Clay County, SD History - Schools .....University Of South Dakota 
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://usgwarchives.net/sd/sdfiles.htm
************************************************
File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com December 28, 2007, 12:26 am

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA. Great is the contrast between this modern
institution of learning and the historical "First School House in the Dakotas,"
and greater still is the progress made by the former since it first opened its
doors and class rooms to students. Following is an extract from the regents'
report of 1892:

    "We look upon the State university as the crowning institution of the
educational system. Its duty is to furnish, as fully as its means will allow,
for every ambitious young man and woman in the state an opportunity for the
highest mental discipline. It must be for the state the center of activity and
interest in science, literature, language and in the arts."

    "The First School House in the Dakotas," as it is familiarly known, was
constructed in 1864 in the beautiful, densely wooded "ravine" at Vermillion. It
originally had a sod roof. For a long time it served as a place of meeting for
town, religious, political or other purposes. After the school was transferred
to the better school building, this modest and historic structure afforded
shelter to many a weary emigrant. It was almost totally destroyed by a flood in
1881, and soon thereafter the last vestige disappeared, leaving a depression
within the foundation which still attracts the attention of the traveler on the
ravine public road and the railway. The ambition and enterprise of early
Dakotans is suggested by the fact that the first territorial legislature located
the State university at Vermillion in 1862, two years before this modest school
house was constructed, and a longer time before any county in the great
territory had anything approaching a system of common schools.

   The first territorial legislature of Dakota passed an act locating the
University of Dakota in the city of Vermillion, April 21, 1862. An act of
detailed incorporation was passed at the ensuing session. Memorials for aid to
endow the institution were addressed to congress by the legislature of 1862-3,
1863-4, 1865-6, and 1874-5, but nothing further was done until 1881, when
congress made a grant of seventy-two sections of public land to Dakota "for the
use and support of a university when it should be admitted as a state into the
Union." Following this action, citizens of Vermillion formed a corporate
association "to locate the University of Dakota in fact," and secured the
co-operation of Clay county, which on March 13, 1882, issued bonds to the amount
of $10,000 for the erection of buildings. With the proceeds of these bonds the
association constructed the west wing of University hall upon the twenty-acre
campus donated by public-spirited citizens. At the same time they organized an
academic department, the classes of which were conducted in the court house at
Vermillion during two terms of 1882-3.

The legislature of 1883 ratified and sustained this action, accepted the free
gift made to the territory of the buildings begun, granted an appropriation to
continue these and to meet current expenses, and passed an act incorporating the
university anew. The first regular classes began on September 17, 1883. In 1884,
the middle portion of the main building was partially constructed. In 1885-6 it
was completed, waterworks were added and West hall was built. In 1887, with a
large appropriation, and a new board of management, considerable extensions were
introduced. The east wing was added to the main building, and East hall, the
young ladies' dormitory, was erected. The name of the institution was changed to
"University of South Dakota" in 1891. University hall, burned October 15, 1893,
was rebuilt upon improved plans. For the construction, Clay county contributed
$30,000, and .the city and citizens of Vermillion about $12,500, the two sums
being in addition to personal donations and other special funds aggregating
about $2, 500 for equipment for current work immediately following the fire.

   The university campus, located about a half mile from the center of the city,
has an area of twenty acres, its boundary being marked by rapidly growing trees,
while over its surface are many large trees which add beauty and comfort to the
surroundings. In few cities in any part of the country do trees grow as surely
and rapidly as in Vermillion. In large number, the elm, maple, walnut, ash,
box-elder, cottonwood, basswood, evergreens, coffee-bean, and other forest and
ornamental trees and shrubs, give generous shade and ornamentation rarely found
in a new community. Ivies and other vines, planted within recent years, are
already adding grace to the buildings, while drives and blue-grass lawns have
made a beginning in the development of the landscape-gardener's plans adopted
for the campus. Taken with the shaded streets and private grounds of the city,
and the views of the rivers and the bluffs, the university premises afford
surroundings unequaled for beauty in the state. A system of sewer draining,
connected with the Vermillion river, with an ample supply of water, insure
proper sanitary conditions of grounds and buildings.

