WEBVTT 00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:11.000 (SCOTT VOICEOVER) 'I think it was the 28th day of March 1853 that I commenced my journey for Oregon. 00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:18.000 Our journey was a hard one and we came near losing part of our train by fire. 00:00:18.000 --> 00:00:23.000 We had the whole train on the dead run and only saved it by crossing a stream of water. 00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:29.000 At the Des Chutes River we had our first taste of fresh salmon. We journeyed on and reached Salem, near the Willamette River' 00:00:29.000 --> 00:00:34.000 we crossed and arrived at our journey's end in Polk County, at a place that is now called Monmouth. 00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:40.000 According to the memoirs of an employee of Peter Butler, 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:46.000 the wagon train was successful, though they dealt with fire, ice, 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:52.000 mud, drought, floods, hail, loss of livestock and various personalities along the way. 00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:59.000 If we were to go back to Warren County, Illinois and drive out today on the existing highways 00:00:59.000 --> 00:00:65.000 it would take us about 31 hours and we'd cover about 2100 miles. 00:01:05.000 --> 00:01:10.000 Roads weren't that good in those days and it took one of the wagon trains 10 months. 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:20.000 Peter Butler and his wife and his son Ira FM Butler were one the head of one of the wagon trains that settled in this area 00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:27.000 and they named Monmouth after their previous residence in Illinois. Ira became one of the prominent citizens in the area. 00:01:27.000 --> 00:01:30.000 He served on the founding board of trustees of the university. 00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:36.000 Later he was Speaker of the House of Representatives in the last session of the territorial legislature. 00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:44.000 He was the first mayor of Monmouth. It's also interesting to note he cast the deciding vote in deciding how to name our community '" 00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:50.000 it almost was named Dover but they named it Monmouth instead. And it was his vote that did it. 00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:56.000 The original town site was 640 acres in size. That land was broken up into 16 blocks. 00:01:56.000 --> 00:01:60.000 And half of one of those blocks was dedicated as the city park that I'm standing in today. 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:05.000 An additional 25 acres was dedicated as the as a university outlet 00:02:05.000 --> 00:02:11.000 and sale of lots in that area were intended to finance the university. 00:02:11.000 --> 00:02:15.000 The first public building in town was a 20x 30-foot wooden schoolhouse 00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:17.000 at the corner of Main Street and Monmouth Avenue. 00:02:17.000 --> 00:02:23.000 The first bank in Monmouth was a private institution, owned by founding father, David Truman Stanley. 00:02:23.000 --> 00:02:29.000 In 1889, it was incorporated as the Polk County bank. Today, it houses several local businesses. 00:02:29.000 --> 00:02:32.000 One of the first residences in town was the Howell House. 00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:35.000 John Howell moved his family to Monmouth, built a home, 00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:39.000 and it eventually became a boarding house for students attending the university. 00:02:39.000 --> 00:02:44.000 After several renovations, the Howell house today remains as a bed and breakfast. 00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:48.000 By the mid 1800's, downtown Monmouth was a thriving business community. 00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:53.000 Why we had three mercantile stores, a drug store, a grocery store, a harness shop, 00:02:53.000 --> 00:02:57.000 two blacksmith shops, two wagon makers, a cooperage and a post office. 00:02:57.000 --> 00:02:61.000 Because the original town map set aside land for a university, 00:03:01.000 --> 00:03:07.000 the history of Western Oregon University is very much ingrained into the history of Monmouth. 00:03:07.000 --> 00:03:14.000 On January 18, 1856 the Oregon Territorial Legislature signed the charter creating Monmouth University and 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:17.000 elected Ira Butler as president'. 00:03:17.000 --> 00:03:24.000 but it wasn't until 1858 that a two-story wooden structure was built here at the current site of Campbell Hall. 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:26.000 We believe the structure was similar to Bethel College, 00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:32.000 which was built around the same time and located 12 miles northeast of Monmouth. 00:03:32.000 --> 00:03:37.000 It's unknown exactly when the first classes were started. Records reveal that J.B. Stump 00:03:37.000 --> 00:03:43.000 was hired to teach English, Greek, Latin, Geometry & Trigonometry in 1860, 00:03:43.000 --> 00:03:47.000 just one year after Oregon achieved statehood. 00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:53.000 In 1865, Monmouth University and Bethel College merged to become Christian College 00:03:53.000 --> 00:03:56.000 and the first modern campus building was built 00:03:56.000 --> 00:03:62.000 Clay bricks for Campbell Hall were made on site and the school was often referred to as the Brick College. 00:04:02.000 --> 00:04:08.000 The building is actually named after Thomas F. Campbell, the second president of Christian College. 