A Little History of a Hundred Years
One hundred years
ago, Galesburg, or the plan of it, was still in the pocket of George
Washington Gale, the tall, gaunt, shrewd Presbyterian who had given
birth to the idea of founding a town all his own, and was naturally very
proud of it. Especially since he had been able to sell it to others, and
it was quite in the process of becoming reality.
George’s idea was Galesburg, named for
himself, and Knox College, which he first called Prairie College and
then Knox Manual Labor College. It was a big man-sized double idea.
The Manual Labor idea came from a
similar institution which George had been managing (not too well,
history informs us) in New York state. Land was high in New York,
whereas, the price of government land here then was only $1.25 an acre.
Living expenses were higher in the east, too. Mr. Gale blamed the
failure of the Oneida Manual Labor college to these facts, and dreamed
of founding a similar institution in the west, without such obstacles to
success.
This original plan, which he proceeded
to explain patiently to all his eastern neighbors with any money to
invest was, to buy a township in Illinois or some adjoining state, raise
$40,000 for the purpose, resell the land to settlers at $5 an acre,
invest $13,000 in a college and have 15,000 acres of land left for the
college endowment.
Rev. Gale was a good salesman and in a
short time half the sum was raised. Following an expedition by an
exploring committee, which highly recommended this location (they had
arrived in June) stockholders in the great new founding adventure met in
Whitesboro, N.Y.; a purchasing committee was decided upon and with the
money in their pockets, set out to buy the land which is home to us
today.
Gale, Ferris, West and Simmons were the
members of the committee, all Presbyterians, which Mr. Gale preferred,
although Congregationalists with cash had been allowed to buy stock.
When the four gentlemen reached Detroit, Rev.
Gale, whose health was not robust, became ill and the other three,
fearing to lose the land they wanted by delaying went on without him,
taking with them one Sam Tompkins, a surveyor.
Tompkins was a Congregationalist and an
account of the trip made by the committee, which was to actually buy the
land of 715 acres which is Galesburg today, states that because of this
fact, Tompkins walked and carried the surveyors’ chain while the
Presbyterians firm in their majority and assumed superiority, rode.
At any rate, ultimately, he rated having
a street named for him along with the Presbies, and we’ll continue with
our true home story next week….
|