    University hall, the main building, is a large and imposing stone structure,
containing the offices, recitation rooms, chapel, library, laboratories,
apparatus, museum, armory, cloak rooms, etc. It is lighted by electricity, an
arc light in the front, lighting the grounds, and is heated with steam by the
"fan-system" of heating and ventilating, the steam being generated in a detached
boiler house.

    East hall, a beautiful, three-story and basement structure built of Sioux
quartzite, provides rooms for young ladies. It is heated with steam, lighted by
electricity, supplied with both artesian and cistern water, bath rooms and water
closets on each floor, contains musical instruments, parlors and reception
rooms, and is the home of the lady principal, who has suitable private
apartments. The university dining hall, in charge of an experienced stewardess,
is on the first floor of this building.

    West hall, providing rooms for the young men, is a plain two and one-half
story and basement brick building, supplied with water, water closets and bath
rooms, is heated by stoves, and lighted by electricity. Connected with the
library is a reading room, furnished with reference books, a well selected list
of periodicals and newspapers, and superior facilities for reading and study.

   This library is the designated depository for South Dakota of the documents
published for distribution by the federal government.

   The physical laboratory is supplied with apparatus for the investigation of
the principles of mechanics, optics, acoustics, and electricity. Among its
pieces of apparatus are an Atwood's machine; a siren; aspectro-goniometer; a
polariscope; a dynamometer; an ammeter; voltmeter; galvanometer, with scale and
reading telescope; resistance coils.

   The general chemical laboratory is admirably appointed, with modern
conveniences for qualitative and quantitative analysis, and will accommodate
over thirty students at one time.

   This department also has an instructor's separate laboratory and recitation
room combined, and a weighing room.

   The present biological cabinet is on the "typical" plan, superior for
instructional purposes, and representative in its character, containing beside a
large collection from other sources, the best specimens from the biological
section of the German educational exhibit at the world's fair.

   The university, as at present organized, embraces: The college of science,
literature and arts, the South Dakota college of music, the South Dakota college
of business, and the sub-freshman department.

   Joseph W. Mauck, L. L. D., the president of the university, was born in
Cheshire, Gallia Co., Ohio, August 17, 1852. His early life was spent on a farm
in his native county, and the rudiments of education he gleaned in the district
schools then in vogue. Later he took a course in the Cheshire academy,
preparatory to entering college, and in 1870 became a student in the Hillsdale
college, of Hillsdale, Mich. From this institution he graduated five years
later, and in 1876 was appointed a member of the faculty, holding the chair of
Greek some four years. He then took a partial post-graduate course at the John
Hopkins university, and returned to Hillsdale college, but after serving as
professor of Latin for two years, his health beginning to fail, he gave up his
labors in the educational line and engaged in the publishing business in
Chicago. From 1885 to 1891 he was manager of an insurance and trust company in
Minneapolis, and in October of the latter year was elected president of the
University of South Dakota, in which official capacity he has since served.

   Though the university suffered great loss on account of the fire which
destroyed the main building in 1893, as noted above, through the generosity of
the public-spirited citizens of Clay county and the city of Vermillion, a
greatly improved structure was erected. The university now ranks high among the
state institutions of learning in its courses and instruction.


Additional Comments:

Extracted from:

MEMORIAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
OF 
Turner, Lincoln, Union and Clay Counties,
SOUTH DAKOTA.

Containing Biographical Sketches of Hundreds of Prominent Old Settlers and
Representative Citizens, with a Review of their Life Work; their Identity with
the Growth and Development of these Counties; Reminiscences of Personal History
and Pioneer Life; and other Interesting and Valuable Matter which should be
Preserved in History.

ILLUSTRATED
CHICAGO.
GEO. A. OGLE & CO.
Publishers, Engravers and Book Manufacturers.
1897.


Biography is the only true history.—EMERSON.

A people that take no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will
never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride by remote
generations.—MACAULAY.


File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/sd/clay/history/schools/universi299gms.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/sdfiles/

File size: 10.4 Kb