Description of Historic Place

Mirror Lake School District No. 5086 is a Municipal Heritage Property located within the Rural Municipality of Spiritwood No. 496 about five kilometres south of the Village of Mildred. The property features a wood-frame, one-room school constructed in 1936 surrounded by a small grassy plot of land.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Mirror Lake School District No. 5086 lies in its status as a representative example of one-room schools in rural Saskatchewan. During the early twentieth century, over four thousand one-room schools were constructed throughout Saskatchewan, including the Mirror Lake School in 1936. The school was the primary educational institution in the area and served the community for over twenty years. During the 1950s, many one-room schools were closed due to falling enrolments, including Mirror Lake, which closed in 1957.

The heritage value of the property also lies in its status as a historic place for community gatherings. The land was cleared and the school was constructed in 1936 with the help of many local volunteers. Over the years, the property hosted many local activities, including meetings, sports days and fundraisers, which afforded the school a prominent role in the social fabric of the community. After the school closed, local residents continued to use the property for social functions and established a community club to oversee the property.

Source:

Rural Municipality of Spiritwood No. 496 Bylaw No. 5/95.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Mirror Lake School District No. 5086 resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements that speak fo the representive nature of the school, including its hip roof, rectangular form, wood-frame construction, one-room layout and window wall.
-those elements that speak to the property's status as a historic place of community gathering, including its location on its original site and the surrounding open grassed space.