After running for 100 years, historic Mud Lake School closes

5 day_ago 11

With a relocation process successful motion, the distant assemblage of Mud Lake, Labrador is dwindling successful size. This year, the past 3 students astatine Mud Lake School are moving away— bringing a historical bequest to a close.

Last 3 students moving distant from distant community

Andrea McGuire · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 29, 2025 4:30 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

A 14 twelvemonth aged girl, and 11 twelvemonth aged lad and a 9 twelvemonth aged miss beryllium connected a greenish picnic array seat successful the sun.

With conscionable 20 radical surviving successful the community, it's usually bully and quiescent successful Mud Lake, Labrador.

Sitting conscionable 14 kilometres from Happy Valley-Goose Bay — and crossed the mighty Churchill River — the butterflies and bears successful municipality astir apt outnumber the radical these days.

But this summer, the hush of the assemblage is astir to get adjacent quieter. That's due to the fact that the lone 3 children successful municipality are moving away, and for the archetypal clip successful astir 100 years, determination won't beryllium a schoolhouse successful Mud Lake.

Hailey Saltzman, 14, calls her upcoming determination "a harsh subject."

"I'm 50 per cent excited for what's to travel and 50 per cent internally screaming and crying due to the fact that the schoolhouse is closing," she said. "It's a precise scary and depressing happening to happen. But I conjecture it's besides good, successful a caller way."

At Mud Lake School, Saltzman's lone classmates are her 2 younger siblings: nine-year-old Mealey Rumbolt, and 11-year-old Alexzander Rumbolt. Until now, the household has ever lived successful Mud Lake.

With sole teacher and main Arlene Rich astatine the helm, the students often absorption connected outdoor learning. In betwixt their regular schoolhouse subjects, Rich said, the students garden, physique birdhouses and instrumentality regular walks to a adjacent beaver dam.

WATCH | Cross the Churchill River to spot the tiny municipality of Mud Lake:

Century of section schooling ends successful Mud Lake arsenic town’s past 3 kids accidental good-bye

The Mud Lake School whitethorn beryllium small, but its past goes backmost much than a 100 years. Now, the past 3 kids successful municipality are moving, and the schoolhouse is closing for good. The CBC’s Andrea McGuire takes america there.

Just beyond the school's garden, Mealey skips done a tract of dandelions.

"Want to cognize what I love?" she asks. "I emotion that the prima is beaming down connected each these plants."

In their caller location successful Nova Scotia, the kids will be a bigger school, with much structure. For the archetypal time, they'll person classmates who aren't their household members.

Before that, though, they'll person to accidental goodbye to Rich, who's spent the past 2 years commuting to Mud Lake by snowmobile, vessel and helicopter.

"I tin hardly articulate myself due to the fact that I'm going to miss those guys truthful much," said Rich. "They person brought the emotion of learning and teaching close backmost to my heart."

A pistillate wearing a purple t-shirt poses wrong a classroom. A publication showcasing historical photos of Mud Lake is stood up down her.

An unfastened location to assistance bid farewell

Before the historical schoolhouse closes for good, Rich hosts an unfastened location for the wide nationalist successful Mud Lake.

With the assistance of immoderate section vessel owners — who walk the time ferrying guests crossed the Churchill River — the two-room schoolhouse starts to consciousness a small crowded.

"I've ne'er seen this galore radical successful 1 spot," said Alexzander.

Over photograph albums and aged schoolhouse records, galore statesman to reminisce.

"The Creative Arts Festival was the biggest, funnest happening we ever did," said Janice White, who attended Mud Lake School arsenic a child. "It ever happened successful the autumn of the year, truthful we ever got to spell up connected chopper."

A red-headed miss successful a fancy achromatic formal poses with a ample Sasquatch replica. Three insubstantial mache sasquatch heads are placed adjacent their feet.

Sue McLean, who taught astatine Mud Lake School successful the precocious 80s, remembered bringing children's writer Robert Munsch to the community.

"I took him down present connected skidoo to spot the children and to work to the children, they each loved it," she said.

"And past the pursuing year, Mr. Dressup came to Goose Bay, and I cognize it was November due to the fact that we couldn't spell backmost and distant successful boat. And I contacted the subject implicit and over, and yet they sent down the helicopters to prime america each up and spell to Goose Bay."

A pistillate successful her aboriginal 70s with abbreviated grey hairsbreadth poses successful a classroom. She's wearing a pinkish cardigan and a achromatic t-shirt.

McLean said she taught astir 14 children astatine the time, though enrolment dropped steadily during her stint astatine the school.

"We were told backmost past that erstwhile the station bureau leaves the community, the schoolhouse won't beryllium acold behind. And that's benignant of what happened. But I'm definite the flood speeded the full happening up," said McLean.

'I'm not going to move,' says Mud Lake grandmother

Mud Lake was devastated by a flood successful 2017, soon aft the Muskrat Falls dam was archetypal built.

A class-action suit was launched against the provincial authorities and Nalcor Energy connected behalf of residents astatine the time. Though the state was removed from the suit aft a palmy appeal, the class-action against Nalcor is ongoing.

In 2022, the provincial authorities began offering up to $270,000 of relocation assistance per location to residents of Mud Lake. By now, galore person accepted the help.

Nobody tin determination to the assemblage anymore. But residents tin take to enactment successful Mud Lake. And of those who inactive remain, respective vow they'll ne'er leave.

"I was calved present and I ne'er moved. And I'm not going to move," said Drucilla Rumbolt, the 71-year-old grandma of Hailey, Alex and Mealey.

"I emotion it here. It's truthful peaceful. I look retired my model and I spot ducks and beavers going swimming and each kinds of stuff. And small birds retired by the house. I emotion it.

A presumption of Mud Lake portion travelling by boat. Many residents person tiny wharfs starring to their houses.

Rumbolt doesn't privation to deliberation astir the schoolhouse closing up.

"I don't privation to deliberation astir them moving. I'm blessed to beryllium present to spot radical and spot the schoolhouse 1 much time," she said. "But it's sad."

When Rumbolt's grandchildren leave, conscionable 15 imperishable residents volition beryllium near successful Mud Lake.

It's a acold outcry from the community's bustling heyday — erstwhile it was known arsenic Grand Village — as a engaged lumber institution operated successful town.

Still, with a agelong past of Innu, Inuit and settlers trapping and sportfishing connected the land, there's nary shortage of stories to beryllium told.

Mud Lake nonmigratory Melody Nutley would similar to assistance stock much of the community's history. She'd besides similar to spot much visitors acquisition the quality of Mud Lake.

"It's large for intelligence health, which is simply a large contented close now. Even intelligence wellness tours, to assistance radical successful need.… Turning the schoolhouse into a depository would beryllium a large idea," she said.

"Mud Lake is simply a fantastic spot to live, I wouldn't privation to unrecorded anyplace else."

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