Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 37.djvu/357

Rh included Sanders' series of readers and spellers, Thompson's arithmetic, Davies' algebra, Smith's geography, Wilson's history, Brown and Well's English grammar, Spencerian system of penmanship, and Olmstead's natural philosophy. Even with this seemingly large number of books in stock the supply did not meet the need, for during the early 1850s, there was a continual shortage of books for use in the schools.

When the public school was established in 1855 at Oregon City it was influenced by the then dominant private school and patterned after it in respect to curriculum and length of terms.

The first school in Oregon City, as far as is known, was that established in 1843 by Sidney Moss, hotel keeper, who later helped to establish the public school. The story is told that Moss discovered a widow, a Mrs. Richardson, with her several children, camped on the bank of the Willamette River, the woman's husband having died on the journey across the plains. He employed Mrs. Richardson to work in his hotel and then engaged J. P. Brooks, a later Oregon City merchant, to teach the children in a room he furnished in his hotel. In one respect this was probably the first public school in Oregon as the entire expenses were met by Moss and the children attended free of charge. It is not known how long this school lasted but probably only a short time.

A short time after the 1843 school established by Mr. Moss, a school was started by Peter Hatch, an early missionary to the Hawaiian Islands. This school was only for the Hawaiians, a large number of whom lived in and around Oregon City and worked on the river boats. While at the islands Mr. Hatch learned to speak the native language and developed a great interest in the Hawaiians. The school was located in his home at Fifth and Water streets and was of a religious character, but reading and writing in the English language were also taught. This school lasted only a few years at the most.

The next institution of learning of which we have any record