 Shipherd and Stewart rode south from Elyria into the forests that then covered the northern part of Ohio in search of a suitable location for their community.After a journey of approximately eight miles, they stopped to rest and pray in the shade of an elm tree along the forest, and agreed that this would be a good place to start their community.Shipherd traveled back east and convinced the owner of the land to donate of land for the school, and he purchased an additional for the town, at the cost of $1.50 per acre ($371/km2).