Lewis-Clark State College history

The legislature issued bonds in 1895 to complete the first campus building, but in the meantime, temporary space was set up on the second floor of a downtown Lewiston business.

Frustrated by the delays in getting his building, Knepper leased space in downtown Lewiston and opened for classes on January 6, 1896.

In 1898, the school graduated 17 female teachers and its enrollment and importance to the region continued to grow.

Reid was elected President of the Board, a position he held until his death in 1902.

The Administration Building’s east wing was completely destroyed by fire in 1917, but residents again responded with donated books, supplies and classroom space.

As late as 1920, 60 percent of Idaho’s secondary students attended one-room schools.

The legislature approved funding for a new Administration Building in 1921.

The college also built Warrior Gym in 1935 for its growing athletic teams and intramural programs, which helped provide some of the groundwork for the national success the Warriors would experience decades later.

With the school’s role still expanding, the legislature changed the name to Northern Idaho College of Education in 1947.

However, that wave passed, and in 1951 budget hawks succeeded in closing the school, as well as its counterpart, SICE in Albion in southern Idaho.

The college reopened in 1955 as Lewis-Clark Normal, a two-year institution and branch campus of the University of Idaho.

The state legislature voted to elevate it to four-year status in 1963 but did not approve funding until two years later.

The state legislature voted to elevate it to four-year status in 1963 but did not approve funding until two years later. It continued to grow and in July 1971 the name was officially changed to Lewis–Clark State College.

In 1984, the LCSC baseball team won the first of its 19 NAIA World Series national titles.

The Library was constructed in 1991, and the college celebrated its Centennial anniversary a couple of years later.

Sacajawea Hall, a state-of-the-art nursing and health sciences facility, opened in 2009.