University of Texas Austin - Cactus Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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THE OLD (JIVES WAY TO THE NEW YESTERDAY, A TEMPORARY CLASSROOM IN THE CAPITOL; TODAY, A WHITE-DOMED OBSERVATORY IN WEST TEXAS. LONG BEFORE THE METROPOLIS OF TODAY, THE UNIVERSITY EXISTED AS A VISION IN THE MINDS OF TEXAS CITIZENS. IN JANUARY 1839, LESS THAN THREE YEARS AFTER SAN JACINTO, THE CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC SET ASIDE 50 LEAGUES OF LAND TO ENDOW TWO UNIVERSITIES. AT THIS TIME, THE FORTY ACRES WERE DRAWN ON A MAP AT THE SITE OF COLLEGE GROVE AND CALLED COLLEGE HILL. ALTHOUGH ESTABLISHMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY WAS ATTEMPTED BY AN ACT OF THE LEGISLATURE IN FEBRUARY, 1858, THE TURMOIL OF THE CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION YEARS PREVENTED THE EXECUTION OF SUCH PLANS. FINALLY, IN 1873, TEXAS VOTERS SHOWED BY THEIR ADOPTION OF THE NEW STATE CONSTITUTION THEIR DESIRE TO CREATE A UNIVERSITY OF THE FIRST CLASS. THE CONSTITUTION TOOK AWAY THE LANDS DESIGNATED TO THE UNI- VERSITY IN 1858 -THE RICHEST AGRICULTUR- AL AREAS IN THE STATE-AND GAVE INSTEAD ONE MILLION ACRES IN THE LESS FERTILE SEC- TIONS OF WEST TEXAS. IN 1883, THE LEGISLA- TURE INCREASED THE LAND HOLDINGS BY ANOTHER MILLION ACRES. IRONICALLY, THE DRY LAND LATER BECAME ONE OF THE GREAT- EST SOURCES OF UNIVERSITY WEALTH WHEN THE SANTA RITA OIL WELL GUSHED IN 1923.

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AT THE REQUEST OF GOV. ORAN M. ROBERTS, THE LEGISLATIVE PASSED A BILL IN MARCH, 1881, WHICH ESTABLISHED THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, AND APPROPRIATED $59,000 FOR CONSTRUCTION OF THE WEST WING OF THE MAIN BUILDING. BY POPULAR ELECTION, THE MAIN UNIVERSITY WAS LOCATED AT AUSTIN, AND WHEN THE CORNERSTONE WAS LAID IN 1882, 3,000 PERSONS ATTENDED THE EVENT. ON SEPT. 15, 1883, THE UNI- VERSITY OF TEXAS WAS FORMALLY OPENED IN THE INCOMPLETE WEST WING OF THE OLD MAIN BUILDING. CLASSES, HOWEVER WERE CONDUCTED IN THE TEMPORARY CAPITOL UNTIL JANUARY OF THE FOLLOWING YEAR. ENROLLMENT FOR THE YEAR 1883-84 WAS 218. BUT AS OLD MAIN GREW, SO DID THE UNIVERSITY. THE TOWER AND AUDITORIUM WERE BUILT IN 1889, AND SOON AFTER THE EAST WING WAS ADD- ED. BY 1900, THE UNIVERSITY PUBLICIZ- ED THE COMPLETION OF THE STRUCTURE, WHICH SYMBOLIZED THE EARLY DAYS AND STEADY GROWTH OF A SCHOOL ENVISIONED MANY YEARS BEFORE. November 16AD 1882 STEP BY STEP FROM CORNERSTONE TO TOWERING SPIRES OLD MAIN GREW AS A FOUNDATION OF THE UNIVERSITY TO COME