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VOL. XXXV. Ao. 53
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, SUNDAY, NOVEMRER 23, 1921
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Philip Leonard Continues History Of Michigan From The Organic Act Of 1837 To 1841 When Actual Op
aerations Of
The Institution Were Begun
The First Board Of Regents And Their Activities
Mason Hall, The First Campus Building
TAYew _______. .... _ ._______.... _.. S - -. - -- - -. -- - -- -- - -.
0
By 1Pil) Leonard
Fex peele jiked would recognize the present
arti * ily boniiled University .campus in the half-
wild tact of land selected in 1837. Even the bound-
arvs of the for°,y a:es given to the state by the
An Arbor land cnTp ny were somewhat indefinite.
in te jouirai c3 tht first meeting of the coard of
Re;ents 1e find them defined as "on the north by
the road leading to Judge Fletchers, the width of
the Rumisey farm, (0 called) west by State street;
east by lands of Judge Fletcher, on the old east line,
of sai Rumsey airm; and south for quantity.
North Uniersiy avenue has taken the place 'of
the "road I ,adg to Judge Fletchers", a road which
if we my believe the painsakiing personal memoirs
c (rt1. in Ann Arbor pioneers was little better
ban a miuiiy 1il, praetu'ally impassable in wet or
wintry weather. State street still remains as orig-
iiially laid out in the village plan of Ann Arbor and
forme: Ithe wostoirn boundary of the campus from
its gory formation. The westerly property line of
the '"nds ef .1Judge leicher" evolved into East Uni-
vj.:y aveiue and Sooth University avenue soon
formed the fourth ide of the campus square. The
tunmey fai iproperty of the first settlers who came
to Anh' Arbor, w o vi(tently just the width of the
Preent (aipus ind extending quite a distance
soUI hwarl. Records show it to have been a par-
tially clearc]d tract of almost barren ground un-
soitable for farmin .
In consiering the elaborate plans made for the
University in 1837 there is liable to be a tendency to
visualize it as rising among strictly modern sur-
rtundings and in a highly developed social organi-
zat.ion. 'uch w.:s far from being the case. Michi-
gan was still a pioneer state and the United States
wOO a pioneer nation, still to make its name among
world powers. The Mexican and Civil wars were
yet to I e o ut; he slavery issue had just risen
full b a the horzan of national interest. The
searcbing steel arms of the railrcad were ever reach-
ing out but had not as yet joined a majority of the
pioneer settlements with the more developed see-
tions of the (co1itry.
It was two years after the foundation of the Uni-
versity before the railroad reached Ann Arbor. From
1837 to 1839 the regents journeying to Ann Arbor
for their metings were compelled to rely on stage
coaches for tranisportation. Some of the more agile,
probably among them, General Isaac Crary, are even
recorded to have covered the forty miles from De-
troit on horseback. The journey by coach would
be enough to diiourage anyone accustomed to mod-
ern traasportaton comforts. Two days were re-
quired to make the trip from Detroit, except under
very favorable conditions, the stop over being made
at a tavern in Dearborn. The roads were the crud-
est of paths cut through comparative wilderness and
kept in conditIon nly by the labor of settlers whose
land bordered on them or very occasionally improve-
ments by the coach companies. Until even a much
lter to :rod agents operated on Michigan high-
vd mA tha sta-e drivers always traveled armed.
Tire ra1d Iron. Detroit to Lansing was particularly
rotorious icaure of the mny highway robberies.
Tolegraph had net yet been put into use and all
couiiniTUnicaiiO Was by pony Post or stage mail
service. A Detroit paper at about this time an-
nonced ie dea of mail from the East due to the
drowning of the dispatch rider while crossing a
VIV:Cr beveen Toledo and Detroit.
(. i ll I w1s O onditmions it is small won-
444 _________________________________WI~~
visualize the beautiful buildings of the University
on the barren waste of the Rumsey farm.,,
Although the Organic Act of the University of
Michigan was adopted in 1837 it was not until the
latter part of September, 1841, that the institution
was formally opened. The Intervening period was
occupied with the problems of organization, the se-
lecting of a faculty and preparation of the buildings.
An examination of the organic law will give an
idea of the structure and principles back of the
University at the time of its founding. Section two
of the law embodies the whole purpose of the found-
ers by proclaiming that, "the objects of the Uni-
versity shall be to provide the inhabitants of the
state with means of acquiring a thorough knowledge
of the various branches of literature, science, and
the arts." The following section vested the gov-
ernment of the University in a board of regents, to
consist of twelve members and a chancellor, who
was to be the ex-officio president of the board. Pro-
'vision was also made for- the appointment of the re-
gents by the governor, by and with the consent of
the state senate.
The power of this board of regents was made
practically unlimited by the provisions of the law.
In the first place they were awarded the power and
duty to enact laws for the government of the Uni-
versity, to appoint the prescribed number of pro-
fessors and the requisite number of tutors and to
determine the amount of their salaries. No new
professorships could be established without the con-
sent of the legislature, however.
Power was given to the board to regulate the
courses of instruction, although the immediate gov-
ernment was intrusted to the respective faculties of
the departments. The board might also recommend
the affairs of the University to a hoard of visitors,
consisting of five persons appointed annually by the
superintendent of public instruction. In this exhibit
they were to set forth the condition of the Univer-
sity, the amount of the expenditures, the number of
professors and tutors and the salaries of each, the
number of students in the 'differenit departments
and in different classes, the books of instruction used
and such other information as th-e board might re-
quire together with an estimate of expenses for the
ensuing year.
