266 JENNIE B. HARRIS. fitting spot to mark, for was it not the very beginning of local history? If we could go back half a century and appear at the door of this cabin, we should have a hearty welcome and genuine hospitality extended to us by Eugene F. Skinner and family, housed in their two-room or "double" log cabin, as it was called by the old settlers. It stood a little way up on the slope of the west end of Skinner's Butte and faced the north. Early in 1852, Mr. Huddleston had his small stock of goods at the Skinner cabin; later, he built his store at the east end of the butte. This little fact may account for the differences of opinion as to the location of these two cabins. The first home marked, naturally the next place of interest to designate will be the location of the first college. For, as soon as the pioneers were housed, provision was made for the schooling; of the children. The history of education in Eugene is interesting, and any one who cares to know it in its details may find the subject thoroughly discussed in an article by Professor Joseph Schafer appearing in the Quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society of March, 1901. From this dis- cussion, we find that almost from the first there were two rival ideas concerning education, first, the idea of the private school; second, the idea of the public school. The private school was more in favor with the settlers because many of them had come from States where public education was looked down upon as being cheap or too humble. For this reason, private schools offering collegiate or academic work were encouraged and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church accordingly erected, on a spot on College Hill, Colum- bia College, which opened on Monday, November 3, 1856, with E. P. Henderson as president. Everything pointed to success for this undertaking, but on the night of November 6, the building was burned to the ground. Nothing daunted, the friends of this educational movement erected a second building on the site of the first one. Almost a year of pros- perous work, with constantly increasing attendance, had passed when this second structure was burned. These fires are sup- posed to have been incendiary. A third building was planned,
