Enterprise School District no. 58

Enterprise School District No. 58 was located in the central part of Ford County, Kansas. The site of the school grounds is about 8 miles south and 6 miles east of downtown Dodge City, at the intersection of County Road 117 and Tilman Road.

The State of Kansas mandated a statewide school unification plan in 1965. Before this, the education of rural youth was accomplished by a widely varied and irregular “non-system” based on the location, resources, needs, and personalities of the communities involved. At the time of the 1965 reorganization plan, there were over 3,000 school districts in Kansas. There were at least some legal procedures required, but school districts were organized, altered, disbanded, and re-established with great frequency. Established records, especially during the early years of settlement, are hard to find and hard to interpret when found.

In 1908, a very small, barely adequate schoolhouse was built just to the southwest of the intersection of today’s 117 Road and Tilman Road. The austere, cramped structure held 32 students who received 6 months of instruction. About 1910, a Mr. A. Brown donated a small parcel of land directly north across the road from the existing school grounds to be home to a new, much improved schoolhouse. The only thing Mr. Brown asked in return was that the land be returned to the original owner if/when the school was disbanded.

The new Enterprise School was said to be a showplace. It had room for 50 pupils, 2 large cloakrooms, and an entrance separate from the classroom to avoid distractions or outright interruptions to classes. There was a large bell in an overhead loft, and outside was a water well with a hand pump to supply both humans and horses.

Miss Elsie M. Early was the first teacher at the new school. Between the years of 1908 and 1930, as many as 53 students were enrolled. The school year gradually expanded to 8 months as time passed.

The ages of kids taught at the school ranged from 5 to 19. Grades taught ranged from 1 to 10. Before a Grade 10 curriculum was established, it was not uncommon for some kids to be listed as 9th graders for 2 or 3 years. After 1930, no classes were held at the school for 13 years. Many families moved away due to drought and depression, and there were no students to teach.

Classes at Enterprise School resumed in 1943. The weather had normalized and the local economy was much improved. By Fall 1946, District No. 58 was paying to bus students from Ford for school. The “bus” was actually the personal car of Virgil Mayfield, a local patron who contracted with the district to provide this service. No more classes were held here after the Spring of 1946. The school property was auctioned off on 03-29-1949 at the Ford County Courthouse in Dodge City by order of the county superintendent.