This is the Galt Grammar School. It was built for $3000 and that money was donated by Charles Crocker and Dr. Obed Harvey.
For many years, Galt had only one elementary school, "Galt Grammar School". That school was first a two-story structure on "B" street. They then then moved to a new structure "E" street, where building and playground filled an entire square block between 5th and 6th, and "E" and "F" streets. Until 1948, this was the Galt Joint Union Elementary School District. Then a new elementary school site was created to house grades three through eight. Kindergarten through second grade remained at the "E" street site and was known as Galt Primary School.
The new Galt Elementary School was located on "C" street, where there is now a large shopping mall, known as the Galt Plaza. It didn't take long before the old Galt Primary School was outgrown. The Fairsite School was built to accommodate the growing student population. In 1965, the population growth in Galt continued and Valley Oaks School was built. Valley Oaks named their library after our dedicated member Ida Denier.
The Galt Elementary School became too small to contain the growing number of students that were moving to the Galt area. A middle school was now needed for the older elementary schools students. Galt Elementary School was torn down and became our shopping mall. River Oaks Elementary School and Vernon E. Greer Middle School were built.
The Vernon E. Greer Middle School was named after one of Galt's most well-known residents, Dr. Vernon E. Greer, Jr. To those who lived in Galt in 1939, he was the new physician in town who established a family practice here. This was during the time when doctors made house calls and so it was not unusual to see Dr. Greer out and about in the wee, small hours of the morning administering to those who were too ill to come to his office on "C" Street near 4th Street.
Dr. Greer was the town doctor for 27 years. During that time, he built the medical building at the north-east corner of 5th and "B" Streets. He served as Chief of staff at Lodi Memorial Hospital and as vice-president of the Galt Branch of the American Red Cross. He was a member of the Sacramento County Medical Society, the American Academy of General Practitioners, the American Medical Association, and a staff member of Mercy and Sutter Memorial Hospitals in Sacramento, and Mason and Buchanan Hospitals in Lodi.
It was Dr. Greer's work with the schools that won for him the award of "Citizen of the Year" in 1961. Dr. Greer was a member of the Galt Joint Union Elementary School Board for 17 years and spent 12 years as its president. He helped found the first kindergarten in Galt and was responsible for getting the Sacramento County Health Department to start the first school immunization program for Galt school children.
Dr. Vernon Greer devoted the major portion of his adult life to the health and education of the children of Galt. It is fitting that his name continues to be linked with education in this community.
Today, Galt Joint Union Elementary School District has added one more elementary school, Marengo Ranch Elementary School. This school was named after pioneer rancher, Augustino Marengo. Mr. Marengo was a native of Salterana, a province of Genoa, Italy. He came to Galt in 1869, just as the town was born. He purchased 160 acres of land for farming north of the new town and in 1878, he purchased an additional 624 acres. He improved the land and built a house for his wife Teresa and their four children whom he had left behind in Italy for ten years until he could prepare the ranch for them. Of the four children, only Giuditta and Allesandro survived to see their own children grown.
Allesandro married Matilda Denevi in 1898. They had three sons, August, Joseph, Antonio, and two daughters, Teresa and Mary. All five children attended Galt schools. Allesandro worked with this father and eventually inherited 160 acres of land. He bought the home ranch of 156 acres from his mother and added those to his 160 on which he continued to farm and raise livestock as his pioneer father had done before him.
When pioneer Augustino Marengo died, the Galt Gazette printed the following:
"Augustino Marengo, a pioneer and highly respected citizen of this vicinity, was the most distinguished of his Italian countrymen to settle in the Galt district. The deceased was probably one of the best known men in this part of Sacramento County, and always led an honorable life and was highly esteemed by all who knew him. His word was as good as his bond and no more honorable man ever lived in the community."
Students at Marengo Ranch School can be proud that their school is named after the pioneer rancher from Italy whose ranch once included the land on which the school is now built.
Another elementary school has since been added, Lake Canyon, on the northeast side of the City and a second middle school, Robert McCaffery Middle School has been added in that area. The new middle school is named after the Superintendent who came to Galt as an elementary school teacher, and stayed on to become its Superintendent for 31 years.
The Galt Elementary School District will soon build another school, Quail Hollow Elementary School, on the west side of the city. The growth of the Galt Joint Union Elementary School District is an indication of the growth of the railroad town of Galt in 1869, to the incorporated City of Galt today.
Last edited 21 July, 2007