Yale Public School

The town of Yale was platted in the fall of 1888 after a branch of the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railroad, later renamed the Great Northern Railway, extended west from Watertown. Alice Sweeney, the town site agent’s wife, chose the name “Yale” because several of her friends attended Yale University.

The school was constructed in 1909 and originally called the Cavour Township School. The twostory building housed eight grades with only two teachers until c.1918 when a 9th grade was added. In 1922, R.O. Foote Construction of Yale built the north half addition of the school and was renamed the Yale Independent School District.

Elementary classes were held on the first floor and the two years of high school were taught on the upper floor. In c.1928, a four-year high school was introduced. The first class graduated in 1933 under Supt. Harold Moon and included: Anastasia Davis, Lily Davis, Reuben Glanzer, Sarah Glanzer, Joseph Greenan, Elsie Haeder, Paul Haeder, Marie Kludt, Earl Marsh, Elaine O’Brien, Irma Vondracek, and Ted Walter.

In 1951, community members helped construct a 50 ft x 80 ft auditorium southwest of the school. Previously, the second floor of the Musolf store on Main Street hosted basketball games and programs. In 1957, the Yale High School won the State Class B Track Championship at Kernel Stadium in Mitchell.

Athletes were Larry Weidner, Don Boetel, and Howard Bich. The last graduating class in 1962 was Merolyn Boetel, Paul Farrell, Rita Ford, Keith Glanzer, Kathleen Hofer, and Robert Ulrich. A total of 305 students graduated throughout the high school’s history. In fall 1962, the remaining 21 high school students went to Bancroft, James Valley Christian, Iroquois, or Huron.

Yale Elementary School ran until 1968 when Yale and Cavour schools consolidated with the Iroquois School District. The district used the Yale building for middle school classes from 1970-1976. The building was razed later in 1976. School Colors: Royal Blue & White Nickname: Trojans School Song Tune: “On Wisconsin” “We came, we learned and went out to serve.

” This historical marker was a project of the Yale High School Alumni Association in 2024.