When the town of Valier was founded in 1909, a wood-frame schoolhouse was quickly erected to serve the children of the new community. Less than two years later, the school board moved to replace that school with a more substantial building. In 1911, with funds provided by the sale of bonds, the board commissioned prominent Great Falls architect George Shanley to design the new school. Sandstone was chosen as the building medium in order to keep the work local and avoid importing materials. Shanley selected a quarry site on Dupuyer Creek. William Young of Great Falls supervised the quarry, cutting and transporting the stone by horse-drawn wagon to the building site three miles away. Seven months later the new school opened with 121 students in attendance. The masterful stone architecture illustrates the high aspirations of Valier’s citizens for the prosperity of their community. Notable features include a stuccoed bell tower with applied metal and wood detailing and a tall, half-circle window that lights the inner stairway. Originally four classrooms opened onto central corridors and served all grades. With the completion of a high school in 1918, Valier Public School became a grammar school that served the children of Valier until 1952.
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