PIÑON School—District NO. 4

Preceding the Piñon school, Wood Valley was built on the east bank of Fountain Creek. In 1882, the Denver & New Orleans Railroad laid tracks just 50 feet from the school house door, so it was decided to move the frame building across the creek to Dawkins, where there were a grocery store, post office, and D&RG/Santa Fe depot. Within 20 years, the building was too small and a brick structure was put up. A year later, rooms had to be added, resulting in the building pictured above. In 1907, the name of the school was changed to Piñon.

By 1920, the Alamo and Overton schools had been consolidated with Piñon. In 1937, the brick school was torn down and replaced with the present Spanish-style adobe/stucco structure built by the W.P.A. In 1950, all of the country schools were consolidated into District 70. Originally containing grades 1–12, Piñon eventually became a middle school, but on April 5, 1982, the students were required to report to a new middle school in Pueblo West and the property was sold.

(The above information came from the late Martha Keating Benesch of Piñon, a Pueblo Dist. 20 teacher who drove high school students into Pueblo by bus for 10 years. Photograph from PCHS collection.)