Ruffatto School
Eastern Montana’s population soared after 1909 as newcomers arrived to claim land under the Enlarged Homestead Act. In 1910-11, Italian immigrants Joseph and Giovanna Ruffatto purchased a homestead and settled with their children in the Charley Creek area south of the Missouri River. When Richland County was carved out of Dawson County in 1914, School District 71 trustees authorized construction of two schools, including a school just south of the Ruffatto’s farmhouse. Since most children walked to school, schools had to be built every few miles. As a cost-saving measure, children in grades one through eight attended Ruffatto School only during the summer months. Because the Ruffatto’s land was so close to the river, it flooded every Spring. To remedy the problem, in 1918, the Ruffattos purchased Joseph’s brother’s homestead farther south of the river. After moving the family farm, the Ruffattos lifted the schoolhouse onto logs, and horse teams hauled the building to this location. Most Montana counties had adopted a standard nine-month school year by 1916, but District 71 trustees did not approve the longer school year until 1919. The shift from summer instruction to winter brought installation of a new wood stove and construction of a vestibule addition for storing winter clothes. For nearly six decades, the Ruffatto School served the educational needs of the tight-knit farming and ranching community and became a community hall for parties, performances, religious and funeral services, elections, and club meetings. The school closed permanently in 1976.
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