Schurz Elementary School

For one year, I was Principal and 7th & 8th Grade teacher on the Walker River Paiute Indian Reservation in Schurz, Nevada.  I was drinking pretty heavily during that year and got into some difficulties because of it.  When I first went to Schurz, the Assistant Superintendent of Schools for Mineral County, Nevada, of which our school was a part asked me (More told me.) if I would like to have a bus drivers license.  Of course I said and it was issued to me.  I had never driven a bus before.  So sometime in December we were invited to play a basketball tournament someplade in the mountains of Nevada.  I truly don't remember where.  Maybe Tonapah.  Anyway, off I went driving precious cargo in a school bus.  Well, it started snowing and the last few miles into this town were straight up.  Truly, it was one of the most terrifying times of my life and one I feel grateful to say I survived as did all the passengers in that bus.   When we arrived at Schurz for the first time we arrived with a Bassett Hound ready to deliver a pack of puppies.  There was a teacherage on the school grounds where we lived.  The very day we arrived that dog gave birth to 12 still-born puppies.  The birthing process took until 6:00 the next morning.  Fortunately I had read up on delivering dogs and knew what to do to bring those pups back to life and that I did.  Every one of them survived.  But, sometimes I think some of them might have been better off if they hadn't.  Several were given to kids from the school and truly became street dogs.  I'm sure if you went to Schurz today, the stray dogs you would see would have a more or less Bassett influence.