| Show U on the h Hill Hen 0 One ne of 0 f First Known K r j jf f Stands Sta as SYmbol of Student Unity By LOUISE LamSE VJ nO lIT The Tho putting of or the letter latter of ot an In Institution institution In- In somewhere near that Institution Institution Institution has now become a very common common cornmon com corn mon thing WI we have havo come to expect It and to connect no particular meaning to it It But the tho letter Jetter U on tho the hilt hill hillback back of the University has a a. very In Interesting In- In history When the U was waa placed on the tho hill eo so far as anyone In this region knew know It was the tho first symbol of ot Its kind to be founded It was wa j later found out that there was a letter Jetter built at one ono of ot the colleges In California which preceded this by bf a short time But to the students here hero It was a new now Idea and the tho University deserves credit cred cred- it for tor this novel no Innovation About 16 years a ago o. o one of ot tho the students students students stu stu- dents of ot the tho University conceived an amazing plan There was an old lime limekiln limekiln limekiln kiln on the hill with a great quantity of ot white slack 11 lime me On the tho point atthe of at the tho mountain there thoro was a black dump of at plate plato or like coal sub substance tanco at the tho foot toot of ot an old mine The Tho students had decided to put tho the white lime on that black dump to see If It It would show up One morning the tho whole campus was surprised ed to see sec the letters Jetters 07 blazIng blazing blazing blaz blaz- ing forth on tho the hillside Tho The Idea had not been patented and for tor several several sev sev- leveral eral weeks s a series of ot class fights and strenuous battles were hold held One night U the letters of ot 0 ono one 10 class lass would no nc put there only to bo ho changed the following morning The Tho fight for the possession of ot the spot s seriously n n- n with the tho school schoolwork work o of al almost almost nl- nl most every ery male malo student of tho the university university uni uni- varsity Classes would camp on theon theon the tho thoon on tho the hill bill all aU night afraid of ot a a. sur eur- prise Later In the fall tho the student body officers decided to have havo all aU class symbols symbols sym sym- bols bole removed and a block U put there Tho officers achieved the tho plan In order to discontinue the fighting and to make use URO of the Idea In the fall of at 1905 a 0 lar large e U was wac put on i the hill below and to tho the left of the i present U IL The Tho letter Jetter was only temporary temporary tem tern and was put on by scattering slack lime on tho the black dump Tho The letter excited so much comment comment com corn ment mont and was considered such a fine thing that tho the student body officers desired to make It permanent The smaller letter Jetter stood there all winter and early next spring plans were begun begun bogun be- be gun on a solid soUd concrete letter A two day holiday was granted by the University to all men students and money was raised down town and on th campus An Immense amount of cement was WM purchased and barr l lof of or water and mixing plants were tak tak I Ien en up There was no road foad there at ts the time and a road had hod to bo built to to carry the tho gravel and sand oV over over r 1 There was a question as aa to whether tho the concrete would on the sop alone i and as to whether It could be carried J up tip t I IA A first attempt was made with a af load lond of gravel The team started wt with Wit four tour horses and two two two-m two mOro more rc were a added add add- d ed cd as us It became Impossible to pull JM iti farther with tho the others Tho The ascent I was finally made with about one thIrd of ot a a. load and six horses More loro teams teams' were necessary thAn tho the student bO body y could hire An appeal was Bent sent to to the tho commandant at nt Fort Douglas He j became enthusiastic over the Idea and contributed seven mulo six teams Pl both wagons and drivers Most 1 of tho the real work done w WI was j therefore due to the Industry of ot for tor ty-two ty government mules Tho The rest reit of or the tho material was waa hauled and I b by the men Large stakes were driven drive dt In the tho mountain and a great U grew from day ay to day Since Sinco then tho the annual white whitewashing white wash 1 11 ing of ot this letter has grown Into on one 1 il ilof of the best c established tradition traditions O of I the University But Dut Is Is Interesting to note that the letter originally grew r rout out of class strife strite until It finally be t came a product of at unifying school spirit 1 During During- the activities connected with Ith placing the tho letter on the tho hill som students climbed up an old smokestack smokestack smoke smoke- stack and hung out a banner while r the tho fires were banked They managed man man- aged to go up the tho Inside of or tho the stack by putting water on tho the fire an an l climbing up through tho the smoke A Athe the group came down they encountered encountered another group coming from the hill who tied them up and tore down dowa the the- flag putting their own up When I they wore were gone Ione the tho o others others h rl managed to Joo loosen cn themselves and reprint the their thel flag They Thoy climbed back up and again hung It Next ext morning the tho fr I were going so that the tho other clau could not get at IL it They amused them them-J I selves by shooting at It until President dent Kingsbury ordered them to stop atop 1 The first Idea of ot using the dump I Ifor for the class letters Jetters was con conceived by br Carl Scott an architect of ot tie the city Stayner Richards of at the tho firm of f Kim Klin- ball and Richards to together ether with Dt Dr H. H L L. Marshall of at the ta faculty who wh was then vice president o of the tho student body were largely Instrumental i In Inputting hi hiI I putting the large largo concrete U IOU In the place of or tho the former class symbols 5 1 |
