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Document - Historical information/data - Brief history of establishment of Eagan schools - One of the early concerns of the new settlers was education. Even before Minnesota became a state, Congress had passed a law which mandated that the proceeds from the sale of•two sections of land in each township (sections 16 and 36) be reserved for the support of education. In Minnesota, the territorial legislature, at the urging of Governor Ramsey, prohibited the sale of this "school land" for less than $5 per acre, although the price of land at the time was generally only $1 to $2 per acre. Land values quickly increased, however, and this proved to be a valuable source of revenue, with the money placed in a permanent school fund vo be distributed to aid in the operation of local school districts. With few exceptions (parochial schools and independent districts in larger cities), the early schools in Minnesota were organized and operated under the provisions first set forth by the territorial legislature in 1849. Known as Common Schools, the County Board of Commissioners established the district boundaries and appointed a County Superintendent of Schools. Among the duties of the County Superintendent was the examination and certi- fication of teachers for the County's schools. There were three levels of certification, depending on the individual's qualifications: a certificate valid in the county for two years, a certificate valid in the county for one year, and a certificate valid in the county for six months. The operation of each school district, including the hiring of the teacher, was the responsibility of a 3-member Board of Trustees which was elected from within the district. In addition to the state aid, a property C tax could be levied to help finance the operation of these common schools. Attendance was not compulsory and the schools were free to all those between the ages of 5 and 21. The 1881 History of Dakota County gives the following account of the early schools in Eagan: District #14 - "The first school in the town was taught by Michael Downing during the winter of 1859-60, in a small log house 14 x 16 feet, owned and built by Thomas Farman in the northwest quarter of Section 14. For a new district the attendance was unusually large, being about forty. This building was used about two years, when a new one of logs was built, and located in the southeast corner of the southwest quarter of Section 23..." This is the current site of the Northview Elementary School. The log building was replaced by a frame strucutre about 1875. District #13 - "The next school was commenced soon after the first in a house belonging to Bartholomew Daily, in the western part of Section 29. It was a small log house built as a claim shanty, and was used by the district for two years, then others until 1865, when a schoolhouse was erected near the center of section 29..." (Blackhawk Road north of Cliff Road.) District #11 - "In October, 1860, a school was taught in the house of Robert O'Neill, by Mrs. O'Neill for one month, and then the services of Miss Elizabeth McDermott were secured, and she continued to teach in the district a number of terms. The next spring an old building was fitted up and used for a school house, until a log house was built... in the northeast quarter of section 11. This building was burned during the spring of 1865, and was replaced by a frame erected soon after at the same place. The locality was not convenient and the house was subsequently moved about a mile further west, and during the month of March, 1881, suffered the same fate as its predecessor." --This was replaced by a new building in the southeast corner of section 3 (Lone Oak Road and Lexington Avenue). It measured 18 x 26 feet with a seating capacity for 40 students built at a cost of $600, and at the time was said to have been the "finest school building in the town." District #12 - "In 1869, district number 12 was organized, and a schoolhouse was built. The building is about 16 x 24 feet. The district is the smallest in town in respect to the number of scholars." L (b A few years later, two other school districts were organized within Eagan. District #104 - This was a joint district which included a part of both Eagan and Burnsville. It was commonly referred to as the "Old Blackdog School" , and the schoolhouse was located by the present intersection of Beau D' Rue Drive and Gold Trail. District #106 - In 1898, a brick school house was built at Wescott which long served as a source of identity for that community. The building was dismantled in 1956, with part of it used in the construction of a residential structure on the same site. These local school districts generally provided instruction for the first through the eighth grades. As late as 1910, there were still only three high schools in Dakota County: at Hastings, South St. Paul, and Farmington. Actually, it was not uncommon for school children from Eagan to travel into St. Paul to attend high school during these early years. By the 1950's, consolidation of the common schools was gradually occurring as Independent School Districts were formed. In Eagan, Districts 11 and 12 became part of the West St. Paul District (#197) in October 1949. Rosemount School District (#196) expanded to include Districts 13, 14, and 106 in July 1950. And District 104 became part of the Burnsville School District (#191) in January 1955. As new facilities were built and the means of transporting students improved, these one-room schoolhouses were eventually phased out.