Ruffatto School in Richland County, Listed!
In 1910, rancher Mrs. T. T. Armstrong rode several hundred miles on horseback to secure signatures that would establish a school district serving rural communities in a vast area south of the Missouri River. As the population of Richland County grew, the school district was reorganized to include what would become the Ruffatto School in Richland County.
When first built on Joe and Giovanna Ruffatto’s property in 1914, the schoolhouse measured just over 26 by 18 feet and sported rough lumber and a gable roof topped with cedar shakes. The Ruffatto homestead fronted the Missouri River, and experienced yearly flooding and continual erosion. The family decided to relocate after their two daughters and a family friend drowned in the Missouri River. They took the school with them, moving it about a half mile north to its present location just south of the Missouri River.
At its new location, where the school has stood for more than 100 years, the building served its enduring role of educating the children of the Charley Creek area and providing a gathering place for the rural community. Additions in 1919 and 1951 increased the school’s footprint to 46 by 18 feet and added space for student lockers and washrooms.
Three local families – the Ruffattos (12), the Fishers (12), and the Schmitzs (11) – represent more than half of the students who attended and graduated from the 8th grade at Ruffatto School, highlighting the close-knit Charley Creek community and strong family ties of the area.
At the end of the 1975/1976 school year, the Ruffatto School closed its doors after serving the Charley Creek community for more than 50 years. With the passage of the property from the Ruffatto family to the Bidegaray family, the school sits vacant.
Plans for restoration and recent listing in the National Register of Historic Places acknowledge the early educational efforts of the area and the importance of a gathering place in rural communities.
Did you or someone you know attend or work at the Ruffatto School in Richland County? We’d love to hear your stories.
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