Page:Oregon, her history, her great men, her literature.djvu/256

This page needs to be proofread.


but serve as a guide to public officers in the performance of their duties and contribute in large measure to the more rapid and satisfactory transaction of public business.

- First Oregon Irrigation Law Passed. It is easy to trace the management of our water resources, includin^^ irrit^ation, to California. In the days of '49, water rights were initiated by discovery, and there was no law governing the use of water, nor was there a dehnite policy or understanding as to whether the Federal Government or the states controlled the ¥rater. In early days the same general polic^y relative to water rights was followed in Oregon as in California; and in most cases water rights were so closely associated vdth mining rights that county records frequently have one volume containing bo^ mining locations and water locations. In 1 89 1, the first state irrigation law was passed. That law provided for the appropriation of water by the posting of a notice at the proposed point of diversion, but its application was limited to pubhc service companies.

Pacific College. The hrst settlers of Chehalem Valley provided a log school house with rough blocks for seats. There being no high school in I685» members of that religious body called Friends, in an effort to develop sons of the William Penn type» organized Friends Pacific Academy, which was attended by a large number of young people, many of whom were from distant localities. Although an academy in name, the institution did considerable work of college grade. Hence the demand for higher training became so apparent that Pacific College was incorporated in 1891. Suitable buildings were erected at Newberg and twelve years later an endowment fund of $100,000 was raised, which amount has since been materially increased by contributions.

Oregon Soldier's Hom^ Emulating the example of other states, Oregon enacted a law in 1893 providing for