History
On October 10, 1857, the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church created a college to supply ministers for Norwegian congregations in the Upper Midwest. Until the college was established in 1861, students would study at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. On October 14, 1859, the Rev. Peter Laurentius Larsen was appointed professor to the Norwegian students at Concordia by the NELC.
Upon the closing of the seminary in April 1861, at the start of the Civil War, the NELC decided to open its own college that fall in a former parsonage at Halfway Creek, Wisconsin, just north of La Crosse, Wisconsin and close to present day Holmen, Wisconsin. On September 1, 1861, classes officially began with an enrollment of 16. The following year classes moved to Decorah, Iowa, with NELC Pastor Ulrik Vilhelm Koren successfully arranging the college's relocation and permanent settlement.
In 1905, Dr. Carlo A. Sperati, an 1888 graduate of Luther, became the music director of the college and developed the Luther College Concert Band, founded in 1878, on the model of the wind ensemble pioneered by John Philip Sousa. Under Sperati, the band undertook several tours of Europe, their first in 1914, earning international acclaim for their musical talent. Sperati remained on the faculty until his death in 1945.
In 1932, Luther College dropped its mandatory study of the classics and fully embraced the modern concept of the liberal arts education. The 1930s marked another milestone in the college's history with its decision to admit women to the student body, which happened in 1936 due to financial constraints associated with the Great Depression. During the 1960s Luther again experienced significant change with the construction of several new campus buildings and the adoption of a 4-1-4 semester schedule.
In 1964, Luther's museum collection became separate from the college and was established as the Norwegian-American Museum. Now known as Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, it is the largest and most comprehensive museum in the United States devoted to a single immigrant group. Started in 1967, Nordic Fest grew from Luther College Women’s Club annual celebration of Norwegian Constitution Day.
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