Loyola University Chicago - Loyolan Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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In Retrospect

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'26 ITH this, its tenth volume, the LOYOLAN celebrates its own and other anniversaries. It is now one hundred years since the founding of the city of Chi- cago and seventy-five years since the coming of the Jesuits to this city. Chicago is cele- brating A Century of Progress and Loyola is proud of the part that she and her fore- runners have played 'in it. It is not, how- ever, only for the last seventy-five years that the Jesuits have figured in the history of the city, for it was a Jesuit, Rev. James Mar- quette, who was the first white man to set foot on Chicago soil. But it was in 1857 that the Jesuits first came to take a permanent place in Chicago. In that year Rev. Arnold Damen, S.J., built a small wooden church at the corner of Elev- enth and May Streets and founded the Holy Family parish. At that time the neighbor- hood was almost totally unpopulated, but it prospered so quickly that a new church had to be constructed. It was consecrated on August 26, 1860. The Society of Jesus is, however, devoted to education and it was only natural that Father 'Damen should shortly turn to that field. St. Ignatius College opened its doors for the Hrst time on September 5, 1870, with an enrollment of thirty-seven. It is in- teresting to note that the first faculty boasted of professors of English, Greek, Latin, Ger- ' Rev. Arnold Damen, SJ., established the Jesuit order in Chicago in l857. Rev. Henry J. Dumbach, S.J.. was Rector ot St. Ignatius College, l900-I908. gm ' St. Ignatius College was founded by Rev. Arnold Damen, S.J,, in I869. The original Holy Family Church was consecrated in I86O. man, and Arithmetic, as well as a prefect of discipline. There was no dean. It was in 1871, the second year of the college, that on Sunday night, October 8, the historic fire swept the city. Only when the uncontrollable flames were sweeping toward the college so directly that destruction seemed inevitable, did the wind suddenly veer and drive the fire eastward, away from it. Father Damen was away from home and, hearing of the danger, vowed that if his beloved school and church were saved, he would always keep seven lights burning before the statue of the Lady of Perpetual Help. His vow has been fulfilled. The college building was used as a tempo- rary relief station for the victims of the con- flagration, and all classes were suspended for two weeks. When they were resumed the attendance rose to one hundred, a new high point of enrollment. In this same tem- pestuous year the foundations were laid for the college library. It was in this beginning that the present several libraries of Loyola and St. Ignatius had their source.