Todd School for Boys Horseback Riding, circa 1930

Todd School for Boys Horseback Riding, circa 1930

The Todd School curriculum included horseback riding. The stable in the background was built by Todd students in 1930, under the direction of instructor A.E. Johnson. Coach Roskie is the fourth person from the left in this photograph. A Todd promotional brochure describes the experience as “Horsemanship at Todd is of the wild and wooly variety. Blue jeans rather than jodhpurs are in. And a manure shovel handle has a familiar feel to the many devotees of this activity which is tied to our agriculture and animal husbandry work.“

The Todd School for Boys (1848–1954) was an independent school located in Woodstock, Illinois founded by Reverend Richard Kimball Todd, a Presbyterian pastor. Under the guidance of Headmaster Noble Hill in the 1920s and Hill’s son Roger in the 1930s, it became known as a progressive school that provided students with a creative educational environment that emphasized practical experience over traditional academics. The main Todd School Campus was located on the northeast corner of the Rt. 47 (Seminary Ave) and Rt. 120 (McHenry Ave.) junction.

Diane Treese Collection

1930~