In 1823, Ohio Episcopal Bishop Philander Chase purchased 8,000 acres in Knox County that he called the “beauty spot” and founded Kenyon College there, the first men's college west of the Allegheny Mountains and the second oldest college in Ohio. Not until 21 years after the start of the college, and long after Chase's departure and his opposition to development, was the quiet village of Gambier laid out. Around 1870, construction of a railroad line between Cleveland and Columbus brought Gambier into the era of train travel. Because Kenyon owned most of the land along the route through Gambier, the College granted a right-of-way on the condition that all passenger trains stop at the stone depot that once stood west of this location. A trip to Columbus took about 1 ½ hours and cost $1.50, while a northbound trip to Cleveland took just under 4 hours. Gambier has experienced little change over the years, has a volunteer fire department serving the township and a mayor-council form of government, and retains a close connection with Kenyon College, now rated as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the nation. Kenyon's alumni include President Rutherford B. Hayes.