History

Absarokee, Montana was founded in 1893 after the Crow Indian Reservation was opened to white settlement. School District 52 was created in 1903 with the first classes held in a small log building.

By 1905 another log school had been built but soon became too small for the community. This log house sits at the end of Willow Street at Hawkins Park. The outside with a plaque of student names can be viewed.

The Sandstone School, built in 1910, still stands in the school yard alongside the Cobblestone School, which was started in 1917. The cobblestones used for construction were gathered by the local citizens from the nearby creeks and fields. The Cobblestone School was fully accredited as a high school in 1921 with three full-time teachers. The Class of 1922 had five students.

Both the Sandstone and Cobblestone Schools were registered in the National Register of Historic Places on Sept. 11, 1986. No federal funds were accepted for renovation or any other purpose for these buildings.

CobblestoneHistoric_w800

About the Committee

The non-profit Cobblestone Preservation Committee was established on June 25, 1996 by the Fabulous five, as they became known; they are: Clara Borland, Donna Adams, Lois Van Every, Agnes Cowan and Gayle Eberhardt.

Through their vision and perseverance our Cobblestone School was saved. The Committee negotiated a lease agreement with the school district, and through endless hours of dedication to their labor of love, they saved and restored the Cobblestone School in keeping with the Cobblestone’s historic relevance.

The Committee assumed responsibility for maintenance, repairs, renovations and all costs associated with the building. Numerous volunteers helped transform the Cobblestone School into a functioning Community Center with hard work, donations, fundraisers and grants.

We thank the many donors and volunteers who made this possible.