02/26/2025
📢The Moose Pass Chamber of Commerce has its sights set on the fourth in a series of signs supporting a new initiative - a historical walking tour of Moose Pass.
⭐Next up - the Moose Pass School! It's only fitting to showcase the School because it is the first and longest-used schoolhouse in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District and the second oldest school. What a shame it would be for the Borough to close it down.
❗ But we need your help - stories - photos (specifically those of Ann (Chisholm) Christensen) - history ❗
👇Comment below, upload photos, and give us what you've got to make this sign comprehensive of the wonderful School. Be sure to comment on the original post.
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The Heart of Moose Pass | The Moose Pass School
The first school in Moose Pass was started by Mrs. Leora Estes in 1928. Leora had seven children including Ed Estes, who as an adult would become the patriarch of Moose Pass. In order to start a school, Leora needed five school-aged children to serve as students, so she boarded Jerry Ely’s child Ray from the Hunter section house of the Alaska Railroad. Between 1928 and 1930, Leora held school sessions in several locations including a tent, various houses in the town site, and the Bureau of Public Roads building.
On December 29, 1930, the first official school, the Moose Pass Territorial School, opened. The school’s first teacher, Ann Chisholm, had been instructed to close the school on Latouche Island, since low copper prices had shut down the mines. She was told to bring what she could of necessary supplies from LaTouche to Moose Pass. Chisholm had only five students that first year (Ed Estes, Bob Estes, Alice Ebing, John A. Ebing, and Ray Ely), and no school building nor equipment, so she initially taught a ‘special school’ that lasted for six months. She taught for three terms in Moose Pass.
The student population more than doubled to twelve in 1932, and the school was classified as ‘regular’ with a recommendation that a building be constructed. But it was not until 1935, twenty-four years before Alaska statehood, that a two-story, one-classroom school building was erected on the shore of Trail Lake at a cost of $4,793.00.
Construction Timeline
1935-The Moose Pass Territorial School was constructed. The 604-square-foot building consisted of one classroom, a cloakroom, a storage room, and a furnace room.
1940 - The Estes family strung a power line to the schoolhouse from their generator.
1942 - The second floor was converted into teacher housing, and a stairwell to access the area was constructed. The outdoor toilets were replaced with indoor, chemical ones.
1951-1952 School Year - Because there was an unanticipated influx of students, the parents of the school children donated money to floor the Quonset hut, which was serving as a community hall, and created a small, heated room in it for use as a second classroom.
1953-The school was remodeled into a two-classroom building after the student population doubled (adding an additional 8,000 square feet).
1960 - One classroom and a boiler room were added, totalling an additional 1,784 square feet.
1974- The gymnasium and associated boys and girls locker rooms, a kitchen, and a mechanical room were added (adding an additional 5,211 square feet). The one room that was built in 1935 was remodeled into an office, library, and craft area. Also in 1974, the access teacher housing area was removed to reduce the available square footage to qualify for financial support from the State of Alaska.
1993 - A third classroom and a new boiler room was constructed (adding an additional 1,000 square feet).
Christmas Programs
The Moose Pass School Christmas programs have always been a highlight of the school year. In the December 23, 1939, edition of the Moose Pass Miner (Vol. 1; No. 39), Lois Hudson Allen reported that an ‘Excellent Christmas Program is Given by the School Children’. Harry L. Smith, head of the school, led off with an address during which he told a revealing story. He said that one evening after the children had rehearsed the program number, “Christmas in Many Lands”, they were asked, “In which of these lands would you rather be?” In one voice they answered, “In Moose Pass!” The entire audience echoed this decision of the schoolchildren. The Christmas Program tradition continues to this day and has brought residents together for generations, fostering a strong sense of unity.
Moose Pass School has long been the heart of the community where generations have come together to support and celebrate its students. The school's dedicated staff continues to provide individualized learning in a home-like environment that this small rural school provides, and community members have always stepped up to support it. From the early days when parents helped build the first playground and furnished classrooms, to the cherished tradition of Christmas programs that have entertained the town for decades, the school has remained the heart of Moose Pass.
