In 1844, three men met to discuss the possibilities of arranging a joint venture across the Great Plains, over the Rockies and the Sierras, to the limit of the American West, California.

The first member of the group was Martin Murphy, who sought the land as the cure for his restlessness.

One finds three of Murphy's attributes consistently mentioned: his intelligences, his industry, and his piety.

All pictures and much of the text for the Orchard School History pages were borrowed from the book, Orchard School: A Narrative History, written by Richard Keller.