Provision was made so that the regents might
proceed to the erection of necessary buildings for
the University as soon as the State should provide
the funds. In the final section of the act the board
was authorized and required to procure the best and
most appropriate plan for the University buildings
before the first of the following year. The plan if
approved byg the governor and the superintendent of
public instruction was to be adopted by the regents.
Cooperating with the superintendent of public in-
struction the regents might also establish such
branches of the University in the different parts of
the state as should from time to time be authorized
by the legislature and also to establish all needful
rules and regulations for the government of such
branches. None of the branches, however, might be
given the right to confer degrees and only one such
branch could be established in a single county.
By an amendment of the organic law in June,
1837, the regents were given the power to elect and
prescribe the duties of the chancellor of the Uni-
versity. They were also given the right to establish
the academic branches without the special sanction
Upper Left: A vierp of the canpus
before members of the administration
became so enthusiastic about Building
Programs.
Upper Center: This is a view of the
first fireproof engineering shop, erected
in 1882, of which the beautiful and
palatial new East Engineering building
is a lineal descendent.
Upper Right: Mason hall, in the
back[ground, the first building erected
on the campus and now the north wing
of University hali. South Wing is
shown in they foreground.
Lower Left: The diagonal walk in
winter, taken at a slightly later date.
The gale was erected in order to keep
rakish students from driving their bug-
gies across the campus.
Three departments were provided for: the de-
partment of literature, science, and the arts; the
department of law and the department of medicine.
In the department of literature, science, and the arts
alone, thirteen professorships were established. An
idea of the comprehensive system planned may be
obtained Ty an enumeration of them. They were:
ancient languages, modern languages, rhetoric and
oratory, philosophy of history and the logic and
philosophy of the human mind, moral philosophy and
natural theology including the history of all relig-
ions, political economy,, mathematics, natural phl-
osophy, chemistry and pharmacy, geology and min-
eralogy, botany and zoology, fine arts and finally
engineering and architecture.
The other departments were equally as compre-
hensive in their scope, the lepartment of law having
three main subdivisions and that of medicine, six.
It was these three departments and their num-
erous professorships that. the regents were called
upon to deal with when considering the admninistra-
tion of the new institution. At this point a con-.
sideration of the first board of regents itself seems
necessary fora full understanding of the work which
was carried on in the years between 183' and 1841.
General Isaac Edwin Crary, chairman of the Com-
mittee on Education, embodied in the convention
which drew up Michigan's state constitution, was the
only man among the first twelve who had had any
experience in educational matters. A graduate of
Trinity College, Connecticutt, he had made an ex-
haustive study of continental educational systems
and working with John D. Pierce, the state'superin-
tendent of public instruction, had drawn up the ten-
tative plans for the University before it was estab-
and an authority on the American Indian. The
other ten men on the board were Zina Pitcher, Lu-
cius Lyon, Thomas Fitzgerald, John J. Adam, Rob-
ert McClelland, Samuel W. Denton, John Norvell,
Ross Wilkins, Michael Hoffman and Gideon 0.
Whitemore. On March 21, 1837, this first board of
regents, nominated by Mason, the boy governor, was
appointed by the senate. Before the first meeting
Thomas Fitzgerald resigned and John F. Porter was
appointed to fill the vacancy.
On June 5, 1837, the board met for it Ifirst ses-
;ion in Ann Arbor. Almost its first act after the
routine of selecting officers was marked by a lack of
foresight which was to be regretted many times in
later years. This was the selection of the present
University campus in preference to a much more de-
sirable site on the banks of the huron river.
The nucleus of the Univer'ity facu y was also
formed at this 1i'st meeting of- the regents. Four
professorships were established and a librarian, Dr.
lHenry Colcdazer was appointed, Rev. Colcilazr did
not ssue his position until four ]rs ler, how-
ever, and the other appointments were even more
premature.
When the University was finally opened the re-
~Gan made bold to assert that it afforded "greater
facilities and inducements for study in natural his-
tory than can be found in any other institution in
the country." They base:d this claim mainly on the
fact that early in 1838 they had purchased thea Led-
crer collect ion of minerals:, consisting of 2,i30Q speci-
mens. The purchase price of the collection was $4,-
000, an immense surn considering the funds at the
(lisposal for the purchase of a library. He sent back
a valuable 'collection of specimens had also been
obtained from the state geologist. Some time later
Dr. Douglas Houghton was made professor of min-
eralogy and geology.
The first professor to be actually appointed was
Dr. Asa Gray, selected in June, 1838, to head the
botany and zoology department. The appointment
was little more than nominal since his connection
with the University was soon severed. At the time
of his appoint'ent Professor Gray was about to
visit Europe and a fund of $5,000 was placed at his
disposal for the purchase of a lbirary. He sent back
a collection of some 3,700 volumes and with this
commission executed his connection with Michigan
ended. At about this time the regents also°invested
in a set of Audubon's "Birds of America". The out-
rageous price, or at least it was then so considered,
of $970, although the books are now valued at sev-
eral times that sum.
In.July, 1841, the Reverend G. P. Williams was
appointed to the chair of Mathematics and the Rev-
erend Joseph Whitney of Niles was made professor
of languages. The salary of these men was fixed at
$500 and they were allowed free use of residences on
the campus. Professors Williams and Whitney con-
stituted the first faculty of the University.
The building plan adopted by the Board of Re-
gents was characterized by simplicity and regard
for the necessity .of utilizing completely the small
fund at their disposal. An elaborate architectural
plan was abandoned because of the determined op-
position of the superintendent of public instruction.
The first building, a dormitory, was completed in
1841 at a cost in the neighborhood of -$15,000. In the
one building was combined all the departments of
the University as well as the library, museum and
of th' legislature andt
the governor of the state was