This trip to England of Harvard's crew undoubtedly gave fur ther impetus to rowing in the United States, Cornell, Princeton, Columbia and Pennsylvania adding it to their athletic activities. The first race in which a number of universities met and which possibly presaged the Poughkeepsie regatta was held in 1875 and included not less than 13 college crews. Cornell finished first, Columbia second and Harvard third. The first record of a college eight-oared race in the United States dates back to 1876 when Yale and Harvard tested their strength for a distance of four miles. In 1878 Columbia sent a four to England and won the race at Henley, bringing the Visitors' Challenge Cup to America. From 1878 to 1881 there were several inter-collegiate races and in 1881 Cornell sent a four-oared crew to Henley, but they were beaten.
At this time in the rowing history of the United States, Cornell forged to the front as the outstanding crew. Winning most of her races in America she decided to make another .try for laurels at Henley and in 1895 put a crew on the Thames. In the first heat Leander was left at the post, due to a misunderstanding; the next day, however, Cornell suffered defeat at the hands of Trinity hall.
Bob Cook, the grand old man of Yale rowing, was the next to invade Henley; but Yale lost to Leander. In 1895 an inter-col legiate rowing association was formed by Cornell, Columbia and Pennsylvania. This was the beginning of the Poughkeepsie regatta.
Rowing was established on the Pacific coast in 1899. The first race was held on Lake Washington in 1903 with California as Washington's opponent. The crews were fours and California won by about three lengths. California followed this victory with another over the James Bay Rowing club of Victoria, B.C. The next inter-collegiate regatta was to be a triangular affair held on the Oakland estuary, California. Three crews were entered, Wash ington, Stanford and California. For some reason Washington withdrew and the California four defeated Stanford; then a few days later raced Washington, adding another victory. The follow ing year the race was repeated. Washington lost to California, but a few days later defeated Stanford. These four-oared races con tinued until 1906, the Golden Bears (California) winning without a challenge. In 1906 the San Francisco earthquake caused a cessa tion of rowing in the State, but in 1907 eight-oared crews appeared on the water at Lake Washington. The race was with California
but the water was so rough that both shells swamped in the middle of the course. In 1910 Washington raced Wisconsin on Lake Mendota but was defeated. From 1912 until 1921 the Huskies (Washington) won all their races excepting in 1915 when Stan ford was the victor. Washington went to Poughkeepsie in 1913 and 1914, finishing third and fifth respectively.
Rowing soon found its way to the preparatory and high schools which were fortunate enough to have a good body of water on which to row. St. Paul's, Exeter, Groton, St. Mark's, Kent, Choate and New Rochelle are among the better known schools which have added rowing to their athletic curriculum. St. Paul's followed the example of Oxford and Cambridge in that the school has been divided into several sections and each one has its own crew. In 1927 Kent defeated all comers, including the Columbia fresh men, and then went over to England to participate in the Henley for school crews. Their first two races were practice races with a crew from Brasenose college and the Leander club eight. Kent won the first by five lengths but lost to Leander by the matter of a few feet. This last race was remarkable in that Leander has always been known as one of the leading crews of England. Kent then went to the mark for the Thames Challenge Cup, a race in which there were 28 crews entered. The second crew of the Thames Rowing club was selected to race with Kent in the first heat. After a gruelling race, Thames triumphed by a quarter of a length. Kent's last race was with Radley, Kent winning by about five lengths.
The desire of college athletes to keep on with rowing after graduation has been met by rowing clubs all over the United States. Philadelphia has become the Henley of America and one can find the Schuylkill river lined with well equipped boat-houses where all manner of rowing is practised, from the eight down to the single-sculls A duplicate of the English Henley, called the American Henley, is held there every year in the latter part of May. Another famous centre of rowing in the United States is Duluth, Minn. Out on the Pacific coast there are two well-established rowing clubs, the Olympic club of San Francisco and the Portland Rowing club of Portland. At Philadelphia some of these clubs are old and consequently rich in rowing tradition and history.