Red River Valley University was a private

liberal arts Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the ...

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

located in Wahpeton,

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

, and affiliated with the

Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

. 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 (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of ...

(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 United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

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. Biography Janette Hill was born in Londonderry, Vermont, January 24, 1845. She was the daughter of Lewis Hill, a r ...

(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 Educational institutions 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 {{NorthDakota-university-stub