Joe River School 1939-40

Back Row:  Ronald Cox, Phyllis Brown, Wilbert Clow, William H. Ash 
Middle Row:  Donald Shaw, Roy Webster, Hugh Griffith, Jim Griffith
Front Row:  Leo Ash, Kathryn Griffith, and Laurance Shaw
Teacher (not shown):  Lillian Bill
[Courtesy: Raymond Ward Photo Collection]

Not far from St. Vincent, is an area called Joe River. As the crow flies, it's east of town.  The Joe River winds its way through the countryside there, several families settling in that area.  In fact, my own great grandparents originally homesteaded out there, before moving in to St. Vincent itself.

The school was located east of the North Star Church, near where the county road meets the railroad track - which when you come to think of it, seems a dangerous place to build a school where children will be playing, but that's what I'm told.

Joe river derives its headwaters from St. Joseph township [and its name...] - "Minnesota Geographic Names: their Origin and Historic Significance", by Warren Upham