Adams School District - School Buses
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It seems that when the consolidation of 1916 took place, the community was advancing quite quickly. Horse driven buses were introduced. Some children had to walk a quarter or half mile to catch the bus, but that was better than walking all the way to school. These big, black buses used wheels in good weather, but when the winter snows came, the wheels were exchanged for snow runners. Horse power was slow going and usually each home with children had to heat a "footwarmer" (soapstone block) on the kitchen range every morning to take with them on the bus and put it on the floor to keep ones feet warm. Some of the bus drivers did this instead of the individual families. Blankets were used and sometimes straw was put on the floor of the bus for insulation. Some folks remember windows being in the buses, others said there was a heavy canvas covering which would be rolled up in summer and down in winter. A couple of the first bus drivers were Andrew Ulven and Joe Smith. When Joe Adams, a school janitor, retired in 1960, he said, "Gone are the days of wagons and sleds, of the 10 buses drawn by 20 horses."
the district owned a large bus shed, made of metal, that was located east of the school at the north end of the lot. The football field took up the remainder of the lot. Buses were stored in this building until the time they were no longer needed. Later the buses became motorized - a flatbed truck with a square box on the back. Wooden panels on each side could be let down if the weather permitted. There were benches on each side to sit on. If weather was very bad in winter, they had to resort to horse power. Roads were never plowed and drifts of snow were deep. Sometimes the bus drivers used a triple grain box on sleds to transport the youngsters and it was not uncommon to have the whole thing tip over, but there were enough kids to tip it upright again. Then came the modern yellow, sophisticated buses that picked students up at their driveways. Each bus is outfitted with a C.B. in case of trouble or emergencies. If the weather is unbearable and roads not plowed, school is called off for the day. There have been many, many bus drivers since 1916 - regular drivers, substitutes, shuttle buses, for class trips, and other community function. In 1989-1990, there are 12 bus routes, two of which are owned by the district. We need to express our thanks to all the bus drivers - past and present - for theirs is a job of great responsibility and dedicated service. |