Fourteen miles south of Sidney, Montana, stood a small schoolhouse in the small town of Sears Creek. The schoolhouse was a two-story building a little to the southwest; the upper floor was a dance hall. The Sears Schoolhouse was cut in two and the upper floor, later named the Washington School, was moved about one and one-half miles south where the main road intersected the railroad track. Albert Hoffman had bought land there and donated the space for the school year. Since there was another station in Montana named Midway, this one was named Hoffmanville and the community was named Midway since it was about halfway between Savage and Crane.
The special part about the Midway School was that the girls that attended school there would knit blankets for World War I soldiers. After President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation to the American people titled, “Do Your Bit for America”, women began doing their bit in many ways, one of which was making quilts. They began the slogan, “save the blankets for our boys over there”. Women also made quilts to raise funds for the Red Cross’s war relief work. Volunteers auctioned or raffled the quilts to raise more money to be sent to those overseas at the war. Following the war, some women made quilts that commemorated Americans who died in combat, which served as a symbol of their gratitude for the families of fallen soldiers. Citizens of Savage and the surrounding areas took a lot of pride in doing their part in the war effort.
The special part about the Midway School was that the girls that attended school there would knit blankets for World War I soldiers. After President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation to the American people titled, “Do Your Bit for America”, women began doing their bit in many ways, one of which was making quilts. They began the slogan, “save the blankets for our boys over there”. Women also made quilts to raise funds for the Red Cross’s war relief work. Volunteers auctioned or raffled the quilts to raise more money to be sent to those overseas at the war. Following the war, some women made quilts that commemorated Americans who died in combat, which served as a symbol of their gratitude for the families of fallen soldiers. Citizens of Savage and the surrounding areas took a lot of pride in doing their part in the war effort.
BY: TYLER LIEN AND KIANA MILLER