USA > Iowa > Story County > History of Story County, Iowa; a record of organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 40
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The few hopes that may have been reasonably raised by the action of the general assembly in making the original $10,000 appropriation, were also very slow of realization. The next general assembly did not follow up the matter and the friends of the college proposition were glad to get through the session without having the previous action rescinded. The conduct of this general assembly is abundant evidence that public interest in the project was very slight; and it was only the activity of a few far-, sighted men, among whom were B. F. Gue and Peter Melendy, that kept the project alive. In 1862, however, came the great measure of encourage- ment of which no one in this locality could have had any anticipation, when the location was being determined. In the meantime, Lincoln had been elected and the withdrawal of southern senators had put the republican party in control of both branches of Congress. The administration and Congress were abundantly occupied in efforts to put down the rebellion and save the Union; but they nevertheless found time for a few very im- portant constructive measures. A few of these measures were especially directed toward the development of the West, one of them being the home-
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stead law and another the law making a grant of lands for aid in construc- tion of the Union Pacific railroad; and quite as important as either of these measures in its far reaching influence, if not in its immediate conse- quences, was a further law making a grant of lands in aid of state agri- cultural colleges. The grant was, in fact, munificent, and Governor Kirk- wood promptly convened the general assembly in special session to accept it. Two years later a quite determined effort, for which Governor Kirk- wood was the chief spokesman, was made to turn this grant to the uses of the State University upon condition that the University should establish and maintain a department for special instruction in agriculture. This was the course actually adopted in numerous other states and one may readily believe that it would have been adopted in Iowa but for the definite en- gagement into which the state had already entered with the peope of Story County. The bargain had been made five years before and the money of the people of the county accepted and there were in the state government enough friends of the separate college idea and enough believers in the square deal to hold to the original program under the new conditions and to give to the prospective Story County institution the splendid land grant.
So this general assembly of 1864 made a further appropriation of $20,- 000, to start the college building. The building was to cost altogether $50,- 000, and to plans of this scope the trustees appointed were required to con- fine themselves ; but they found an architect whose conscience or ideas of cost of construction were sufficiently elastic so that he laid out the plans of a building that would cost a good deal more money but which he said could be built for $50,000. So the trustees started out to lay the founda- tions of a building which in fact proved to be fairly satisfactory for its purposes for nearly thirty years, and to complete which the legislature in 1866 appropriated $91.000 more. in 1868 $23.000 more. and in 1870 $50,000 still more. We do not understand, however, that there was any great amount of grumbling over this architectural expansion. The war was over, the state was rapidly settling up, and the rents from the 204.000 acres of the original land grant were accumulating so rapidly that the man- agement of the college lands found it convenient to buy with the accumu- lation 15,000 acres more. The state had finally caught the fever of having an agricultural college, it had the money and the people of Story County years before had persuaded the state to locate the institution on the west side of Squaw Fork.
So the college was actually to be started and Messrs. Gue and Melendy, as the business end of the board of trustees and of the committee having the matter particularly in charge, started out to find a faculty, and to out- line generally the scope of the institution. Their idea of a faculty as evi- denced by their report was a president, four professors and two assistants. For a course of study they proposed to follow the program of the original college act, which prescribed chiefly the natural and physical sciences, and they proposed to afford the students abundant opportunity to work for their
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living and education. A boarding department was necessary because there was not in the vicinity of the college any town that could provide sufficient accommodations for students, and in order that the dormitories might not be overrun by students from the immediate vicinity of the college, to the exclusion of later comers from greater distances, it was stipulated that ad- mission should be to one student only for each representative in the state legislature. These and kindred provisions were approved and carried out in good faith and the possible embarrassments as to the limitations as to students was conveniently evaded by receiving the surplus applicants from the locality as proxies for distant and unrepresented counties.
Just how the committee before mentioned and the board of trustees itself came to make the selection that was made for the first president of the new college, we have never seen fully explained; but the undoubted fact is that after diligent and quite well directed inquiry the choice fell upon A. S. Welch and he was on the IIth of May, 1868, elected as the first president of the college. He assisted in the organization of the institution and he was present at the opening of a preliminary term extending from Oct. 21, 1868 to Jan. 7, 1869; but he was accorded leave of absence from November till March and in the interim the duties of president were dis- charged by Prof. G. W. Jones, who had been chosen as the first professor of mathematics. President Welch returned in March and on the 17th of that month was formally inaugurated. The formal dedication of the col- lege and its opening for its first regular term occurred on the following day. March 18, 1869.
