| Chebanse School Bldg – 2012 (gymnasium on right) | |||||||||
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| Chebanse High School Bldg Front View – 2012 |
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The History of Chebanse High School
Chebanse (population 1,044,`) is located off of Interstate Highway 57 approximately 9 miles south of Kankakee. Chebanse straddles the Iroquois / Kankakee County line. The town was founded in 1854. The Illinois Central Gulf Railroad runs through the center of town. According to the book “Place Names in Illinois” by Edward Callary, Chebanse was established along the Illinois Central Railroad in 1854. It is named after the Native American Potawatomi leader named Chebass, or “Shishibens,” which translates to “Little Duck.” The center circle on the Chebanse High School gym still reads “Chebanse Little Duck,” though newspaper articles from the 1930s and 1940s refer to the sports teams as the “Firemen.” Chebanse enjoyed its first population of over 1,000 in 1970 (1,185) and peaked at 1,191 in 1980.
The school system in Chebanse was probably established in the late 1800s. Chebanse townspeople supported their own school district, including a high school, for many years. It was in the late 1940s that consolidation talks began between the towns of Chebanse, Clifton, and Ashkum. This consolidation became effective after the 1949-50 school year with the creation of the Clifton Central School District. The high school was located in Clifton.
Chebanse landed a grade school for the Central School District for grades PK – 4. The original Chebanse High School building is pictured above. For years it was used as a community center by the residents of Chebanse. However the building, though secured from the outside, is falling into a state of disrepair on the inside. It is believed the main portion will be razed in the future however as of 2024 it was still standing proudly in town.
Chebanse High School Quick Facts
Year opened: late 1800s
Year closed: 1950
Consolidated to: Central School District – Clifton
School nickname: the “Firemen”
School colors: Maroon, White, & Gray
School Fight Song: unavailable
| Athletics
Chebanse High School definitely offered baseball and basketball. It is thought that track was also offered for the boys. The IHSA (www.ihsa.org) accomplishments of Chebanse High are noted below. ——————————————————————————————– Boys Basketball There is a real nice account of the Chebanse High School boys basketball team listed on the IHSA web site. The two District Championships won as well as three other good seasons are listed below. Other basketball scores involving the Chebanse “Firemen” were located on a website titled “Illinois Postseason High School Basketball Scores.” 1920-21 Joliet District Tournament Coach’s name & record needed. 1st Rd lost to Plainfield 45-32 New Trier beat Joliet in title game. —– 1921-22 through 1929-30 Postseason scores, coach’s names, and records needed. —– 1930-31 Kankakee District Tournament Coach’s name & record needed. 1st Rd Beat Manteno 24-22 (2 O/T’s) 2nd Rd Beat Martinton 42-12 Semi-Final lost to Bloom Township 31-22 Bloom beat Grant Park in title game. —– 1931-32 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed. —– 1932-33 Kankakee District Tournament Coach’s name & record needed. 1st Rd lost to Kankakee 40-11 Kankakee beat Herscher in title game. —– 1933-34 18 – 2 Kankakee District Tournament Coach’s name & record needed. 1st Rd lost to St. Anne 28-17 Kankakee beat St. Anne in title game. —– 1934-35 St. Anne District Tournament Coach’s name & record needed. 1st Rd Beat Ashkum 40-17 2nd Rd lost to Kankakee 38-12 St. Anne beat Sheldon in title game. —– 1935-36 Bradley District Tournament Coach’s name & record needed. 1st Rd Beat Donovan 26-14 Semi-Final lost to Bradley 43-24 Bradley beat Grant Park in title game. —– 1937-38 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed. —– 1938-39 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed. —– 1939-40 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed. —– 1940-41 Watseka Regional Tournament Coach’s name & record needed. 1st Rd lost to Kankakee 46-18 Sheldon beat Watseka in title game. (Chebanse not assigned to District Tourney this season.) —– 1941-42 Postseason scores, record, and coach’s name needed. —– 1942-43 Kankakee Regional Tournament Coach’s name & record needed. 1st Rd lost to Kankakee 63-48 Bradley beat Momence in title game. (Chebanse not assigned to District Tourney this season.) —– 1943-44 Kankakee Regional Tournament Coach’s name & record needed. 1st Rd lost to Herscher 42-31 Kankakee beat Herscher in title game. (Chebanse not assigned to District Tourney this season.) —– 1944-45 23 – 7 Crescent City District Runner-Up Coach Frank Skoff Semi-Final Beat Martinton 81-55 Title Game lost to Sheldon 33-32 —– 1945-46 14 – 9 Kankakee Regional Tournament Coach Henry Wulfe, Jr. 1st Rd lost to Kankakee 52-27 KANKAKEE (52): Grant 18, Hammond 13, Gray 10, Love 6, DeCarlo 3, Hiatt 2. CHEBANSE (27): Sadler 9, Beck 7, Poll 7, O’Connor 4. Bradley beat Kankakee in title game. (Chebanse not assigned to District Tourney this season.) —– 1946-47 24 – 9 Clifton District Champions Coach Raymond Page Semi-Final Beat Crescent City 60-41 Title Game Beat Ashkum-Clifton 44-24 Watseka Regional Tournament 1st Rd Beat Momence 44-42 Semi-Final lost to Watseka 51-37 Watseka beat Kankakee St. Patrick in title game. —– 1947-48 11 – 14 Crescent City District Champs Coach Raymond Page Semi-Final Beat Crescent City 33-31 Title Game Beat Ashkum-Clifton 32-30 Kankakee Regional Tournament 1st Rd lost to Kankakee St. Patrick 36-25 Watseka beat Kankakee in title game. —– 1948-49 Clifton District Tournament Coach’s name & record needed. 1st Rd lost to Ashkum-Clifton 46-21 Ashkum-Clifton beat Crescent City in title game. —– 1949-50 6 – 16 Kankakee Regional Tournament Coach Del Dufrain **1st Rd lost to Bradley 59-37 Bradley beat Kankakee in title game. (Chebanse not assigned to District Tourney this season.) **Final boys varsity basketball game for Chebanse High School. ———————————————————————————————————– Boys Baseball The Chebanse boys baseball team brought home a District title too. The Class of 1947 and 1948 must have been a talented group as the team of 1946-47 won a DIstrict Championship to go along with the two they won in basketball. The coaches names and team records for the baseball program are not available. 1946-47 District Champions ——————————————————————————————————– If You Have Any Information… …you can add regarding the history and successes of the Chebanse High School system please take the time to share it with us. Team records, photos, other extra-curricular programs are all welcome items on this site. These items can be e-mailed to us at ihsgdwebsite@comcast.net
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