Montana State University Bozeman - Montanan Yearbook (Bozeman, MT)

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Coiicen DeC«Ues In the spring of 1893, the year of the “Panic,” five men and three women enrolled for the first session of the Agricultural College of the state of Montana. That year, Montana’s egislative session witnessed a considerable skirmish for funding and for the site of the agricultural land grant college. Missoula. Great Falls, Dillon and Bozeman lobbied for the institution. Gallatin County had little difficulty obtaining their bid Historian Merrill G. Burlingame compiled the following history. The Gallatin Valley was recognized to be the most fertile valley in the state, and Bozeman banker and Senator C W Hoffman from Bozeman pushed the bill through the new State’s legislature. Montana was to have four colleges to educate its wide ranging populace. Bozeman would be the site of the agricultural unit. The land selected for the college was a “low hill on the southwest edge of the city, a sightly place.” This land was part of Gallatin County’s poor farm. Bozeman citizens, in particular Nelson Story, raised the money to buy the remaining acreage of the farm. There was now land, but no buildings or money. The Presbyterian Church, constructing an academy in a large one story building, was prevailed upon to join forces with the college. Until then the academy was employed as a skating rink. Peter Koch, executive secretary for the State Board of Education outlined rules and fees that first year. Applicants were assessed a $10 fee. Persons from Bozeman wishing to attend paid $25 to prevent competition with Bozeman’s schools. Koch presented the first year’s budget of $3470. The catalog included applied science and engineering, agricu'ture, business courses, the ladies’ courses and a preparatory department not unlike a high school. At first, the Bozeman community seemed unimpressed with the importance of a university. What did impress the community was the preparatory training facility and a military training program. Although some State Board members took exception, Augustus M. Ryon, a professor of mining and engineering was named president of the new college. He spent his first year at the school supervising the construction of the Agriculture Experiment Station. Reverend James Reid became president the fo wing year when Ryon stepped down to teach engineering and mining with chemistry professor Frank W. Traphagen. By 1906 there was a heating plant, engineering laboratory, Montana Hall, a chemistry building, military drill hall and the oldest building which is now the Extension building. By the end of that first year, despite the “Panic” and enrollment loss at other universities, the Montana Agricultural College enrolled 139 students. Enrollment continued to increase during both World Wars and the Depression. Frequent changes in courses and the rearrangement of the cur riculum at Montana State record the increase of education and subject content during the school’s ninety-one years. Agriculture was by far the most stable area of study. The preparatory school was dropped. Civil Engineering met the needs of agriculture, mining and forestry. The curriculum in Homemaking went through numerous changes. Art, French, German and Military Science were also offered. A History of MSU A student of military science, near the turn of the century, recalled the freezing conditions of the Drill Hall. “They must drill or freeze.” Each time he put his lip to the cold bugle he would “lose a piece”. A graduating class appeared in 1895 with four students receiving Bachelor degrees. By 1904 forty-four students had been graduated. Relationships between students and faculty were close. Extra-curricular activities were considered to be highly educational. The electric streetcar brought students to campus for social functions. These functions were either at Montana Hall, which was the girl’s dorm, or in the Art building. Stags and Does were the first clubs. They were sure to initiate freshman. The Traphagens, Willsons and Tracys held elaborate functions in their homes for students. President Reid, being a Presbyterian, discouraged dancing on campus. Students pulled pranks as today. The street car was “borrowed” regularly. Cows were found on fourth floors. A cannon from Fort Ellis was found in the library one morning and now sits outside Colter-Pryor Hall. Women at Montana Hall were hostesses for many functions and were trained to be ladies. The only closure of MSU took place in 1930 when students, mostly male, organized a strike in protest of university regulations that required women to be in their living quarters by 11 p.m. each evening including weekends. The walkout lasted six days and attracted national James Reid, first MSU president

