“The first school in what now constitutes the township was taught by a Vermonter named Rufus Rice, about 1833-34, in Caleb Sweetland’s log house on Dry Prairie.
“A log house, probably erected for a dwelling, was built about 1835 near McKee’s Corners, at the Indian Fields, in which a school was taught in 1836 by Miss Penelope Thayer. A frame building was afterwards erected in the same neighborhood, and was used both as a school-house and a church, meetings being held in it by the Methodists. Near by was a burial-ground in which a number of the early settlers were interred.
“The report of the school inspectors of Portage township for the year ending Sept. 1, 1879, contains the following table of statistics:
| “Number of districts (whole, 6; fractional, 3)…. |
9 |
| Children of school age……………………………. |
295 |
| Attendance during year…………………………. |
252 |
| Number of days school taught………………….. |
1199 |
| Number of school-houses (brick, 1; frame, 8)…. |
9 |
| Number of sittings……………………………….. |
394 |
| Value of property……………………………….. |
$5674 |
| Teachers employed (male, 6; female, 13)……… |
19 |
| Wages paid teachers (male, $447; female, $629.50)……… |
$1076.50 |
| Total resources for year………………………….. |
$1641.58 |
| Amount on hand Sept. 1, 1879…………………… |
$239.07 |
| Total expenditures, less amount on hand…… |
$1402.51 |
“School Superintendents
“1875-79, George T. Hall.
“School Inspectors
“1839, Stephen Howard, Timothy W. Dunham, Caleb Sweetland; 1840, Caleb Sweetland, Harvey S. Booth, Daniel Cahill; 1841, John H. Moss, C. Sweetland, J. Eastland, Jr.; 1842, C. Sweetland, J. S. Chaffee, Chauncey Root; 1843, Ebenezer Durkee, Levi Blackmer; 1844, John F. Oliver, John H. Moss; 1845, John H. Moss; 1846, John F. Oliver; 1847, Ebenezer Durkee; 1848, John F. Oliver; 1849, John C. Baker; 1850, John B. Cook; 1851, John C. Baker, John H. Moss; 1852, Rodney Russell, John F. Oliver; 1853, George A. Oliver; 1854, John H. Moss; 1855, Rodney Russell; 1856, John C. Baker; 1857, L. Brentano, A. F. Cox; 1858, A. F. Cox, George W. Crooks; 1859, George Sheldon; 1860, Geo. T. Hall; 1861, Richard A. Sykes; 1862, no record; 1863, Richard A. Sykes; 1864, Dwight C. Pierce; 1865, Ira D. Matteson; 1866, Dwight C. Pierce; 1867-68, no record; 1869, A. G. Pierce, W. H. Marsh; 1870, Wm. H. Marsh; 1871, A. G. Pierce; 1872, Henry C. Ames, J. E. Woodard; 1873, Henry Nesbitt; 1874, John E. Woodard; 1875, Alfred G. Pierce; 1876-77, Dwight C. Pierce; 1878, J. S. Lewis; 1879, Henry E. Thompson.”