Red River Valley University was a private

liberal arts Liberal arts education () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''skill, art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refe ...

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

located in Wahpeton,

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

, and affiliated with the

Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

. The university opened in 1893, and operated independently until 1905, when limited funds forced the closure of the Wahpeton campus. The university's trustees then forged an affiliation agreement with the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (UND) is a Public university, public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States. It was established by the Dakota Territory, Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishm ...

(UND), and reopened the school on the UND campus as "Wesley College." The former Red River Valley University building in Wahpeton still survives, and is known as Old Main on the campus of the

North Dakota State College of Science The North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) is a public college in Wahpeton, North Dakota. It is part of the North Dakota University System. Founded in 1903 by provision of the state constitution, the State College of Science offers degre ...

. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1984. The Old Main building is a three-story red brick building which is H-shaped in plan. It has a five-story square bell tower over the main entry. With .

Notable people

Janette Hill Knox Janette Hill Knox (January 24, 1845 – July 28, 1920) was an American temperance reformer, suffragist, teacher, author and editor. She served as President of the New Hampshire State Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). Early life and ed ...

(1845-1920), faculty and Vice-President, English Language, French and German

References

Sources

* Defunct private universities and colleges in North Dakota University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in North Dakota Universities and colleges established in 1893 1893 establishments in North Dakota 1905 disestablishments in North Dakota National Register of Historic Places in Richland County, North Dakota Educational institutions disestablished in 1905 Methodist universities and colleges Methodism in North Dakota Education in Richland County, North Dakota Wahpeton, North Dakota Brick buildings and structures in the United States {{NorthDakota-university-stub