I was flipping through a book titled
The Oregon Trail Memorial Half-Dollar (1926-1939) by Bert Webber and was reminded of his discussion of a campaign to raise money for an Oregon Trail Marker held at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut in 1930.
The Oregon Trail Memorial Half-Dollar (1926-1939) Book
Webber referred to several articles that appeared in
The Yale Daily News in October 1930. I tracked down the articles in question via the newspaper's archive and read through them. The bulk of each article was focused more on the history of the Oregon Trail vs. the campus sale of the coins, but details of the campaign were presented:
The coins were to be sold at Yale from Monday, October 13, 1930 through Wednesday, October 15, 1930.
A Committee of 48 members was assembled to manage the coin's sale. The Committee included members of the College (Sophomore through Senior), the Freshman class, the Sheffield Scientific School (a separate college within the Yale system until 1956) and the Yale Law School. Each class/entity of the Committee featured six representatives plus two leaders/coordinators. (6 classes/entities x 8 members = 48 Committee Members)
Proceeds from the sale were to be used to erect a Trail marker near Yale, Idaho, which was a branch point on the Trail with one path leading to California and the other leading to Oregon.
More than 600 of the coins were sold to students, faculty members, non-faculty employees and other members of the local public.
The coins were sold for $1.00 each.
Webber and his team of researchers went looking for the marker erected with funds raised by the Yale campaign, but could not find it. They interviewed area residents, but none were aware of any such marker. Webber's conclusion was that the Yale, Idaho marker was never erected. As the town/community of Yale, ID no longer exists, and we're approaching a century since the funds were raised at Yale University, it's likely that the mystery of what happened to Yale's Oregon Trail Marker money will remain a mystery.
1926 Oregon Trail Memorial Half Dollar
For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including others about the Oregon Trail Memorial half dollar, see:
Commems Collection.
PS: Here's a brief summary I wrote about the book 15+ years ago for the Society of US Commemorative Coins (now defunct):
Webber, Bert. The Oregon Trail Memorial Half-Dollar (1926-1939). Medford, OR: Webb Research Group/Pacific Northwest Books Company. 1986. [OUT OF PRINT]A simple booklet devoted to the Oregon Trail half dollar by a photojournalist with a special interest in the Pacific Northwest and the Oregon Trail - he is also clearly a fan of the coin and its design. Topics covered include Ezra Meeker's promotional efforts on behalf of the trail, action in Congress related to the coin, mintage figures over the years of production and the marketing of the coin. A portion of the booklet discusses a fund-raising drive among students at Yale University in Connecticut to erect a trail marker in Yale, Idaho and the author's search for the marker (he did not find it!). This is a book for the Oregon Trail specialist or the commemorative coin bibliophile who has to have a "complete set" of US commemorative coin publications.
Posted 10/27/2023 10:59 am
