Remi Poliquin
Counsel
Marc Walsh’s Exquisite Model of Soulanges Schoolhouse
by Marilyn Santucci
Marc Walsh has an eye for detail. Walsh, 68, is a recently retired artist who makes building scale models in his spare time.
His passion started in December 2020. With no formal training, he built two gas stations as well as a dairy farm, all dating from the 1940s–1950s. After that, he took on a major challenge that took two years to complete. To mark the 50th anniversary of the television show Little House on the Prairie, he built a scale model of the entire village of Walnut Grove as well as the Ingalls family farm, at a 1:24 scale. The project took him approximately 4,000 hours to complete.
“It was a lot of work but it brought me a great deal of satisfaction. It also allowed me to develop a deep passion,” said Marc.
While working on his Walnut Grove village project, he heard on the radio that the Lester B/ Pearson School Board’s one-room Soulanges schoolhouse was still operational and remains unique in Quebec.
He wanted to honour the school by building a scale model of it. To do so he measured both the exterior and interior of the various rooms, took extensive notes, and captured many photographs of the school.
“These steps are very important to me, as I like to achieve the highest level of detail so that my projects closely resemble the originals,” said Marc.
Work on the schoolhouse model began in his workshop in October 2024. The project required approximately 1,300 hours of work and was completed in mid-June 2025, in time for its unveiling at the Soulanges school last June.
Soon after, he had an idea to honour Mr. Avila Cuillerier, a well-known local foreman who built the original Soulanges school in 1919. He created a model of the school as it looked when it was newly built. He also connected with Mr. Wayne Morrisson, who had been both a student and teacher at the school. Mr. Morrisson’s father was among the first students to attend. Using Wayne Morrisson’s memories, and descriptions of all the interior details of the school. he was able to recreate both the interior and exterior of the school exactly as they were constructed.
Marc was invited by the school board to present his project at a Council of Commissioners meeting. He brought several artifacts from the early days of Soulanges, including the original bell, textbooks, and photographs. At the end of his presentation, he unveiled the miniature recreation, to the awe of those in attendance. He then invited everyone to come up for a closer look, take photos, and ask questions.
Never one to shy away from a new challenge, Marc already has come up with his next project, which will see him construct a scale-model of a small schoolhouse in Saint-Anicet, which is located near his former dairy farm.
“Once again, it will be a project created with the highest level of precision. I’m very much looking forward to this project as well as other new challenges,” he said.
