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Bryel and Dorothy Ripley at the Ripley school1953
Ripley Farm, near Mirror, Alberta
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Bryel and his wife, Dorothy Ripley in later years.Bryel and Dorothy had two sons, Dan and Robert.
Robert, who took over the Ripley farm after his father passed away, still runs the farm.
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The Original Ripley School1904
Ripley Farm, near Mirror, Alberta
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Ripley school was built on four acres of Daniel Byrd Ripley's homestead.In every district, a school quarter section was assigned to the district. In the Ripley district, this quarter was mostly under water, so other land was sought on which to build the school.
In 1904, Daniel donated two acres for this purpose, and at a later date, the school district purchased an additional two acres from Daniel to add to the school grounds.
Elvina Ripley boarded most of the school teachers in the Ripley home, as did Dorothy Ripley, Bryel's wife in later years.
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List of the Ripley School Children1905
Ripley Farm, near Mirror, Alberta
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A chart of the students who attended the Ripley school in 1905.20
The Tall Spruce1980
Near Mirror, Alberta
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The tall spruce tree in 1980.This tree was known to be around since at least 1874, and was the main landmark for travellers on the trail that went through our area.
It was situated on a high knoll and could be seen for miles away. It was the main landmark for travellers on the trail, and gave the district it's first name, the Tall Spruce district.
The Ripley family knew and depended on this tree to chart their direction, when travelling to town and back.
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The Tall Spruce Finally Falls1985
Near Mirror, Alberta
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In 1985, the tall Spruce finally gives way to the wind during a storm, after being a sentinel for 111 years.This photo was taken in 1985, by a photographer for the Red Deer Advocate, Red Deer, Alberta.
Following is the story from the newspaper that was included with this photo .
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A Newspaper Article on the Tree's End4 August 1985
Red Deer, Alberta
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