Regis College - Ranger Yearbook (Denver, CO)

Page 7 text:

The opening of a college for Catholic young men somewhere in Colorado, near Denver, and taught by the Jesuits was one of Bishop Machebeufs fondest dreams. For many years this hope had eluded him, but in 1883 he saw his chance and travelled to Las Vegas to attend the graduation ceremonies at Sacred Heart College and while he was there convinced the Jesuits to make the move to Morrison. The Swiss Cottage, also called the Evergreen Hotel, was turned over, furnish- ings and all, to the Society. Due to very hasty prepara- tions to open, the enrollment at Morrison was small the first year but in the next few years a sizeable increase was made in the student body. Noted visitors were enthusiastic over what they saw when visiting the Col- lege. One visitor from New York, wrote the following, an excerpt from his article in a New York paper: An hour ' s ride bv railroad from Denver brought us to the village of Morrison, a rural hamlet almost at the mouth of a magnificent canyon. Having recovered from the surprise of finding a college in such surround- ings, the visitor is prepared to find a primitive kind of building, rudely finished and scantily furnished, where the pupils are prepared for the rough life of the West. Now the wonder is just this; This mountain college is more completely equipped and beautifully furnished than any college I have ever seen though I have been in many lands of much pretentions. While Sacred Heart College was at Morrison a ter- rific cloudburst occurred higher up the canyon; a cow- boy came dashing in on horseback shouting to all to get to safety. Soon a wall of water, to be repeated many times in the years to come, hit the town, de- molished the depot, scattered the cars of the train like matches, ripped up the track, tore down the buildings and created awesome havoc. The college however was safely out of danger because of its location on the hill. From the beginning, the Morrison site was under- stood to be temporary. In the 1880 ' s it was considered to be tucked too far back in the mountains and easy access was only by railroad. Father Pantanella, the rector, began to look for a more suitable location. The location was not Denver but Colorado Springs. How- ever, Bishop Machebeuf heard of this development and persuaded Father to move to Denver. And so Denver it was. The building which served as the college during the early days in Morrison, Colo.

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through the years y . ' ,811 ■5 iisi iii 1 s|l i ami The college building in Las Vegas, N.M. during the 1870 ' s. The history of Regis spans ninety years from its first beginning in 1867 when a pioneer group of Jesuits from Naples, Italy arrived in Santa Fe to assist in the New Mexico Territory. Their assistance had been re- quested by Bishop Lamy during his visit to Rome the previous year. The Jesuit Fathers assumed the paro- chial duties in Albuquerque and founded a school that after some argument with the territorial government became a public school. The arrangement was not satisfactory, and in 1873 a so-called college was opened within the residence of the Fathers in Albuquerque. It was then given the name of Holy Family College. The whole effort turned out to be a failure. At the invita- tion of the inhabitants of Las Vegas the Jesuits es- tablished Sacred Heart College which first opened for class in 1877. The school well served the needs of the natives, for although called a college it was actually more of a grammar school. Financial difficulties plagued the establishment as the natives keeping their dollars preferred to pay in cattle, sheep, and grain. The Santa Fe Railroad reached Las Vegas in 1879 and proved to be a great boon to the city and the college as well. But this proved to be the peak of Las Vegas ' prosperity as the main railroad tracks were stretched across Colorado. Hard years followed and during the term of office of Father Pantanella, the last president ' s term of office it became certain that the college in Las Vegas could not survive. When, therefore, Bishop Machebeuf offered his assistance to help found a col- lege in his diocese of Denver, Father Pantanella looked eagerly to the north and while Las Vegas was still in existence the foundation at Morrison was laid. Page

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School spirit is an integral part of the College, and the students responsible for maintaining and stimulat- ing this spirit at Regis are the cheerleaders. Sparking the team with their yells, the cheerleaders stimulate enthusiasm and arouse spirit at the pep rallies and games. Page 4