Luther College history

In the summer of 1862 the school was transferred to Decorah; its first home was the building, still standing, at the northwest corner of Winnebago and Main streets.

The first building on the college campus was "Main," dedicated October 14, 1865.

The first graduating class, therefore, was that of 1866.

Doctor Martin Luther College was established in 1884 by the Minnesota Synod to train Lutheran pastors and teachers working in Minnesota.

In 1892, when the Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan Synods formed a federation called the Evangelical Lutheran Joint Synod of Wisconsin and Other States, it was agreed that Northwestern College would become the primary college for training men to serve as pastors in the new synod's churches.

Can you help us identify the men in the DMLC graduating class of 1903? If you know the identity of one of these men, please contact Steve Balza at balzasj@mlc-wels.edu.

Follow the growth of Luther College's High School and University campuses from 1910 to the present day and share in a significant slice of Saskatchewan history.

Under Sperati, the band undertook several tours of Europe, their first in 1914, earning international acclaim for their musical talent.

The classical curriculum established by the founders of the college was changed in 1932 when the requirement that all students take both Greek and Latin was dropped.

The college had also expanded physically since 1960, with an extensive building program that included a new student union, library, science hall, field house and athletic complex, three residence halls, a music building, and a center for worship and performing arts.

When the institution celebrated its centennial in 1961, it had an enrollment of 1,357 and a staff of 74 full-time and 12 part-time teachers.

In 1964, Luther's museum collection became separate from the college and was established as the Norwegian-American Museum.

Nordic Fest, started in 1967, grew from Luther College Women's Club's annual celebration of Norwegian Constitution Day.

Martin Luther College was established in 1995 when Northwestern College, located in Watertown, Wisconsin, and Doctor Martin Luther College in New Ulm amalgamated on the New Ulm campus.