school, or they were stranded by the ice break-up and unable to cross the river. Several students also joined their fathers on the trap lines for the winter trapping season.

31

P2011.40.1: Hugh Stroud delivering milk on a dog sled, circa 1929
circa 1929
McMurray, Alberta, Canada

Credits:
Hugh Stroud
Fort McMurray Historical Society

32

P2011.40.9: Hugh Stroud & Eymundson children on Sled Island with fox and lynx pelts, 1924
1924
McMurray, Alberta, Canada

Credits:
Hugh Stroud
Fort McMurray Historical Society

33

P2011.40.47: Hugh Stroud, his mother, Romeo & Iona Eymundson with their furs on Sled Island, 1924
1924
McMurray, Alberta, Canada

Credits:
Hugh Stroud
Fort McMurray Historical Society

34

Playground Activities:

A toboggan run had been constructed for the students in the 1920s, along with a merry-go-round in the schoolyard.

Some games that the children played included: Pom Pom Pudaway, Prisoner's Base, Silver Apples - Golden Oranges, Tug-of-War, Anti-Over, and various sports.

Baseball was a popular activity in the spring and fall, while hockey was often the chosen activity for the cold, winter months. By 1935, several McMurray students had organized a minor team that they named the Cubs baseball and hockey teams. Games were held against Waterways and other students and teams in the area.

35

P2010.9.12: Cassia McTavish with students outside first schoolhouse in winter with toboggan, c. 1914
circa 1914
McMurray, Alberta, Canada

Credits:
Bob Duncan
Fort McMurray Historical Society

36

P2008.123.2: Children tobogganing down a six-person slide at St. John's School, circa 1950
circa 1950
McMurray, Alberta, Canada

Credits:
Fort McMurray Historical Society

37

Activities
early to mid- 20th Century
McMurray, Alberta, Canada

38

P2008.207.9: Grade 8 students playing baseball, circa 1930
circa 1930
McMurray, Alberta, Canada

Credits:
Fort McMurray Historical Society

39

P2008.399.1: McMurray Cubs Hockey Team, circa 1935
circa 1935
McMurray, Alberta, Canada

Credits:
Fort McMurray Historical Society

40

P2008.399.2: McMurray Cubs Baseball Team, circa 1935
circa 1935
McMurray, Alberta, Canada

Credits:
Roy Hawkins
Fort McMurray Historical Society