Dickens County
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In the early days of the settlement of the county you might find a school every few miles. All the settlers pitched in with freight hauling or labor. The first school in the Croton community was called No View which was built in 1892. The name came from the location which was in a valley near a creek surrounded by cottonwood trees. The one room schoolhouse became the social center of the Croton community. Besides regular school attendance, a church was organized to meet every Sunday at No View. Also they met Wednesday nights for prayer meeting. A Literary Society met in the schoolhouse every month, presenting plays, poems, pantomines, and songs. Occasionally they had debates on matters of public interest.

In 1917 a new 2 teacher school was built nearby, high on a hill where you could see for many miles. The new school was called Croton. The Highland school a few miles east consolidated with Croton. About 1922 Croton, Wichita, and Deerlake joined forces to form one of the best and most up-to-date high schools in any rural district in the state. With approximately 150 students the 8 month school employed 5 teachers.

The building was modern in every respect. With 4 large rooms and 2 stairways leading to the large auditorium above, it served as a community center as well as a very adequate facility for learning.

Three comfortable buses maintained by the school district transported the students from Deerlake and Wichita. Teachers who drove buses boarded with families near the terinus of the busline. Three such teachers were: Leon Lawson, Homer Barnes, and Alton Chapman who boarded with the Nichols family at Deerlake. The Crego family at Croton boarded teachers such as Velma Amos, and Ruth Shelton. The large Porter family always made room for one more. Among the teachers who boarded with them were: Oscar Kelly, Ermine Payne, and Alma Lovell.

Teachers during the decade of school at Croton included: Jo Spears, Mr. Cherry, Mr. Bledsoe, Nettie Winkler Littlefield, Mr. & Mrs. Calvin Gentry, Mamie J. Reynolds, Thenia Koonsman (Music and expression teacher), Bessie Elliot Terry, Alton Jones, Jo Dunn Perrin (girls athletic coach and outstanding teacher), Leon Lawson, Alton Chapman, Mr. Gibson, Harvey Lovell, Oscar Kelly, Hamer Barnes, Mrs. Bauchman, Ethel Hulsey, Olita Bailey, Carson and Josephine Ribble, Lucy Bell Jackson, Amelia Hargis, Cedonia Dietrich, Harold T. Moore, Hoover & Ethel Grooner, and Mr. Blackwood.

The girls basketball team known as the "Croton Indians", were renowned as one of the best teams in the country, having gone to state twice and sporting one of the best coaches ever, Jo Dunn, who received many accolades for leading the teams to victory. Some of the team names I have heard include: The Porter girls (Mary, Rube, Virge, and Helen), The Richey girls (Rhenam, Iva, and Edith), Jewel Suitt, Ruby Pernell, Thelma Swaringen, Edith Shaw, Iona Youngblood, Mildred Lee, Eola Lambert, Elva & Opal Hemphill, and Anna Mae White.

The boys also had good teams with such names as: Dick, Don & Bill Perrin, Bert & Wade Hash, Amos & Homer Jackson, dude & Ross Nichols, Tom Porter, Earl & Bill Jones, Earl Murchison, Grover Meadow, LeRoy Mimms, Richard Thacker, Joe Edwards, Elmer Gentry, and jake Youngblood.

Some of the board members were J. H. Legg, Elmer Rogers, Mr. Youngblood and my granddad, S. L. Porter who served the entire decade at Croton. I have heard many good things about his untiring service for the betterment of the school. He also was one of the first board members to serve on the Patton Springs board which came about in 1933 when Croton along with three other school districts consolidated.

Much history has gone down the "creek" and I am quite sure I have missed a good deal of it but my hope is that this will pluck the heartstrings of those that have actually lived the "good ole days".

By Tookie Nichols Cash