Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 37.djvu/365



The dominant character connected with the activities of the Oregon City College, later incorporated as the Oregon City University, was Ezra Fisher, a Baptist missionary and educator. It was through the untiring and continuous efforts of Fisher that the institution enjoyed what success it did, for at the time of the establishing of the college there were reported only one hundred and forty Baptists north of California, and at no time during the life of the institution did the number exceed one thousand. When one considers such few members scattered over such a large sparsely inhabited wilderness and the number of early private denominational schools in practically every town of any size, it is apparent that the establishing and maintaining of such a school is more than a prodigious undertaking. It is perhaps needless to say that the school was continually in a precarious condition, not only financially but also in regard to other facilities, such as equipment, apparatus, and books; a continual shortage of teachers also existed.

The foundation for this Baptist institution was laid September 21, 1849, when a few friends of education convened at Oregon City to discuss plans for establishing a school under the care of the Baptist Church of Oregon. The convention continued the next day and on that day the Oregon Baptist Education Society was organized. No further plans were made for opening a school but another meeting was decided upon, which was to be held at Yamhill on September 27.

At the Yamhill meeting, a school site was agreed upon which was located on the "east bank of the Willamette about eight miles above the mouth of the Callipooia River." A board of trustees was appointed. To the Reverend Richmond Cheadle was given the task of soliciting $2,000 for the erection of the building; and Ezra Fisher was given charge of the institution and asked to move to the site immediately. When Fisher arrived at the intended site he found it not available so he returned to Oregon City to await further developments. He then