Bulo School was in the west central part of Beckham County—a consolidation of the former Buena Vista and Buffalo schools. The name Bulo was formed by using letters of the two schools. You may not find Bulo on a map, but it was a thriving rural community back in the 20’s where families were just trying to survive. The only remnant left today is a Community Center.
The first day of school at Bulo was in November 1923. They had three teachers for grades 1-10—D. P. Lowe (principal), and Lawrence and Lexia Ripple. The sound of the school bell began to ring at 9:00 a.m. The news of the school opening was announced with a long, long ring until people picked up their receivers. The young students learned to read by sitting on “recitation” benches and learning letters from a big flip chart. For fun, the girls played jacks, and the boys played horseshoes. Some of the students rode ponies to school. Finally, around 1931 they got school buses—a welcome addition. They did have boys’ and girls’ basketball teams, as well as baseball and softball. They also made things to enter in the county fair. In 1932, when the first class had reached 8th grade, they were told they would have to transfer to another high school as Bulo had lost theirs several years earlier. The school held Commencement for them and took them on a class trip to Medicine Park. At this time, they were in the middle of the Great Depression, which made tough times even tougher. Most of the girls borrowed dresses to wear for their Commencement. As they parted ways for new schools, all but three went to Sweetwater and the other three went to New Liberty.
Although school days ended in 1932 for the first class of 1923, the school remained open until 1963. In later years, the school consisted of grades 1-8 with approximately 20 students. After its closing, the building transitioned into a community center for potluck dinners and school and family reunions. Henry Rose, a former student and son of a Bulo teacher, now owns the building and operates it as an event center. Much of the inside of the building is the same as when the school was built with original wood floors and chalkboards. Even the original drinking fountain still exists. One can almost hear the students going about their school day and sense the spirit of the long-defunct school. The school is located at 11358 N. 1780 Road, Sayre. To schedule an event, call Henry Rose at (580) 878-1825.
Original Chalk Board
Original Drinking Fountain
Grades 1-4, 1961, Henry Rose third from left in back row
Early Bulo School Bus
Present-Day Bulo School Building