Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 3.djvu/302

292 the old American Rocky-mountain men, Meek, Wilkins, Ebbarts, and Walker. He now owned the present site of Forest Grove, and being assured that Mrs. Brown would and could successfully carry out the plan of an educational institution, gladly welcomed this as the opportunity. It is noteworthy that this plan was in line with a suggestion of Doctor Whitman's, that as the United States Government would undoubtedly confirm the act of the Provisional Government of Oregon, granting a square mile of land to each family, there was a great opportunity open for Christian familes to form colonies and acquire contiguous claims, and donate sufficient of their lands to establish schools. It is not improbable that Mr. Clark, as well as Mr. A. T. Smith, who were intimate friends of Whitman, and Rev. Elkanah Walker, who was an associate, were fully acquainted with this plan for schools. At all events this was the plan followed at Forest Grove; and Tualatin Academy, afterwards united with Pacific University, received its first endowment in land from the donation claims of the settlers there. Mr. Clark gave one half his donation land claim.

While the school was not intended as a charity the terms were so reasonable that any could attend, being but a dollar per week, including board and tuition. As was natural in the case of immigrants just crossing the Plains, there were men with families of children, left alone by the death of the mother. Some of these were placed in school at Mother Brown's. During her first term at the school Mrs. Smith recalls the following as in attendance: Eliza Spalding, who with her parents had recently come from the scenes of the Whitman massacre, and could tell stories only too heartrending of that sad affair; Mary Ann Butts and several younger children of the same family; a Miss Kimsay, usually so styled, though