By: Sabrina X.
Stanford is a top Ivy League school, but have you ever thought of its history? Stanford was founded by a man named Leland Stanford who made his fortune on railroads. Leland Stanford grew up and studied law in Cazenovia, New York, but he had moved west after the gold rush. The gold rush was when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California. Then lots of people started searching for gold. Stanford had a lot of important jobs like being the leader of the Republican Party, governor of California, and a U.S. senator. He had a wife named Jane and they had a boy who died of typhoid fever in 1884 when they were traveling to Italy. Typhoid fever is an infection that causes diarrhea and a rash. Within weeks the Stanfords decided that they should find a way to remember their son. They already had many ideas like a university, a technical school, or a museum. They visited lots of successful colleges like MIT and Harvard for advice on starting a new college in California. In the end they decided to make two buildings for their beloved son. A college and a museum for Leland Junior who only lived to the age of 15.
For a slideshow of Stanford :