Tucked away in southeast Saskatchewan, Millions Schoolhouse #625 stands as a charming testament to the province’s early rural education era. Built on April 17, 1902 at a cost of $625, the one-room school served local children for more than half a century before closing in 1953, a common story among prairie schoolhouses as communities evolved and students were bused to larger centers.
For many years after closure, the empty schoolhouse weathered the elements and changing uses. Its furnishings were removed, and the building was used for storage and other purposes, including briefly serving as a temporary shelter for dog trainers visiting from the United States in 1955. The structure slowly fell into disrepair as decades passed.
The turning point for Millions School came in the early 2000s, when former student Vi Day and her brother Walter spearheaded a major restoration project to save their childhood school from decay. Motivated by cherished memories and a recognition that original prairie schoolhouses were vanishing, they and a team of volunteers replaced rotted flooring, repaired walls and ceilings, repainted interiors to match the old colours, and reroofed the building. A cairn was also erected roadside with information about the school’s history.
Inside the restored building, visitors can see many fascinating relics of school life from a bygone era: original attendance and accounting books, old-style desks, maps, a school bell, and even lunch pails and indoor outhouses. An antique bookcase donated by local residents houses textbooks used throughout the school’s years of operation, and a coal shed beside the school recalls the daily routines of heating the furnace to keep students warm on cool prairie mornings.
Today, Millions Schoolhouse isn’t just a restored structure it’s a living piece of Saskatchewan heritage that offers a vivid window into rural life and early education on the prairies. Those interested in experiencing this slice of history can arrange visits with the caretakers and enjoy a step back in time to when one teacher taught all grades under a single roof.
