After running for 100 years, historic Mud Lake School closes
Last 3 students moving away from remote community
With just 20 people living in the community, it's usually nice and quiet in Mud Lake, Labrador.
Sitting just 14 kilometres from Happy Valley-Goose Bay — and across the mighty Churchill River — the butterflies and bears in town probably outnumber the people these days.
But this summer, the hush of the community is about to get even quieter. That's because the only three children in town are moving away, and for the first time in about 100 years, there won't be a school in Mud Lake.
Hailey Saltzman, 14, calls her upcoming move "a harsh subject."
"I'm 50 per cent excited for what's to come and 50 per cent internally screaming and crying because the school is closing," she said. "It's a very scary and depressing thing to happen. But I guess it's also good, in a new way."
At Mud Lake School, Saltzman's only classmates are her two younger siblings: nine-year-old Mealey Rumbolt, and 11-year-old Alexzander Rumbolt. Until now, the family has always lived in Mud Lake.
With sole teacher and principal Arlene Rich at the helm, the students often focus on outdoor learning. In between their regular school subjects, Rich said, the students garden, build birdhouses and take regular walks to a nearby beaver dam.
Just beyond the school's garden, Mealey skips through a field of dandelions.
"Want to know what I love?" she asks. "I love that the sun is beaming down on all these plants."
In their new home in Nova Scotia, the kids will attend a bigger school, with more structure. For the first time, they'll have classmates who aren't their family members.
Before that, though, they'll have to say goodbye to Rich, who's spent the past two years commuting to Mud Lake by snowmobile, boat and helicopter.
"I can hardly articulate myself because I'm going to miss those guys so much," said Rich. "They have brought the love of learning and teaching right back to my heart."
An open house to help bid farewell
Before the historic school closes for good, Rich hosts an open house for the general public in Mud Lake.
With the help of some local boat owners — who spend the day ferrying guests across the Churchill River — the two-room schoolhouse starts to feel a little crowded.
"I've never seen this many people in one spot," said Alexzander.
Over photo albums and old school records, many begin to reminisce.
"The Creative Arts Festival was the biggest, funnest thing we always did," said Janice White, who attended Mud Lake School as a child. "It always happened in the fall of the year, so we always got to go up on chopper."
Sue McLean, who taught at Mud Lake School in the late 80s, remembered bringing children's author Robert Munsch to the community.
"I took him down here on skidoo to see the children and to read to the children, they all loved it," she said.
"And then the following year, Mr. Dressup came to Goose Bay, and I know it was November because we couldn't go back and forth in boat. And I contacted the military over and over, and finally they sent down the helicopters to pick us all up and go to Goose Bay."
McLean said she taught about 14 children at the time, though enrolment dropped steadily during her stint at the school.
"We were told back then that once the post office leaves the community, the school won't be far behind. And that's sort of what happened. But I'm sure the flood speeded the whole thing up," said McLean.
'I'm not going to move,' says Mud Lake grandmother
Mud Lake was devastated by a flood in 2017, shortly after the Muskrat Falls dam was first built.
A class-action lawsuit was launched against the provincial government and Nalcor Energy on behalf of residents at the time. Though the province was removed from the lawsuit after a successful appeal, the class-action against Nalcor is ongoing.
In 2022, the provincial government began offering up to $270,000 of relocation assistance per home to residents of Mud Lake. By now, many have accepted the help.
Nobody can move to the community anymore. But residents can choose to stay in Mud Lake. And of those who still remain, several vow they'll never leave.
"I was born here and I never moved. And I'm not going to move," said Drucilla Rumbolt, the 71-year-old grandmother of Hailey, Alex and Mealey.
"I love it here. It's so peaceful. I look out my window and I see ducks and beavers going swimming and all kinds of stuff. And little birds out by the house. I love it.
Rumbolt doesn't want to think about the school closing up.
"I don't want to think about them moving. I'm happy to be here to see people and see the school one more time," she said. "But it's sad."
When Rumbolt's grandchildren leave, just 15 permanent residents will be left in Mud Lake.
It's a far cry from the community's bustling heyday — when it was known as Grand Village — as a busy lumber company operated in town.
Still, with a long history of Innu, Inuit and settlers trapping and fishing on the land, there's no shortage of stories to be told.
Mud Lake resident Melody Nutley would like to help share more of the community's history. She'd also like to see more visitors experience the beauty of Mud Lake.
"It's great for mental health, which is a big issue right now. Even mental health tours, to help people in need.… Turning the school into a museum would be a great idea," she said.
"Mud Lake is a wonderful place to live, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else."
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