The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1906-06-26
THE STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Is Most Richly Endowed
College in tine Country.
UNIQUE ARCHITECTURE
Cornerstone Laid in 1ss7-Donors
left Thirty-Thfce Millions-vast
Income Derived from Rich Fruit
and Farm Isands-Founded In
Memory q leland stanford's Son.

Memory of Leland stanford's Son.
The fortunate financial condition
of Stanford University is due to the
generosity OF It's founders, Leland
Stanford and Jane Tatbrop Stanford.
his wife. The premature death. of
their only chiid, Leland Stanford, Jr,
led them to erect this monument,
and on Nov. II, 1885, they granted
to the first board OF trustees about
$4,000 acres OF California land, and,
then worth In the neighborhood of
$6,000,000. The sgffts included the
Grfdley farm In the county OF Butte,
the great vina ranch In the counties
of Butte and Tehama, comprising
$4,000 acres, and the Palo Alto farm
in the counties or San Mateo and
and Santa Clara. s%a
The gift of Gov. Stanford and his
wife put the embryo university on
basis so firm that only some irresfst-
ible calamity like earthquake and
fire could ever destroy It,
Its endowments at'>once exceeded
the combined gifts of the founders of
Harvard, Yale, Cornell and Wander
bilt universities. The 100000 en-
dowments of Johns Hopkins Univer-
sity, In Baltimore, Md, was the only
endowment that even approached
that of the new Western institution.
The cornerstone of this memorial
was laid on May IA, 1887, in Santa
Clara Valley, on Mr.. Stanford's Palo
Alto farm, thirty miles from San
Francisco.
Architecturally, q unique univer-
sity was built. 1t wasscomposed of
chain Of low two-storied buildings
surrounding an immense quadrangle.
The style was copied as closely as
practicable from the old Spanish
missions SO graphically described by
Bret Harte.
Tuition at Stanford was free, and
It was possible for students to live
there at very moderate expense
Further gifts from Mr.. Stanford
after his death, enabled the univer-
Bity trustees to construct additional
buildings. An outer quadrangle Of
larger structures was put up, includ-
ing library and the Stanford Me-
mortal Chapel, the most expensive
church in the State. There were
buildings for the engineering depart
ment, such as museum, the most
complete chemical laboratory in the
country, and two dormitories, one
forsmen and one for women, the for
mer Accommodating as many as 400
students. Another immense library
ant, l, IL, NA
construction to complete Stanford
Uniyersity's ideal building scheme.
The university estate has 3,000,-
600 grape vines, with an output of
10000 tons of fruit each year. A
large part Of the Vina ranch is
used for raising horses, and other
parts are employed as COW pas
lures, sheep pastures and hog pas
lures. The university's income from
these natural sources is of great
proportions. =
Mrs Stanford transferred to the
university on December 8, 1901,
bonds, stocks and real estate valued
at $30,000,000, the largest single
gift ever bestowed upon an institu-
tion of learning. OF the total, $18,-
100000 consisted of gilt-edged
bonds and stocks paying large reve-
nue.. The real estate deed to the uni
versity comprised much of the prop
erty originally given by Senator
Stanford. the deeds of which had
been found to be Illegal. A third
deed conveyed to the university Mrs.
Stanford's residence on the summit
Of Mob Hill, one of the finest houses
in San Francisco, worth, with the big
I. lot, 100000.
The motive of all this benifcence
lay solely in the love Mr.. and Mrs.
Stanford bore toward their son. AZ
ter the death of Leland, Jr., 1t was
said that sorrow had affected the bal
ance of his parents minds. The
father became a monomaniac on the
subject of his loss, the mother slow
ly became Spiritualist.