Jan Redelsperger shared the following photos and memoriabilia of her aunt, Byrdee (Poland) Watson. Byrdee graduated from Kelso High School in 1914 and the next fall taught school in the Little Mountain Public School District 78, up on the hill above Carrolls someplace. The end of the school year pamphlet gives the year as 1915.
(Miss Byrdee Ethel Poland, 1915)
(The five students in Miss Poland's first class. Although it is not clear which boy is whom, their names were: Annie Fyalka, George Fyalka, Earnest Bloomer, Robert Bloomer and Clarence Bloomer. Click on each photo to view an enlargement.)
(Public School Souvenir 1915
Little Mountain
Public School
District No. 78
Cowlitz County, Washington
BYRDEE E. POLAND, Teacher
PUPILS: Annie Fyalka, George Fyalka, Earnest Bloomer, Robert Bloomer, Clarence Bloomer
School Officers: Mr. Bennington, Mr. Guerin, Mr. Fyalka.
Click on each image to view an enlargement.)
(Another picture of Byrdee and a class of students. This was also marked Miss Poland, so we are pretty sure this was before 1920 when she married. We are pretty sure that she taught at Kalama early in her teaching career, but don't know if that is where this is.)
See also Byrdee (Poland) Watson's obituary.