Burtonsville got its most recent name in 1912 when post master, Cornelius Burton, opened a post office in his home. Previous to 1912, this area was known as Goose Quill County Encampment. This specific site is where the Wanchie School was built in 1910. The name is derived from the Cree language meaning “Big Timber”.
One teacher, Doris Homme, recalls the memories of working at Wanchie School. When she first arrived she referred to this area as the “farthest outpost of the civilized world”. However, she soon discovered that “the kindness and hospitality of the people compensated for the isolation, the mud, and the mosquitoes.”
Wanchie officially closed in 1953. Homme notes, “Many years have passed since her two years of teaching at Wanchie, but whenever she visits the community and passes the old school site she recalls with affection her first little school.”
While you’re at this geocache, take a ride down Burtonsville Road to step back into a much simpler time.