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United States -- activities school buses 19th century
U.S. School Activities: School Buses--the 19th Century
Figure 1.--About the same time we note another horse-drawn carrinage in Fresno, Californaia taransporting Kindergartners to school (1889). There were not that nay Kindergarteners in America and they were all located in cities. But chidren that age of course needed special care. Kindergarten was for 5 years old, a year before they began 1st grade, nut here we have youngrr children as well, more of an early pre-school.
The 'Fesno Bee' ran this photograoh in 1964 as a 'Remenber when' item. The caption read, "Iks Bibbin looks like was ready fir a bale of hay adter pullung this fringe civered wagon loaded with children attending Old Fresno Kindergarten 74 years ago. The school was near the northeast corner of Kern and O Streets. The horse was so gentle some of the children rode it. On its back in the picture are Lester H Eastin, mniw 79, of 236 West Shields Avenue and the late Elsa B. Einstein. Holding the reins in the froint of this vehicle is J.T. (Tot) Tupper of Redwood City, San Mateo County. Eswain M. Eaton, president of the Fresno County Historical Society, says that anong the standing children, the second and fourth from the left are boys in spite of their dresses and long hair." Bits were almost akways breeched and had their curls cut for 1st Grade, apparently Kindergaerten was a little different. Pit your cirsor on the image to see nore of the school bus/carriage.
As the Frontier moved west, the land distribution system established for the original Northwest Territory moved west with the settlers as more and more states were formed and admitted to the Union. As a result small one- or two-room schools were built throughout the United States. The South was a little different because of slavery and a lesser commitment to public education. Thus for a century, waling was basically how children got to school, they walked and there were small schools that were in walking distance for most children--at least the 19th century concept of walling to school. School busses came into exitence almost exactly 100 years after the passage of the Northwest Ordinance. These were not motorized school byses, but they were buses. Although we would now call them hrse-drawn carriages. It is difficult to be sure, but the earliest school bus we have found so far is when Wayne Works in Indiana began making horse-drawn carriages (1886). They were known as known variously as 'school hacks' or 'kid hacks'. About the same time we note another horse-drawn carrinage in Fresno, Californaia taransporting Kindergartners to school (1889). There were not that many Kindergarteners in America and they were all located in cities kile this one in Fresno, California (figure 1). But chidren that age of course needed special care. Most children began school with grade 1 at about 6 years of age. And almost all still walked to school. Many rural children quit school earlier tham city childrem, bit they nostly vegan at avout the same age. Secondary education was much more limited in the 19th century than today. If rural children wanted to attend secondary school, they had to move into town where hopefully there were relatives that they could stay with.
