Historical Bluffton

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Did you ever wonder when Bluffton first provided school buses to rural students? The answer is here.

In the 1930-31 school year two vehicles were put in service. Later in the year another joined the fleet. Two additional buses were added in 1931-32. Here are the first five school buses taken during the 1933-34 school year.

Drivers standing beside their buses from left, Francis Basinger, Jerome Herr, Jesse Yoakam, Robert Amstutz, Chris Gratz and Richard Bixel (absent).

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Here are two photos of a Main Street bridge over Riley Creek - earlier than the present bridge in that location. Both photos are in the book "The Bluffton We Never Knew."

Bluffton pioneer photographer Will Triplett took the two photos in 1895 at the opening of this bridge crossing the Riley on Main Street. A note written on the envelope holding the negative reads “Bridge on Indian Trail.” This confirms the story that Main Street was originally a trail created by Native Americans.

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Here's a photograph of Bluffton College students from Wayne County during the 1925-26 school year.

According to the college yearbook, the Ista, Wayne County represented the second large number of students by county who attended Bluffton that year. Allen County had the most studnts.

Like today, the club carried familiar Wayne County names including Badertscher, Smucker, Hostettler, Amstutz, Gerber and Miller.

Names of the students are under the photo.

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Here's a photo from "The Bluffton We Never Knew." It shows Main Street from the town hall clock tower. Visible are four church steeples, trolley rails on the center of Main Street, hitching posts for horses and awnings on store fronts. This photo was taken sometime between 1906 and 1915. The photo is among 170 photos in the Bluffton photo history book.

Copies are avialable for $19.95 plus tax at the following businesses:
• Bluffton Senior Citizens Center
• Twisted Whisk Cafe
• The Food Store
• Book ReViews
• Bluffton University bookstore

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This is one of over a dozen class photos in "The Bluffton We Never Knew," photo history book now available in several downtown Bluffton businesses.

It's a Bluffton elementary class picture from the 1899-1900 school year taken by Will Triplett. It's Bluffton B Primary No. 2. The teacher is Miss Benroth.

Although the students are not identified, it is very probable that these students could be in the graduating class of 1910.

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Here is the staff of the Bluffton College Witmarsum, the campus newspaper in the 1942-43 school year.

Standing from left, Evelyn Johnson, Hildred Eversole, Lysle Sommers, Herbert Fretz, Harold Thiessen, Robert Simcox, Norman Beidler, Marvin Wasser, Paul Sauder, Wilma Mumma, Ellen Clark.

Seated from left, Eleanor Keenney, Grace Adams, Lucia Grieser, Adelaide McGinnis, Lois Sommer, Wanda Suter, Grace Geissinger, Betty Steinman.

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