Augustana College - Rockety I Yearbook (Rock Island, IL)

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a I Shietnrtcal HERE was a time when Zion hill attracted no particular attention. In those rm: clays it was designated on the map of Rock Island in the manner that hills or r mountains are usuaIIy designated on a map. That was all the attention it 'Qi received; and that was all the attention it deserved. In those days Zion Wig, hill was only a huge bluE overgrown with aak-trees. and there was about it nothing peculiar. To-day there is, however. a very different story to tell. You may go to any state of our Union, yes, you may go to many a foreign land and to distant continents. and someone you wilt hunt is there who loves it, someone with fond memories inseparably connected with it. There is a reason for this. Thirtyuhve years ago Zion hill became the home of an institution of learning, which justly boasts the distinction of being the center of Swedish-American culture. Thirty-five yeaIs ago the little Swede.I mllege came and 'iA mighty beacon bright stood tirrn founded on the bin. Thus it has come to pass that the unce wiId and rugged bluff has been transformed into an Atlas in miniature, and bears upon its stout shoulders at little world of busy activity. ofhciaIIy known as. HAugustama College and Theological Seminary. In the year of 1860. April 23-27. a convention of Scandinavian Lutherans was held at Chicago. The purpose of the convention was to organize an indenpendent Scandinavian church body and to establish a Theological Seminary. In the early forties. immigrants had begun coming from the Scandinavian countries to make their homes in America. During the years that immediately followed the number of those coming over increased very rapidly. Most of them settled in the Middle West states. They weie a pious and churchly people, these fathers of our Synod, and no sonner had- they established themselves in their frontier homes, than they organizeti themselves into Congregations, under the leadeiship of earnest and devout men, who heading the call had come over with them. some from the beginning of the movement. These pastorS, men strong in faith and clear of head, saw from the outset the needs of their perIe and, as sub- sequent history has well borne out, knew how to provide against them. It eariy became obvious, that the supply of religinus workers was not for any length of time or to any great extent to be looked for from across the Atlantic, but must come from among the immigrants themselves. In order that this might be accomplished, and the work here be pushed with greater energy and larger results be gained, it was imperative that the congregations shnuid he hraught together into a central organization. and that a Theulogical Seminary should be established. The hrst steps in this direction were made when the Scandinavian: afhliated themselves with other Lutheran bodies for the organization of what became known as, The Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Northern Illinois, in the year at IB5I. The Synud established a school under the name, uThe Illinois State University,n Iueated at Springfield, Illinois. In 1355, a B

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uht A . ltl ale? Scandinavian professorship was establisheii. The chair of the professorship was occupied by Rev. L. P. Eshjorn. The Scandinavians. however, soon realized, that to continue this relationship with the other church bodies would not. for any length of time, prove satisfactory or beneficial. The reasons why they wished a separation were mostly of a doctrinal nature. They reaiizcd that they must stand alone Eghting their own battles if they desired to preserve intact the faith of their fathers. And so We Find them convened at Chicago in the year H360 and to this convention we may trace the beginnings of Augustana Synod and of Augustana College. Our college then takes its beginning as a Scandinavian institution, and it continues to be that, the first ten years of its existence. In I870. however. a great change takes place. With expressions of mutual respect and well wishes. the Norwegians and Swedes separated. From that time on Augustana College is a Swedish institution The first home of the school was in Chicago, where it remained for only three years. During this period. Rev. L. P. Esbjom occupieci the presidenFs chair. It had been owing to his resignation from the Scandinavian chair of the Illinois State University that the final determinatiun to sever relations with this institution and the church bodies which it represented had been reached. When Rev. Esbjurn resigned from his position and left the institution he was followed by ail the Scandinavian students then enrolled. There were at this time twentyvone in number. It was with these students that the new work was begun. The then existing conditions made Chicago seem an unsuitahie location. It was deemed advisable to locate at some point with prospects For the future for a larger Scandinavian settlement. Paxton. near the center of Illinois, seemed such a place, and besides the Illinois Central Railroad made a liberal offer in the price of some land, which it wished to sell, on condition that the school, locate there. In consequence the schcul was moved thither in the year 1863. When the school was removed to Paxton. Rev. Esbiorn resigned from his position as president. Hi5 place was taken by Dr. T. N. Hasselquist, who served as president until his death in IS9I. Contrary to expectations, Paxton was not to become the permanent hume of the institution. The first oE'icial mention of removal is made as early as 1869. It was not however, until four years later that the decision to remove was reached. Inducements had been offered from various localities. These inducements failed in some cases to be Iealizeti, in others they were not satisfactory. Finally a motion of the Synod authorized the Board of Directors to locate within Knox. HenryorRock-IslandCounties. In Rock Island and Molina of Rock Island County there were large Hourishing Swedish settlements. Both cities desired the school in their vicinity and although as large an amount of money as had been hoped for could not he raised as art inducement for locating here the Board never- theless settled upon a place situated about half way between them. The spot selected has since been known as Zion hill, 5 name eriginating from that combination of a sense of humor and of religiousness which seems always to have been so peculiarly blended in the nature of Augustana students. The place at the time when the college came was an isolated spot, surrounded by large tracts of woad-land. A more beautiful or suitable ID