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:14.000 In 1877, enrollment at Christian College was 237 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:20.000 with young men and women taking prep and college classes, studying music or doing graduate work. 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:26.000 Tuition was 20 dollars for college work and 25 for music '" all payable in advance. 00:04:26.000 --> 00:04:29.000 The class of 1877 had eight graduates. 00:04:29.000 --> 00:04:33.000 Another prominent structure built around this time was Gentle House. 00:04:33.000 --> 00:04:38.000 Elizabeth Butler, widow of JBV Butler, the first postmaster to serve in Monmouth, built Gentle House, 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:46.000 later owned by Thomas Gentle. Gentle house was donated to the university in 1981. 00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:50.000 You had basically wooden buildings. 00:04:50.000 --> 00:04:55.000 The streets were mud. They threw rock on the roads. 00:04:56.000 --> 00:04:61.000 That helped some. There were street lamps. The street lamps were kerosene. 00:05:01.000 --> 00:05:06.000 The town marshal was in charge of keeping the peace, keeping up the streets 00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:09.000 and also lighting and turning out the lamps every night. 00:05:09.000 --> 00:05:13.000 prior to World War I, A railroad was built between Monmouth and Independence- 00:05:13.000 --> 00:05:19.000 I and M '" Independence and Monmouth railroad. It was the shortest railroad in Oregon. 00:05:19.000 --> 00:05:23.000 They loaded it up full of people to come from Independence to Monmouth to celebrate. 00:05:23.000 --> 00:05:28.000 They hadn't loosened the engine up quite so much and they had a little trouble making it up the hill. 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:32.000 So they had to stop and everybody had to get out and push the engine. 00:05:32.000 --> 00:05:37.000 In 1882, Banker David Stanley became president of Christian College 00:05:37.000 --> 00:05:40.000 and worked to change the facility into a teacher training facility 00:05:40.000 --> 00:05:47.000 Later that year, the Oregon Legislature authorized the act and the name was changed to Oregon State Normal School. 00:05:47.000 --> 00:05:52.000 The graduating class of 1887 planted a tiny sequoia 00:05:47.000 --> 00:05:52.000 tree in front of Campbell Hall. 00:05:52.000 --> 00:05:56.000 Today, the giant sequoia stands 123 feet tall. 00:05:56.000 --> 00:05:61.000 The university's first football team was formed in 1893. 00:06:01.000 --> 00:06:05.000 Until the 1920, the team was called Oregon Normals. 00:06:05.000 --> 00:06:10.000 Later, the team formally adopted the name Wolves to honor former coach Larry Wolfe. 00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:16.000 As Monmouth grew so did the university, receiving its first state funding of 23-thousand dollars, 00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:23.000 Oregon State Normal School added a north library wing, a south wing and finally a bell tower to Campbell Hall. 00:06:24.000 --> 00:06:30.000 A lot of the economy of early Monmouth lay on the hands of the university. 00:06:30.000 --> 00:06:33.000 People made a living by selling things to the students. 00:06:33.000 --> 00:06:37.000 By 1901, student activities flourished as well. 00:06:37.000 --> 00:06:44.000 Some popular clubs and activities included the physics club, the Vespertines society and the Normal Cadet Band. 00:06:44.000 --> 00:06:48.000 There were athletic teams for both men and women in basketball and tennis. 00:06:48.000 --> 00:06:52.000 And there was a code of conduct printed in the student catalog. 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:56.000 Being a student at Oregon Normal School wasn't as much fun 00:06:56.000 --> 00:06:63.000 as being a student at school today is concerned. Discipline was a matter of some concern. 00:07:03.000 --> 00:07:11.000 You didn't have a chance to raise much hell to be truthful with you. The student manual said, and I'll read it to you: 00:07:16.000 --> 00:07:22.000 Students will be expected to be in their rooms early and not to lounge about the stores or on the streets. 00:07:22.000 --> 00:07:28.000 Things changed in 1905 when the legislature refused to appropriate money to normal schools. 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:36.000 Left to the voters, local citizens and supporters paid salaries and operation expenses until 1906. 00:07:36.000 --> 00:07:41.000 The school survived two more years on money from tuition and more contributions from the Monmouth community. 00:07:41.000 --> 00:07:47.000 In 1909, the Oregon Legislature approved funding for six months through June. 00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:53.000 That fall, Oregon State Normal School failed to open and remained closed until 1911, 00:07:53.000 --> 00:07:57.000 when it was reopened as Oregon Normal School. 00:07:57.000 --> 00:07:64.000 Monmouth had an unusual birth. It had an unusual growth. 00:08:04.000 --> 00:08:10.000 And it is, even today, a little bit different of an institution. 00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:14.000 When I look back at the history of Monmouth and the foresight shown by the founding fathers 00:08:14.000 --> 00:08:20.000 in creating the university and the support for that university shown by the citizens of the city, 00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:22.000 well, it makes me proud to be a Monmouth resident. 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:26.000 Even though the university fell on hard times and closed for two years, 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:30.000 we know that the citizens of Monmouth and university supporters didn't give up. 00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:33.000 Their pioneer spirit brought us to where we are today.