HISTORY GUARDS OBSERVATORY

Robert Grout Made Telescope From Raw Material; Was Great Astronomer

Few people on the Aggie campus realize that the little white building trimmed in green, set back in the center of the field lying between the administration building and the veterinary hospital is the college observatory, and that it houses a four-inch refracting equatorial telescope which has a very unique and interesting history. Few realize that this instrument was made in its entirety from the raw materials by one of Colorado’s early settlers, Robert Clark Grout, a self educated astronomer.

Mr. Grout was born at Monar, Maine, in 1815, which was located in the heart of primeval forest. His parents settled upon the hills in order that they might signal to one another in case of fire or Indians. They paid for their land by selling ship timber.

Mr. Grout had very little schooling. He acquired his meager education in a small log building with a huge fire place extending across one side, his one school book being the English reader, with its covers of wool. After thirty years of age his thirst for knowledge was unusually great and he was ever ready to grasp anything pertaining to science. He was especially attested in theology and astronomy.

In 1869, while visiting relatives in Boston, he went to Mr. Alvin Clark, the great telescope-maker at Cambridge, and it then became his life dream to make a telescope with which he could study the stars and their courses through the sky.

After the death of his wife in 1872, Mr. Grout moved to Douglas county, Colorado, and located on a small farm on West Plum Creek eight miles south of Sedalia, Colorado. Here he made the entire telescope which is now owned by the Colorado Agricultural College, from shoe, and other raw materials without any assistance whatsoever. Its workmanship is so nearly perfect that any one who views the instrument can hardly realize that it is not a product of a machine age.

Until the last year of his life he was ever, on pleasant nights reviewing the beloved stars. He could read the heavens like a book and he knew all that could be learned by observation and available literature. He died June 2, 1897.

In the observatory is a picture with a biography of Mr. Grout’s life in commemoration of his worthy piece of work. This was placed there by Edwin W. Grout and W. P. Grout, former Aggie students and nephews of Mr. Grout, for the purpose of showing what a man can accomplish without a complete education if he makes most of his opportunity.

The department of astronomy is headed by Professor L. Macdonald. He has studied astronomy at the University of Chicago and has visited the main observatories of the United States. He teaches the “Popular Astronomy” course offered in summer school and one of this year’s students from Kansas City wrote the following statement: “Mr. Macdonald impressed me as being one of the most wonderful, hopeful, deep-thinking men I have ever met. Taking a course under him was very good for many other reasons besides astronomy.”

Through the telescope the moon and nearer planets can be seen clearly. The moon looks like a huge white plaster of paris cast, its hills and valleys being very distinct.