History of Humboldt High School

The town of Humboldt was founded in 1863 by the Reverend Stephen H. Taft, who came here from New York State. He journeyed to the great West to select a place to build up a settlement with others from the same state who wished to move west. He selected the site for his town on the banks of the beautiful Lake Nokomis, a depression in the west fork of the Des Moines River, and here the first school was established the following winter. We are told that it was a square frame building erected upon the block where the present school buildings still stand. Just how long this first school served the community we do not know, but by 1871 it had been replaced by a stone building constructed from surface stone. This was a two-story building comprising two large rooms, one above the other. Later each of these rooms was divided, making a four-room building. By 1880 or 1881, this building became so crowded that it was necessary to construct a frame building to house the overflow. Only one additional room was thus provided, but as it was quite large, it sheltered about sixty primary children each session. This addition was eventually sold to John Rine for a residence. He moved it to south Humboldt, where it served as a home. The stone building was razed in 1893. A more spacious cut-stone building was erected on the site of the former buildings. It seemed so expansive to the people of Humboldt that they thought it would accommodate all the pupils of Humboldt for an indefinite period of time. One member of the school board said that all the rooms would never be occupied. The building was dedicated on January 1, 1894. Before the close of that school year, every room was in use, and it was not long until classes were reciting in the attic and the basement. The first floor provided space for four large classrooms and the superintendent's office; the second floor, for a large study hall, four recitation rooms, and a library. Large corridors were found on each floor. By 1909 it was necessary to relieve the congestion by the erection of another stone building on the premises. This served until 1978 as the home of the intermediate school children, and at that time it was built, it housed also the home economics department. It consisted of four good-sized class rooms, two on each floor, and an attic where many things were stored. The nurse's room and the janitor's headquarters were found in the basement. By 1916 conditions were again so crowded that another frame building was erected on the grounds to take care of the overflow. This was a two-room one-story building heated by stoves. It was designed to serve a temporary use only. It was variously designated by the children as "Tipperary" and "Chicken Coop." By 1919 it had fulfilled its school mission. Half of it was sold to be used as an express office, and the other half was used as the W. H. Stoakes home. By 1918 the massive building of 1893 was razed, and work was begun on a new building. During the erection of this structure, school was conducted in various places. The small stone building and the "Tipperary" took care of many of the grade children. Others attended classes in the town hall. Some of the teachers were obliged to do their day's work in a half day's time in order that another teacher with another group of children could occupy their quarters the rest of the day. During this period of construction, the high school was conducted in the old Humboldt College building, whose doors first opened to students in 1872 and which had ceased to operate in 1915. The new building, as it still called, contained two study halls, home economics and manual training rooms, and eleven other classrooms for senior and junior high schools. It also housed the primary department, and provided a gymnasium and an auditorium. It was well equipped in every way for serving the children of the community. From time to time, remodeling projects adapted the structure to the needs of the students. In 1938 a gymnasium was built next to the structure, and the former gymnasium and auditorium were altered to provide additional rooms. A new wing and shop area were built in 1974 and the exterior was renovated. In 1953 a building for primary grade children was erected in the southwest corner of Taft Park where the school playground had been situated. Gone were the metal swings, the turning rods, the merry-go-round and the teeter totters. This new grade school building was named for Humboldt's founder, Stephen H. Taft. With school reorganization in 1959, the Dakota City, Rutland and fifteen rural districts joined with Humboldt, creating the Humboldt Community School District. In January 1961 the citizens voted $1,325,000 for an addition to the Dakota City grade building and for a modern high school. The new high school was located "on the hill" on the southwest corner of Wildcat Road and Highway 169. It housed grades ten, eleven and twelve in three areas: academic, gym and cafetorium, and shop. It made possible a broader curriculum with more vocational offerings and thus could serve more students adequately. This building was dedicated November 7, 1964. In the fall of 2001, the ninth grade was moved to the high school as the middle school (grades 6-8) occupied the former K-12 school. The Wesley Carlson Auditorium was added in 1981, providing a more adequate place for the community to attend performances. A track and football field were added in 1981, and a wrestling facility in 1986. Community fund-raising provided for an excellent multi-purpose building on the same grounds in 2002. Humboldt Public School Janitors 1913 Ben Molander, head janitor and manager of work at Humboldt schools, was born in Sweden, November 15, 1854. At the age of fifteen he went to work as an apprentice in the Swedish shipyards. At the end of two years he received his diploma as second ship carpenter. Immediately after this he set sail on a Swedish vessel and sailed about two months. After that time he sailed with nearly every nationality. After sailing two more years promiscuously, he received his diploma as first ship carpenter. He sailed altogether sixteen years, serving as ship’s carpenter and second mate. In 1877 he was with a Danish vessel in the Greenland Expedition. He was around Cape Horn four times, through the Suez Canal twice and in nearly every large port on the globe. He has been in three shipwrecks where other lives were lost. He has been in the United States since 1887 and has always been a good and law abiding citizen. He has been a resident of Humboldt since 1900 and janitor of the public schools here since 1903. Andrew Andersen was born in Denmark, January 21, 1862. He served two regular terms in the Danish Army. He was a Danish farmer until 1882 when he moved to the United States, where he became a citizen and farmed near Humboldt for two years. He then moved to town and kept a chicken ranch. He worked in the Humboldt mill and light plant for eight years. Andrew is a skilled flute player. He has played in the Humboldt band and orchestra a great deal. He has been janitor in the Humboldt school two terms. Last summer he spent his vacation in California and is planning for a visit to his home in Denmark for this coming vacation. The Faculty The history of the buildings that housed the children of Humboldt has a parallel in the history of the faculty, growing from a small beginning to a larger and more varied group. For about the first twenty years or so of its existence, the school was a grade school, with from one to five grade teachers in charge. For the winter term 1870-71, there were forty-eight students enrolled, with Mrs. Sarah A. Cadett teacher. In 1882, Miss Elinor Gordon took over as the first principal of Humboldt School. She proved to be a popular and efficient principal with remarkable business acumen. The curriculum of the Humboldt School District was organized, making it a ten-grade school. In 1888 there were 299 pupils in the entire sch