President Welch was a man well fitted for the position and work he thus assumed. He was a man of fine ability, thorough education and apti- tude for administrative responsibility. He was a Michigan man, had been an educator in that state before the war; and during the war he had been a field officer in the Second Michigan Cavalry. At the close of the war, like a good many other federal officers, he remained in the South and in the vernacular of that region he became a "carpet-bagger" in Florida. As such, he was upon the reconstruction of the state of Florida, elected as one of its two new United States Senators. He was yet to assume the position of senator when he was elected president of the Iowa Agricultural College, and it was in order that he might occupy his senatorial seat for the last short session of his term of service that he was accorded the leave of ab- sence before noted. President Welch therefore came to his position schooled in educational, military and political affairs; and the training he had enjoyed came well in play for the organization of the college and the winning for it of the necessary popular favor and political support in the state. And in this work he unquestionably succeeded. The students loved him and, when they became alumni, they fought for him. The farmers of the state were brought to regard the college as their particular institution, and the leading politicians of the state were the confidential friends of the president. Appropriations were secured about as fast as they could be
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hoped for and the college distinctly prospered. The result certainly jus- tified the principles which he laid down in his inaugural address, along with numerous other excellent propositions, substantially as follows :
"Scarcely of less interest than the novel events that distinguish the opening of this new institution, is the fact that the plan of organization which we have adopted commits it to the promotion of two great and salu- tary educational reforms.
"One of these is the withdrawal of the ancient classics from the place of honor which they have largely held in our college curricula, and the liberal substitution of those branches of natural science which underlie the industries of this beautiful state.
"The other is the free admission of women, on equal terms with young men, to all the privileges and honors which the institution can bestow."
In regard to the removing of the classics from their usual place of honor, President Welch said that there are two sources of values in any knowledge :
"I-Its effectiveness as a means of intellectual discipline.
"2-The degree of its adaptation to further the interests and employ- ments of life."
His claims for the natural sciences were that they fulfill the need of intellectual discipline, which is the main claim for the classics, and that in addition they meet the second requirement of being adapted to the needs and pursuits of life.
In regard to the admission of women to colleges on equal terms with. men, President Welch voiced a sentiment not by any means universal in his time, but considered now as most sane and judicious. After a generous defense of the mental capabilities of women, and an explanation of the course offered them as one both for general culture and special preparation in home-making, President Welch said :
"We offer, then, to the young women who, from time to time. shall resort to this college, a scope for scientific progress and research as unlim- ited and free as that which we offer to the other sex :
"ist-Because all the faculties of the human mind have, without respect to gender, a natural, unquestionable right to discipline and development.
"2nd-Because the duties of motherhood to which God has appointed her, require, for their complete performance, a wide and cultivated intelli- gence.
"3rd-Because general intellectual and moral culture will sanctify, ele- vate, and purify the influences of the home, and render it a genuine school for the training of the future citizen.
"4th-Because we would enable her to make provision for her own self- support, by a special preparation to engage in many suitable employments on a footing equal with man, both as to the skill and the remuneration of the worker.
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ENGINEERING BUILDING, IOWA STATE COLLEGE, AMES
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"5th-Because we would supply as far as possible one great necessity to woman, namely, a means for the culture and a field for the action of peculiar talent, thus giving relief to the aimlessness of many lives, and add- ing many noble workers to the world.
"6th-Because we would call all learning and culture to the aid of woman in accomplishing her natural mission, the advancement of general morality and virtue."
So the college was opened, without arbitrary restrictions as to the sex of its students, and with a purpose to afford especial opportunities to those who were seeking education in the sciences rather than in the class- ics and belles lettres. And the original program was adhered to about as well as original programs in such cases are likely to be. Starting in with a faculty of half a dozen, the number of instructors was gradually and steadily increased.
