Montana State University - Sentinel Yearbook (Missoula, MT)

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i - THE SENTINEL .17 to take charge of the department of Elocution and Physical Culture for women. In the December session, Miss Louise Hatheway, assistant in the Preparatory department, was placed in charge of a department of English and Rhetoric. This department was created by separating the work in English and Rhetoric from that of English Literature. The General Assembly of 1901, authorized the University to issue seven- ty thousand dollars in bonds to be secured by the revenue from the lands, as before given. Of the seventy thousand dollars, forty thousand dollars was to be issued as soon as the bonds could be sold and the remaining thirty thousand dollars in four years, or thereafter according to the direction of the State Board of Education. Bonds to the amount of forty thousand dollars were sold early in 1902. a Building Commission appointed and the contracts let for two more build- ings, a dormitory to be known as Woman's Hall and a Gymnasium. The construction was hurried to completion and the buildings were soon ready for occupancy. A serious misfortune occurred in February. 1902, but one that was un- avoidable. Science Hall caught fire and the entire annex was almost gutted. Happily the loss was fully covered by insurance and the University suffered little. In one way it was the better, for out of the low, one-st.ory annex arose the two-story addition we now have, giving two commodious labora- tories more than formerly. These were finished in the spring of 1903. Behind the Gymnasium a quarter mile track was laid off and inside this was placed base ball and football fields. The grounds were graded and lev- eled, making one of the finest athletic fields in the state. Later on still more improvements were made in the field and track. Clay was hauled, spread over the grounds and rolled, a fence was built around the Gridiron and the tennis courts clayed and rolled also. Through these improvements we have an athletic field to be proud of. The Northern Pacific Railway Company donated the forty acres lying immediately behind the University and on the slope of Sentinel, for the purposes of an observatory, through the efforts of Dr. Craig. This land did not include the summit, but nearly up to it on the western slope. In order to acquire the crest, a bill was introduced in the session of Congress of that year by Senator Gibson granting the University the south half of the north- east quarter, and the south half of the northwest quarter of section twenty- six ,township thirteen north, range nineteen west. The bill was referred to a committee, reported favorably for passage. and passed the senate with but little resistance. The donation of these two parcels of land gives the Uni- versity a site unexcelled in the United States for an Astronomical Observa- tory. It is eighteen hundred ninety feet above the plain and easily overtops all other peaks in the near vicinity available for such purposes. Taking everything into consideration we may safely say that the years eighteen-ninety-eight and nine. and nineteen hundred-one and two, have been the years the University has shown the most progress. both in equipment, building operations and in fact every line. 1903 holds the record for additions to the Faculty-excepting the opening

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THE SENTINEL' 19 year, of course-three being added, two taking new work and one filling the place made vacant by the resignation of Prof. A. L. Westcott. Prof. Westcott, the head of the College of Engineering was compelled to resign by reason of his wife's illness and the necessity of taking her to lower altitudes. Robert Sibley was appointed in September, to fill the vacancy. Mr. Sibley is of the class of '03, at the University of California. Miss Nellie Whitney, the Preceptress of Woman's Hall and Instructor in the Preparatory department is a graduate of Minnesota. Prof. Hiram B. Conibear was appointed late last vacation as Athletic Instructor for young men. He comes from the University of Chicago and that of Illinois, where he was head trainer. We can thus seexhow the University of Montana has built herself up from almost nothing to the present stage of perfection. It has been slow, but year by year she has gained in strength, in numbers and wealth. In comparison with other Universities of equal age the results are far superior to any in the West, and most in the older states. Let us hope that this vigorous growth may continue until the Uni- versity of Montana is second to none and superior to all. A GOOD VAI' LT