Willamette University established in Salem, Oregon (1842–1844)

Willamette University, originally the Oregon Institute, was established on February 1, 1842, in the area that would become Salem in what was then Oregon Country. An unaffiliated outgrowth of the Methodist Mission, the school was founded by missionary Jason Lee and later became the oldest college in the Western United States.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. The institution began as the Oregon Institute, an unaffiliated outgrowth of the Methodist Mission. Jason Lee, a missionary who arrived in the Oregon Country in 1834, had earlier founded the Indian Manual Labor Institute for the education of local Native Americans. The Oregon Institute was established in the area that was to become the site of Salem.

Establishment. The Oregon Institute was officially established on February 1, 1842, after a series of meetings in Jason Lee's home, during which by-laws were adopted and a board of trustees elected. The school was founded in the area that was to become the site of Salem; the town site itself was established in 1844, after the mission was dissolved.

Opening. The Oregon Institute officially opened on August 13, 1844, with five students and one teacher. The original building was a three-story frame structure first occupied in 1844. The mission was dissolved in 1844, and the town site was established, marking the transition from mission to institutional school.

People involved

Sources

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