The number of students in the preliminary term in the Fall of 1868 was 70. Proceeding upon the original idea of admitting one student from each representative district. there naturally arose an interesting question as to who should be the preferred student from Story County. There were sev- eral applicants and a drawing of lots which resulted in favor of George Mullen as principal and Oscar Alderman as alternate. But John Wells and the others upon conferring with President Welch were cheerfully assured that he thought there would be no difficulty about finding for all of them places as representatives for other counties. As a matter of fact they all got in, and this was about the last that was heard about the rule of one stu- dent from a county. The College started for its regular term the following spring with a few more students and accessions to the student body were duly received from time to time; but an interesting feature of the matter is that they all appear to have started very much upon a level. The Col- lege was not only a new institution, but it was new of its kind and in this vicinity new for any kind of an institution for the diffusion of higher ed- ucation. The time was even before the date of organized high schools and the material which the College had to work upon was essentially the boys and girls who had gotten about as far along as the district schools could take them and who were not too old to consider hopefully the proposition of going on further when the opportunity was presented to them. There were few if any transfers from other colleges with claims for advanced standing, but on the contrary. they all started as freshmen. Those who started at the beginning and who stuck to the proposition, graduated at the end of four years; and those who came in later and also stuck to it, graduated later. The first bunch were never headed except by the faculty and for all four years of their college life they had the fun of being all the seniors there were. They graduated in the Fall of 1872, to the number of 26, undoubtedly the most distinguished class in all the earlier years or per- haps all the years of the institution.
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The College in these earlier years was conducted chiefly in the old main building. Here the students lived, ate, slept and made for the authorities such trouble as they dared. There was a lot of trouble about heat and lights and the arrangement by which the college year began in March continued through the most of the summer and ended in November possessed the dual advantage of enabling the students to get out and teach the winter term of district school for their next year's expenses, and of enabling the trustees to evade the practically insurmountable problem of warming the main build- ing in really cold weather. Once in the early days they even tried the ex- periment of cutting the term two weeks short in order to avoid the colder fall weather; but the season that year shut down two weeks the earlier and the results of the experiment were not encouraging.
All of which illustrates that in spite of the generosity of the congres- sional land grant and the liberality of the state and the diplomacy of the College president there were real troubles about getting the college started. But it did start and the people of Story County never had occasion to be sorry for the $21,000 that they put into its original location.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
FIXING NEVADA'S BUSINESS CENTER.
One subject that has been repeatedly referred to in these pages has been the division of the town of Nevada, once the question of the Slough. In the beginning there was a north square where the court-house is and a south square where the city park is, each square being the north half of the block indicated. About each of these squares centered a portion of the business of the town; but there never could be an agreement as to concentration in either place and each side was strong enough to keep the other side from establishing a recognized supremacy. The resulting diffi- culties were without number and the troubles occasioned were intermin- able. It has already been recorded that in pursuance of the orders of as many official church meetings the lumber for the First Methodist church was actually moved three times across the Slough; and such waste of en- ergy as is here indicated faintly suggests but does not measure the em- barassment of the local situation. The Republican bolt of 1867 and the enduring factional quarrels that resulted from it were fought essentially over the division of the slough; and the division, in fact, made very much of a mess of politics, business and religion. The editor of the Ægis was very cautious about getting mixed in the matter, but in January, 1865, he let himself go in the following language :
"We note another of those periodical movements, hinting toward a wiser policy by our business men this week. The plan of concentrating the exchange business of the town on one of the streets is again receiving at- tention. Every business man with any experience in trade knows that it is better for all concerned, customers and salesmen, that the buying and selling should be done by merchants in close proximity to each other. Our tradesmen when asked all admit the fact and express the wish that it were so but unfortunately no two of their number get up the working heat at the same time. For a year past each in his turn had had an attack of this concentration fever ; and lately circumstances have transpired which prom- ise a renewed attack of the disease to extend, it is to be hoped, to a suffi- cient number to induce some specific action. We have been chary of much remark heretofore on this question-it has always been a delicate one-a known weak spot which it was dangerous to touch with truth. This much we can say, and risk our reputation as a prophet on it, that Nevada will
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never command that share of public attention and the trade of the county which properly belongs to her, until these perplexing questions of 'the slough,' 'north and south sides,' and scattering business are permanently settled. And there are men enough now looking to the next season as a building season, to settle it effectually-if they will."
