Before paved roads, school buses, and district consolidation, there were something like 250 one-room schools in McLean County alone. Seen here is Ritter, a representative one-room school (in size and architectural style) in Martin Township, east of Bloomington-Normal. Ritter School was located about four miles south of the Village of Colfax and one mile north of what is today Route 9.Ritter was organized as a one-room school district in 1881. The district consolidated with Colfax unit schools in 1948.
