Eugenes first college died after presidents gunfight

Published: May 17, 2024, 2 p.m.

Columbia College, atop College Hill in Eugene, was founded just before the Civil War. It closed after pro-slavery board members took over, and its president skipped town while under indictment for attempted murder; but while it lasted, it gave Eugene a taste for the college-town life that led directly to the founding of the University of Oregon 15 years later. (Eugene, Lane County; 1850s, 1860s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1908c.columbia-college-gunfighter-president-561.html)