Again, late in March of the following year, 1866, the editor relieved himself in an editorial a half column in length, which tells a whole lot of conditions here as they used to be. The editorial was headed, "To Be or not to Be," and it was in full as follows :
"There is an evil which the business interest of this village has tolerated long enough, it would seem. We refer to the division of the business of the village-a portion of our stores and business houses being centered around the south square and another portion about the north square, with a considerable unoccupied space intervening. Not altogether unoccupied either, for the brilliant waters of the 'slough' go cascading, with merry laughter, between the two villages-for such they are in effect. No busi- ness man, of himself and without community of action, wishes to raise anything like a respectable business building so long as it is uncertain which side of town will eventually be the business quarter. And this feeling of uncertainty is not confined to one side of the village, it is shared alike by both. Persons there are who this spring feel able and are anxious to va- cate the old shells which have contained their wares during the chrysalis stage preceding the advent of railroad and telegraph, but there arises this never ending slough question, to deter them and keep them shady. Our idea for the settlement of this point is this: Let some six or eight of our 'heaviest men' caucus and if possible agree on which side they will do business, and having so determined, let them proceed to build one or more respectable brick blocks with halls above and store rooms below. This will determine the question in the minds of such small fry as the ÆEgis fellow and others, who will soon be girting around said brick block and nestling into neat commodious business rooms like a covey of young quail before harvest time. If the aforesaid six or eight men cannot agree where the Broadway of Nevada shall be, then let each one pitch in on his own hook and build and fight, and fight and build, until we grow in spite of evil coun- sels. Again we are suffering for lack of a sufficient amount of business rooms. There is no room of sufficient size not already occupied. where a 'heavy man' from abroad can put a stock of goods and try the market. Such stocks have gone past us within a fortnight, and for just the reason stated. In this the community is playing a losing game, and in five minutes conversation we can convince any man of it. What say you, merchants and others? Shall we continue to poke along 'at this poor dying rate,' or shall we attempt to inaugurate a new state of affairs?"
Such lamentations, be it noted, were written nearly three and two years respectively before the bolt and the settlement of the controversy; and the first of them a year before the aforesaid journeyings of the lumber for
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the Methodist church. If the town had been incorporated and if one side or the other could then have gotten control of the town council, that side might have ordered some public inprovements that would, or ought to, have been decisive. But it was not until after the trouble had been fought out on other than strictly municipal lines that it seems to have occurred seri- ously to the people to incorporate the town. After the matter had been fought out as will be hereafter related, it became necessary for the vic- torious north side to widen Lynn street along the business district. This matter was accomplished with much more of diplomacy and much less of friction, for the distance of two and a half blocks from the south side of the court house half-block to 2nd avenue north. The further widening of the street for another half block south and for three blocks north to the railroad being a much later story. Another matter which came about ten years later but which is so closely related to the present matter as to be best treated with it, was the moving of the Northwestern depot, from east of Pine street to west of Lynn. The removal of the south side business to the north side was effectively started in 1867 and for the most part was actually done in the first part of 1868. The happy agreement for the wid- ening of the street by moving back the west side buildings at the expense of the owners of the east side property was effected in 1872; and the final and conclusive establishment of the business center in its permanent location was clinched by the removal of the Northwestern depot in 1877: In these several enterprises for the consolidation of the city the most ac- tive and efficient agent was Mr. Frank D. Thompson, lawyer, county super- intendent and general promoter of movements for the general public ad- vantage. Naturally, therefore, the editor has availed himself of the priv- ileges of a long standing friendship and has appealed to Mr. Thompson to furnish his story of the movements under consideration. This story which, as we have indicated, is so full of significance for Nevada, Mr. Thompson, wintering in California, has furnished as follows:
F. D. THOMPSON'S STORY OF THE CONSOLIDATION.
Los Angeles, California, January 3, 1911.
FRIEND W. O .- You ask me how and why Lynn Street became the business street of the City of Nevada. Well, I can see why you have asked me for this information, having passed three-fourths of a century, and spent over fifty years in Nevada, would be presumed to know.
The original Town of Nevada in the year 1853 was platted with two half blocks, one north and the other south of a ravine. The first building was erected by T. E. Alderman, (the first settler) abutting the South side of the North half block. It was used by him in a dual capacity, as a residence and for a store (a granite marker now indicates its site in the Court House Park).
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Later business buikdlings were erected adjacent to and around both of the half blocks.
The two exponents for growth and business development were T. J. Adamson for the South, and T. E. Alderman for the North half block districts.
This was the condition when I came to Nevada in the Fall of 1860. From that time on rivalry continued between the respective sides.
It was in the year 1867 when the business men of the South extended a general invitation to the business men North, to meet them on their own ground to confer and if possible unite the business interests of Nevada in one locality. At that time I was engaged in a partnership with Capt. T. C. MeCall under the firm name and style of McCall & Thompson, the former in the real estate, the latter in the law business.
On the evening designated. Capt. McCall represented our firm in the conference. The result of that meeting was nothing accomplished.
During the conference they offered a very inadequate and insignificant amount of money to the North business men if they would move their business over to the South side. Mr. McCall. being a man with a Summer temperature, optimistic as to the advantages of the locality he represented. and possessing a hair trigger disposition, listened with impatience to the above mentioned offer, and his mental caliber becoming heated. exploded and the conference was annihilated.
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