School of Mines memoirs, 1873-1930

Starting in 1864, students at the School of Mines were expected to visit mining and metallurgical establishments during the summer vacation, which ran from early July to early November. On their return to campus, they had to hand in a journal of their travels and a "memoir" on an assigned subject. (Memoir here is used in the older meaning of an official report, not in the current common meaning of a personal narrative.) Students were also required to bring samples or specimens which were placed in the museum or used in the laboratories. The summer project materials were due November 1st and had to be completed before students could be allowed to attend classes, which usually started around November 15.

The assigned subjects (and site selections) expanded as the number of majors or degree programs grew. For Mining Engineers, these included underground transportation, cages, and parachutes. Later, students in Analytical and Applied Chemistry focused on coal tar products; madder and its applications in the arts; tobacco; or the ceramics arts as practised in America. Civil engineers could study draw bridges or cables for suspension bridges.

The School of Mines summer memoir requirements are meticulously spelled out in the course catalogues. Students had to use 8" x 10" paper, with a margin of one inch, and be illustrated by drawings made to scale, on 24" x 36" paper. This allowed for the collection of memoirs to be bound into volumes and placed in the library.