Upper Blackfoot Chronicles

At first in the 1890s, the Lincoln School in town had one room and one teacher, but as the area grew in population, another room and then another was added.

The school district number was changed several times and finally became School District #38.

Ellen Lambkin Mulcare provided a letter that came to her father during his tenure as chairman of the school board in 1924. Her mother used the reverse side of the letter for a recipe. The letter was sent from F. A. Mills, Salesman, Northwest School Furniture Company.

Several times during crowded years at the school in Lincoln proper, additional classes were held at the Community Hall. Funds were not available to build more classrooms. Education in Lincoln only went from the first grade to the eighth. There was no kindergarten, nor high school. Through the efforts of many people, however, a steel gymnasium was built and paid for. Then tragedy struck.

On Saturday June 24, 1978, fire destroyed the entire three-room frame school, causing more that $160,000 worth of damages. Malfunction in the electrical wiring was said to be the cause.

Estimates on a new school were placed at $400,000. The insurance from the fire would finance about $150,000. Many people felt that this was the time to also talk about a high school in addition to the new grade school. The remaining new gymnasium and big trailers that were brought in housed temporary classrooms and bathrooms. School resumed two weeks late in September, but it did start in those temporary quarters.

Despite the problems, ninety-one students went about learning in the new surroundings, and the struggle to finance a new school and furnishings escalated.

In January 1980, the new building, including classroom space for kindergarten through the twelth grade, was completed and education became the number one priority once again.

In 1993, approximately 225 children were enrolled in the Lincoln school.