Boulder City Magazine is a monthly publication full of information about Boulder City and Southern Nevada. Boulder City Magazine features the Boulder City Home Guide, a real estate guide to Boulder City and Southern Nevada.

Boulder City History
by Laura Hutton, Museum Coordinator

Boulder City Schools

When young families first came to the Colorado Riverbank for the Dam construction, I’m sure the last thing on their minds was their children’s education. Six Companies had not allotted any funding for schools, the nearest established school was well into Las Vegas. So, each Boulder City family paid $5.00 per month for materials, while volunteer teachers

set up school in an unused Six Companies house at Avenue B and New Mexico streets. During that school year, the number of Boulder City children grew to over 500 and Six Companies was persuaded to provide $18,800 for the salaries of teachers because the $70,000 requested of Congress by Interior Secretary Wilbur was insufficient.

I.M. Bay was contracted to build the first Boulder City School. Built in just 123 days and well over budget, the Boulder City School at Arizona and California Streets was completed on September 26, 1932. It first housed grades one through eight, adding kindergarten later, with high school grades still being bussed to Las Vegas. City Manager Sims Ely was given the task of staffing the school and he called for the best teachers from all over the county. Among those who applied for the jobs were professors and deans of higher education; any job available was jumped at during this time of depression. These teachers were definitely devoted to excellence as their school was quickly considered the most advanced in all of Clark County.

Although it had an esteemed reputation, the Boulder City School was outgrown quickly after its construction. Many additional satellite schools were created throughout Boulder City. Plans for a new facility to house the growing number of children were put into effect and on March 4, 1949 ground was broken for the new Boulder City High School, which was followed by Mitchell Elementary in 1970, Garrett Junior High in 1979, and King Elementary in 1991. In the days following the opening of Mitchell Elementary, students lined up with their red wagons to haul supplies to their new school. From what I’ve heard, this was a sight to be seen for the families of Boulder City, as their children moved up to bigger and better things.




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