In 1894 one John R. Chaplin reserved 25 acres, "to build upon said College Site a plant suitable for college purposes and to be occupied and used for the same, which shall cost not less than $50,000 and which shall be completed within two years from date." Apparently, the college never went beyond paper and the venture fizzled out.

Six years later, the same Mr. Chaplin spearheaded another attempt. The 1900 venture was called The People's University. Could you imagine if it was here today all the jokes about "P.U."? This time the new school made it as far as getting a flag pole on the Cooper Point campus (apparently situated in the Athens Beach area).

While the Cooper Point site was still awaiting development, a building was used on Plum street and the University did in fact operate for a short time with students, faculty, and even a school paper, The College Independent. But it died out about 1906. When TESC began to form, some Olympia oldtimers recalled Chaplin's dream. He was remembered either as a charlatan or utopian, depending on the teller of the story. I'm sure some oldtimers of the future will have the same mixed messages about a few of the TESC leaders during the formative years.