Several children stand in front of a horse drawn wagon used as a school bus in this 4" x 2 1/2" black and white photograph. Two horses are hitched to the wagon, which is enclosed with metal walls and glass windows. The driver of the wagon, a man wearing a dark suit and a hat, stands just inside the wagon's door. The children stand in the dirt road in front of the wagon. An intersecting dirt road with cars parked on it and trees and houses along one side can be seen in the background.
Omaha Public School Archive Collection / Educational Research Library
Local Accession/Call Number
Archive Files: Florence School File
Historical Notes
This photograph was taken in front of the old Florence Elementary School at 8516 N. 31st Street by Dorothy Edwards, a teacher at the school. The Florence School bus was owned and driven by Sam Smith, shown standing just inside the door at the front of the wagon. The boy in the center carrying a book is Sammy Smith Jr., son of the driver. The tall boy on the far right, also carrying a book, is Billy Gale. His sister, Vivian Gale (Gast) is the curly-haired girl in the back row. Mrs. Gast stated that she and her brother had red hair. Mrs. Gast also stated the bus was painted a dark green with red trim; the door was yellow. The street where this picture was taken is still unpaved. The old Florence school was closed and torn down in the mid 1960s. It was replaced by the current Florence Elementary on N. 36th Street.
