The History of Minier High School
The town of Minier (population 1,244) is located in eastern Tazwell County on Illinois
Route 122 approximately 20 miles west (and a little south) of Bloomington. The town was established at the intersection
of two major railways, the Illinois Gulf Central Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad.
The following history of the town was offered by our own Kev Varney:
Minier's history goes back to October 1867, when the town was founded by George W.
Minier when the Illinois Central Railroad made a payment to him for services he rendered to the railroad. He was known as
"Father Minier" and was an ordained minister of the Christian Church. He was a friend of both Abraham Lincoln and Stephen
Douglas. The village was laid out and lots were quickly purchased by those in the surrounding area, as well as Ohio &
Pennsylvania. As a result, Minier grew quickly and gained a reputation as a being self-supporting for a town its size.
The origin of the school system in Minier dates to 1884 and continued on its own for many years as the
town of Minier successfully supported its own school system for over eight decades. In 1965, the school districts of Armington, Hopedale and Minier consolidated but their high schools
remained open. In 1968 the towns of Stanford and Minier formed the Stanford-Minier School District. This arrangement
worked until 1972 when school districts of Armington-Hopedale-Minier, Atlanta, Danvers, Stanford, and McLean-Waynesville all
merged to create the Olympia School District. The high school for the new District was located in Stanford. For
an incredibly insightful article on the early history of Minier HS scroll to the bottom of this page. The article
appeared in the school's year book in 1931 and is an excellent piece for this site.
Th original Minier High School building has been demolished. Olympia West Elementary School is located
in Minier. The original Minier Gymnasium still stands today, now used as part of a private business.
Minier High School Quick Facts
Year opened: 1884
Year closed:
1968
Consolidated to: Stanford-Minier
High School
School nickname: the "Wildcats"
School colors:
Purple & Gold
School Fight Song: "Onward Wildcats"
Song & Lyrics provided by Teresa Schappaugh
Onward Wildcats, Onward Wildcats
Dribble down the floor!
Give the players all a chance
To make a bigger score,
Rah, Rah, Rah !!
Fight Em Wildcats, Fight Em Wildcats
On to victory,
For you know we’ll stand beside you
Endlessly!!
Wi----ld----ca----ts!!
An earlier fight song for the WIldcats was printed in the 1948 Minier HS yearbook. It was provided to us
by Barbara Brown, who's husband Bill Brown was a 1948 graduate of Minier High School. The
song is quoted from the yearbook below:
Hear
the cheers from the stands and the bleachers,
As the WILDCATS past us fly.
They're the pride of the students and teachers,
This great team of Minier High.
To our school we will always be loyal,
We will Work. We will Fight. We will Win. Rah. Rah.
For our spirit can't be broken,
On to Vic-to-ry again.
