District School of South Bountiful

School came cheap and hard in the early 1880s. On a triangle of land where Onion Street met the old highway, the district put up one room — sixteen by twenty-five feet, walls of lime-cement and rock, six windows, and a potbellied stove in the middle throwing a long stovepipe to the chimney. Children brought their own books and slates, and those who came only between farm chores hauled their own desks. Each evening someone carried a bucket of water from the Burtenshaw well across the road, set out with a clean dipper for the next day's thirst.

What the plaque says

In the early 1880's a one-room school was built on this site: a triangle of land between Onion Street and Highway 91. It was constructed of lime-cement and rock and measured 16 feet by 25 feet. There were six windows three on the north side and three on the south side. The entrance faced west. A coal house was attached to the building. A potbellied stove stood in the center of the room with a long stovepipe reaching to the chimney on the east. There were three rows of desks on each side of the stove. Students furnished their own books and slates. Children who could not attend regularly, due to the farm work, had to bring their own desks. Each night a bucket of fresh water was carried from the Burtenshaw Well across the road for the children to drink the next day. A bucket with a clean dipper was placed on a table for their use. This school was used until 1898, when it was torn down and a red brick, two-room school was built on the property. About 1920, this location was renamed Cleverly Crossing by the Bamberger Railway Company and was a designated stop. Here a shelter was built for waiting passengers. In 1935 Onion Street, named for the onion trucks that came from the farms to the crossing every Friday, was redirected. After the change it crossed the old school grounds to enter Highway 91 in North Salt Lake.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Ensign Peak — 4.6 mi
  A short hike to the spot where Brigham Young surveyed the valley
• Temple Square — 5.9 mi
  The spiritual and architectural heart of Salt Lake City
• Salt Lake City — 5.9 mi
  Utah's capital and largest city — where the Wasatch Range meets the Great Salt Lake.
• Red Butte Garden — 7.3 mi
  A 100-acre botanical garden with panoramic valley views

More markers nearby

• Pioneer Cemetery — 1.3 mi
• Hogan Pioneer Cabin — 1.3 mi
• Brick-Making in Bountiful — 2.0 mi
• Daniel Wood — 2.1 mi