For more information:

As the name and location of the photo was at first unknown, from doing follow up research regarding the below time line, the above photo is now believed to be FOX HILLS School District # 190. 1910 Organised. 1912 Classes. SW of SE 14 Township 24 Range 16 W of the 2 nd Meridian near Fox Hills P.O. SE Section 14 Tsp 24 Rge 16 W2

A family time line is provided of Sam Axenty, the school teacher in the above photograph, and his brother, John Axenty:

• In 1899, his family emigrated to Canada and homesteaded in, what would become, MacNutt, Saskatchewan.
• Sam Axenty graduated at Regina, Spring 1914.
• According to the book; Cupar District Taking Root....And Growing, Simeon Axente was the teacher for Fox Hill District #190 in 1915 (the third teacher at the school since it opened in 1912). Another teacher was listed for 1916, so Simeon is recorded for one year at this school location
• Married on June 6th, 1916 in Dysart, SK.
• According to the book; Dysart and District Yesterday and Today First Edition Sam Axenty, who was teaching at Fox Hills then, took over as secretary of Gardiner SD 3428 in 1920. Though, the Dysart local history book suggests Sam was teaching at Fox Hills in 1920, he is not listed in the teacher listing for Fox Hills in the Cupar local history book for 1920.
• Sam was a school teacher and had three children born in Dysart

John Axenty travelled from year to year teaching. He never established himself too long in any one place until moving to CA.

• John Axenty also graduated at Regina, Spring 1914.
• married Nov 1914 in Lennard, MB
• John taught at Beaver School Fall 1914 - Spring 1915.
• John moved to the new Gardiner School, Dysart, Fall 1915 - Spring 1916.
• John's first child, Mary, was born in Dysart in 1915, the year he taught there.
• Melville 1916- 1919
• His 2nd daughter was born in Melville, May 1919.
• I believe his brother Sam took over Gardiner School Fall 1916, since he was living in Dysart and his first three children were all born in Dysart.
• taught one year (probably Fall 1919 - Spring 1920) somewhere near MacNutt. Those Were the Days: The History of MacNutt, Calder, Dropmore, and the surrounding districts, 'pioneer to present' His 3rd child, Steve, was born in MacNutt.

Two other relatives of mine, and graduates of the 1914 class of Ruthenian Teachers were my Great-Grandfather, John Lewontiuk, and his brother Demetro Lewontiuk. John Lewontiuk was a brother-in-law to John & Sam Axenty as he was married to their sister, Minadora Axenty. John Lewontiuk, was teaching in the Calder/MacNutt area. I have many old documents, including old teaching contracts, pay records, pay disputes, etc. for John Lewontiuk. These four men all began teach careers after graduating in 1914, until they all emigrated to Southern California, 1920 - 1921.

Zenon Pohorecky writes that Calder and MacNutt, Canora, Dysart, Regina, Kayville, Limerick, Stonehenge, and Wood Mountain saw a significant amount of Roumanian settlers who arrived in the first wave of Roumanian settlers to the area between 1900 and 1913. The second wave arrived 1920-1929, helping on the railway branch lines. From Pohorecky, Zenon. Saskatchewan People, A Brief Illustrated Guide to their Ethnocultures. Second (enlarged) edition. 1977. Saskatoon.

Gilbert Johnson in his article, The Roumanians in Western Canada, relates that the settlements with Roumanian pioneers were Dysart, MacNutt, Canora, Regina, Assiniboia, Flintoft and Cavell. Johnson says that some Roumanians settled near Ukranians of the Orthodox faith. From The Roumanians in Western Canada. Saskatchewan History [magazine]. Editor D.H. Bocking. Winger 1964. Volume XVII. Number 1. Saskatchewan Archives Board.

K.I. Fung editor of The Saskatchewan Atlas, Celebrating the Millenium Edition places Roumanians at Shell Valley by 1906, Canora early 1900s, Dysart and Lupescu by 1906, Dahinda and Kayville by 1912, and finally Assiniboia-Wood Mountain by 1914.

Ion (John) Axenty 26 January 1891 - 20 December 1974 on Find A Grave

Ancestors & Relatives of my parents, James W. Henrich and Maureen P. Mulvaney by Tommy Henrich

Tommy Henrich biography

Beaver SD 374 Class image North East quarter of section 35 township 26 range 7 west of the second meridian. John Axenty teacher and class. September 26, 1914. Near Beaver Dale locates at section 15-township 26-range 7-West of the 2nd meridian and Rock Dell locates at section 22- Township 25- range 7-West of the 2nd meridian.

Gardiner SD 3428 Class Images Southwest Quarter Sec 4 Tsp 24 Rge 15 W of the 2 Meridian. Ion "John" Axenty first teacher and class. August 15, 1915. North of Dysart, SK - SW section 04-township 24- range 15 West of the 2nd meridian.

1914 Ruthenian Teachers Convention

Ukrainian people places : the Ukrainians, Germans, Mennonites, Hutterites and Doukhobors and the names they brought to by Bill Barry

List of Canadian place names of Ukrainian origin

Cupar and District Museum Schools main pageDysart and District museum school photos

School Map used with permission


Historical township, range, meridian maps

Explaining legal land locations, township, ranges and meridians

Bibliography:
Dysart and District Yesterday and Today First Edition.
Compiled and published by Dysart Historical Society.
Printed by Friesen's Corporation. History Book Division. Altona, Manitoba. 2010.
ISBN 978-1-55383-268-3

Cupar District Taking Root....And Growing.
Cupar Historical Committee.
Modern Press. Saskatoon, SK.
Isabel Ormiston Editor. Page 71

Romanian Placenames and locations: Assiniboia 10-8-30-W2 Balgonie 3-18-17-W2 Canora 25-30-4-W2 Cavell 12-38-19-W3 Coblenz later name Cavell Dahinda 15-9-23-W2 Dysart 9-23-15-W2 Elm Springs 14-5-2-W3 Kayville 14-9-24-W2 Lakenheath 12-7-3-W3 Limerick 18-8-2-W3 Lupescu 30-24-16-W2 MacNutt 22-24-30-W1 Regina 19-17-19-W2 Stonehenge 31-6-1-W3 Wood Mountain 8-5-3-W3