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Charron Bozeman is unique in the sense that so many types of recreation, from theatre to skiing, are available on a daily basis. Both Glacier and Yellowstone National Park are only a few hour’s drive from the campus. Historical sites, museums, art galleries, camping, hunting, fishing and rafting are just a few other attractions in the valley. Nearby communities such as Livingston, Butte, Helena, Billings, Great Falls, Helena (the state capitol) and Missoula are only a few hours away. Ski resorts also do their share in drawing a large number of students to MSU. Students can get involved in many extracirricular activities, many of which are sponsored by MSU. These include day trips, discounts at a variety of events and concerts, and many other activities too numerous to mention here. The student is also invited to join local community organizations ranging from Big Brothers to the VF W. Student participation is also sought in community symphony and theatre offerings. Students should be aware of the fact that Bozeman, and the surrounding area, is traditionally rural and conservative. Raucous activity by students can reflect poorly on the individual and the university when conduct becomes less than what is normally accepted in the community. The student is welcomed to the community with open arms, but he or she is just as swiftly rejected by permanent residents when the line of proper conduct is crossed. Bozeman, for the most part, is similar to the community most students left to attend MSU. It is relatively small to some, but it offers many cosmopolitan attractions to the student. The student’s time at MSU, as a student and resident of Bozeman, can be as rewarding and fulfilling as anyone could desire. Fresh air, beautiful mountains, clear running rivers and warm people make up a large part of the feeling of contentment in Bozeman. Welcome... Ken Weaver - Mayor of Bozeman Since the founding of the university in 1893, the lives of succeeding generations of Bozeman residents and students have been intertwined in every imaginable way including Bobcat athletics, housing, commerce, cultural and social events, and even politics. We can all take pride in our history because growth in the community and in the university has been accompanied by a determination to work together to avoid the “town-gown” problems that have fractured so many other college towns. In fact, MSU and Bozeman have an enviable record of whole hearted and generous cooperation in every facet of our shared community and campus life. Bozeman was fortunate to have been selected as the home of Montana State University and the students of our university are fortunate indeed to be in a “hometown” environment offering so many excellent recreational activities, employment opportunities and support services. MSU and Bozeman have gained nationwide and perhaps even international recognition for a lifestyle unmatched anywhere in the United States. Both elements of our community must continue to work and serve together if we are to protect and enhance that lifestyle for future generations of MSU students. On behalf of the City of Bozeman, I extend our best wishes and Godspeed to the graduates of the Class of 1984 and a warm-hearted welcome to our new and continuing students. 14 Downtown Bozeman, 1917

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 MSU Campus, 1921 attention when Time magazine carried a story about it. The administration gave in and adjusted hours to satisfy the students. Stories were told of faculty idiosyncracies also. One story concerned a trip to Yellowstone Park by President Reid, Peter Koch and Frank Traphagen. A holdup took place in the area while they were there, and the description of the bandits was not unlike the appearance of the three college officials camping several days and nights in rain and sun, unshaven and unkept. Despite their strong protests, the three were apprehended and brought in for questioning. During the interrogation, President Reid, rangy, angular and bedraggled, testified he was a Presbyterian minister,a graduate of McGill University and President of the Montana Agricultural College. Koch —dignified despite a rumpled appearance and a longer growth to his usually closely cropped beard — stated in his Danish accent that he was a graduate of the University of Copenhagen, an elder of the Presbyterian Church, secretary of the college board and a Bozeman banker. When Traphagen’s turn came, with his full pointed beard and mild manner, the investigating officer threw up h;s hands, “No wait!”he exclaimed. “1 am sure you are going to tell me you are Jesus Christ!” Despite their impressive credentials, they were detaine d the entire day. In 1913 the Montana Agricultural College became the Montana State College of Agriculture and Mechanical Engineering. The college was progressing rapidly in enrollment ar.d curriculum. Fraternities and Sororities were adopted arourd 1917. Some individuals were afraid that these independent organizations would create a caste system of wealth and exclusiveness. At Montana State, however, few students had wealth and those that did were often more frugal than those that did not. The fraternity and sorority houses provider a solution to expensive housing. The first fraternity was Sigma Chi, began in 1917. The first sorority was Alpha Omicron Pi, adopted also in 1917. Montana Hall, 1917 16