Columbus College was a private Catholic college that operated in

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

from to . Founded by Bishop O'Gorman of the Catholic diocese of

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up ...

, the school opened in 1909 in

Chamberlain, South Dakota Chamberlain is a city in Brule County, South Dakota, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Missouri River, at the dammed section of the Lake Francis Case, close to where it is crossed by Interstate 90. The population of Chambe ...

. The facility, a former

Indian boarding school American Indian boarding schools, also known more recently as American Indian residential schools, were established in the United States from the mid 17th to the early 20th centuries with a primary objective of "civilizing" or assimilating Na ...

, was transferred by the federal government to the Catholic Church for "college purposes". It operated as an all-male prep school, high school, and college, the only Catholic college for men in South Dakota. In 1921, Columbus College was relocated to a new facility in Sioux Falls. The athletic teams at Columbus were known as the Mariners and competed in the

South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference The South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference (SDIC) was an NAIA-associated collegiate athletic conference that ceased operations following the 1999–2000 academic school year when it merged with the North Dakota College Athletic Conference to form ...

. In August 1929, Columbus College announced that it was closing because of financial difficulties. Agriculture had suffered and banks had to reserve their resources. The facility and land of the former school and college in Chamberlain were vacant after the college left. In 1927 the complex was purchased by

Priests of the Sacred Heart The Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart ( la, Congregatio Sacerdotum a Sacro Corde Iesu) abbreviated SCI, also called the Dehonians, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men in the Catholic Church f ...

to establish

St. Joseph's Indian School St. Joseph's Indian School is an American Indian boarding school, run by the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart just outside the city of Chamberlain, South Dakota, on the east side of the Missouri River. The school is located in th ...

, for students K-8. Based in Wisconsin, the order established a mission at the Cheyenne River Reservation and assigned numerous priests to South Dakota. This school is still operating as of 2021 and has 221 students. Some high school-age students also live here and attend the public high school in Chamberlain, South Dakota.

References

{{Reflist Educational institutions established in 1909 Educational institutions disestablished in 1929 1909 establishments in South Dakota 1929 disestablishments in South Dakota