Minot State University - Beaver Yearbook (Minot, ND)

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construction of a main building, a girls' dormitory, and a power house. After being pared down to 3200,000 the bill passed both houses. One provision of the bill was that 60 acres of land were to be donated locally for the site of the school. This precipitated such a rush of offers that the matter was put to popular vote in August, 1911. The North Side site, donated by Erik Ramstad, pioneer Minot resident, was the choice. Cln 1933 Mr. Ramstad had been in Minot 50 years. The college took this opportunity to pay tribute to him as donor of the college site and his portrait now hangs in the College Hall of Fame.J Construction work began during the fall of 1912 and the corner stone of the Main Building was laid July 25, 1913. Owing to contractor's de- lays, the buildings were not finished in time for the opening of the school year September 30, 1913. The Minot Armory was utilized by the college as temporary quarters. A Take up thy chair and walk was the order students received when going from assembly to the classes that first year of school, when classes were held in the Armory. A shortage of chairs made it necessary for the students to carry them with them to the assembly and back to the classrooms. Fifty-five students enrolled the first day-September 30, 1913. The number later swelled to ninety-nine. There were eleven on the teaching staff. CThree of this original staff are at present affiliated with the in- stitution. They are Miss Hazel McCulloch, Miss Julia McDonough and Miss Elsie J. Cook.J The first years of the school were years of strenuous organization and expansion. After class work in the Armory the students walked to the Harrison school, adjoining the college campus, in northwest Minot for practice teaching. The daily jaunts continued until February, when a bus was put into operation to carry them back and forth between the two buildings, a distance of considerably more than a mile. Page Ezght

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Page Seven HI TORY OF TATE TEACHERS COLLEGE 1' This year, the State Teachers College at Minot, will complete twenty- five years of service to the people of North Dakota. The College owes its inception to the vision of early citizens of North-- western North Dakota, who, as early as 1898, began to advocate the estab- lishing of a state educational institution in this part of the state. The struggle which preceded the necessary amendment to the con- stitution began shortly after the turn of the century, but the project did not take definite form till 1907 when C. A. Johnson introduced a bill in the House of Representatives to establish a normal school at Minot. This bill, passed by the Tenth Assembly, was, according to law introduced again in the Eleventh Assembly. This time it was sponsored by Repre- sentative Mark M. Chatfield of Minot. fMr. Chatfield still lives at his home adjoining the campus. Two daughters and two sons are graduates of this collegej Upon being passed by the legislature, the bill was submitted to the people of the state in the November elections of 1911 and was overwhelm- ingly ratified by them. ' Senator Wallin introduced into the Twelfth Legislative Assembly a bill which provided a 3252000 appropriation, which was to make possible

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Page Nine The period between April, 1914, when the new buildings were put into use and the entrance of the United States into the World War was one of rapid growth. Enrollment grew, new faculty members were added, the departments of domestic science, manual training, history and psy- chology were established and the Harrison building, the land on which it was situated and a tract north of the school were made part of the grounds. A general slump was experienced in all school activities during the war. Many of the faculty members and students enrolled. CA Bronze Tablet was erected by the classes of 1918 and 1919 in honor of the mem- bers of the college who rendered service in the war. Two of the group, Henry J. Finn, and Fred Otis Cooper, were killed in action.J President Crane served as major. With the signing of the Armistice the school be- gan a new period of growth. More equipment was added and the Exten- sion Service in certain subjects was offered. More recent appropriations provided for the building of the west and auditorium wings of the main building, the training school building, and the second girls' dormitory, known as Dakota Hall. Arthur G. Crane, who had been superintendent of the Jamestown schools, was appointed the first president of the institution. During his