History

There are many different accounts of the history of El Dorado High School, and the Alumni Association has found it very interesting to pull differing facts together and come up with what we will consider our history.
According to the Walnut Valley Times on March 8, 1878, a high school was organized in the public schools of El Dorado. Other accounts indicate that the high school was held in the upper floor of "Central Building", which previously housed the grade school. The Times also told of an addition being added to the west side of the building during the summer of '78.
In spite of the fact that the third annual catalogue of July, 1909 stated its mission was to give the young people of El Dorado a free education the yearly tuition was reported to be $4.50 per term.
E.W. Fulse was cited as the first principal of the city schools and became the first superintendent through 1882.

The first class began in the ninth grade, and the first commencement was in 1881. At that time there were three girls who completed their high school courses and they became the first graduates of El Dorado High School.
Still counted as one of El Dorado's most illustrious grads, William Allen White, graduated in 1884, one of nine who actually completed all four years of high school. It seemed generally accepted that only those from the wealthy homes could seek a high school education and very few attained college status.
It was reported in the El Dorado Daily Republican newspaper on September 14, 1889 that at a board meeting held on the 13th it was decided to move the school to the city building for an annual rent of $150. On Friday the 16th the high school boys moved the seats from the upstairs of the Central Building and carried them downtown. They were installed the next day and when school started on the 19th there were 101 students enrolled.

On February 15, 1900 the Central school was destroyed by fire. It was replaced by a new brick building and the high school moved to that location on January 6, 1901. Accounts indicate the Central building was located in the 500 block of west Central. The new building, two story and quite modern, was erected at the cost of $30,000. The high school was housed on the top floor and the grade school occupied the bottom story.
A growing high school prompted the use of the entire building in 1915. That building was razed in 1935 to make room for the new $400,000 senior high and junior college building, now the home of the middle school.
Early records indicated that the oil boom brought sufficient numbers of students so that the junior high was organized to relieve the pressure. The ninth grade was included in the junior high building located in the 600 block of West Central.
In an account of another catalogue (fore-runner of the year book) in 1906-07, these words described the city: "The city of El Dorado is recognized as the cleanest, prettiest, and best city for its size in the state of Kansas. It is a place that has taken the advanced ground on moral issues. During a time when other towns of the same size were defying the law and raising their revenue from liquor traffic, El Dorado stood firmly against this evil. No saloons, no gambling dens or other places of vice were allowed in the city. It is an ideal place to raise a boy or girl. The city has ten churches as follows: Christian, Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, Episcopal, Roman Catholic, Christian Science, Seventh Day Adventist, Baptist (Colored), Methodist (Colored). The people have always taken an interest in their schools and nothing that the schools need is too much for them to provide."
Written accounts of the school after the completion of the "new" high school and junior college building in 1936 in the 500 block of West Central seem to be non-existent.
In 1957 the junior college was moved to the old Jefferson Elementary School building where Summit Park is now located, leaving the entire building for the high school.
Groundbreaking for the current high school was held May 10, 1967. R.H. McCollum, a 1926 graduate, was Principal at the time. Gerald Franklin was Superintendent and E.L. Noffsinger was President of the Board of Education.
The old high school now became the junior high until in the early 80's when the board voted to create a middle school, moving the ninth grade into the high school building.
The new 175,000 square foot building was built at a cost of $2,695,000 and was dedicated March 2, 1969. The structure is a four-pointed hyperbolic parabolic with a poured-in-place concrete roof. It was designed to accommodate 1000 students.
In 1994 the city of El Dorado and USD # 490 collaborated to build a new recreation facility adjacent to EHS to be used for sporting events for the school and city recreation department.
The schools continue to be used for many school and community events and it is noteworthy that the former community athletic field built as a WPA project in the 30's has been renovated and named in honor Galen Blackmore, a long time physical education teacher and coach and a graduate of the class of 1934.
El Dorado High School is a 4A school and after having been in the Ark Valley League for many years will become a part of the Chisholm Trail League in 2004.
Graduates have achieved success in almost every professional field. They live in all the states and many foreign countries. Many have remained in El Dorado or have come back "home" and experienced success in every facet of life in this community. Regardless of the "success" of the individual, their social status, their educational level, or their professional title, great numbers retain that bond that brings them back to EHS for class reunions or other school events. They come back with a thankfulness that they had the opportunity to grow up in the greatest little town in Middle America.
Many thanks to the community who provided the educational system, our parents for giving us the EHS opportunity, the school boards, administrators and teachers for giving us the desire to say with pride: "I graduated from El Dorado High School."