EARLY HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE. 



A LETTER FROM HON. REUBEN GOODRICH. 



Traverse Citv, Mich., May 17, 1898. 

 I. H. Butterfield, Esq.: 



Dear Sir — Your letter just received and now that you refer to the Agri- 

 cultural College, I wish to give you a little of its early history. 



In 1855 I represented Genesee county in the State Senate, at which 

 time there was a strong effort made to abandon the College scheme and 

 sell the farm. 



The land for the farm had previously been purchased and one wing 

 of the College built between 1855 and 1857. 



The Legislature were taken out to the farm one terribly cold day in 

 January of 1857. The walls of the building were cracked, the furnace 

 operated badly; scarcely enough heat could be produced to keep us from 

 freezing with our overcoats on, and the whole matter looked very dis- 

 couraging. This was the opportunity of the croakers to push their scheme 

 of wiping out the college plans and selling the farm. 



Upon that proposition the Legislature was very evenly divided. It 

 looked like the scales were so evenly balanced that one vote either way 

 would kick the beam. The friends of the measure asked for an appro 

 priation — I think of $40,000 — to proceed with the work, and the battle 

 was over that or the sale of the farm. 



At that time, Morgan L. Drake, a lawyer from Pontiac, was at Lansing 

 pushing the scheme of a land grant to aid in building the Flint and Pere 

 Marquette railroad, and was ready, willing and capable of serving mem 

 bers of the Legislature with free services, especially those who favored 

 his hand grant enterprise. As this road was to start from Flint or 

 some where in Genesee county, I was in sympathy with his scheme and 

 having been raised on a farm, was in hearty accord with the Agricultural 

 ( Jollege project. 



At this time the insane asylums were in their infancy, $15,000 had been 

 appropriated for a beginning (a wing) to be constructed at Kalamazoo, 

 and the same amount to begin the work of the Deaf, Dumb and Blind 

 Asylum at Flint. 



At Kalamazoo, instead of constructing a wing as required by the act, 

 the trustees expended the entire sum in foundation walls for an exten- 

 sive institution, which brought down much criticism upon the trustees' 

 action. Kalamazoo county then had a large delegation or representa- 

 tion in the Legislature, and all favored the winding up of the Agricnl- 



