Canton in Lincoln County, South Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Augustana- The School on Wheels

October 9, 2021

1. Augustana- The School on Wheels Marker

Inscription. Augustana was founded as Augustana Seminary in Chicago in 1860 by the Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod. The school's purpose was "to educate young men for the holy ministry in the Lutheran church . . . (and) to prepare men for the profession of teaching." Attracted by a generous land offer from the Illinois Central Railroad Augustana moved to Paxton, Illinois in 1863, then to Marshall, Wisconsin in 1869. With the westward migration of many Norwegians during the Dakota boom the school moved again to northwest Iowa at Beloit in 1881. Growing enrollment and the offer of a three-story building by the citizens of Canton led to the academy moving to Canton in 1884, while the seminary remained in Beloit until 1890. President Anthony G. Tuve (1890-1916) organized the Augustana College Association in 1895 to support the school. Distinguished alumni include novelist Ole E. Rolvaag, physicist Merle A. Tuve, and South Dakota governors Sigurd Anderson and Archie Gubbrud.

In 1917 the newly formed Norwegian Lutheran Church in America voted to merge Augustana College and the Lutheran Normal School in Sioux Falls and

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to close the Canton campus. In 1919 the Church re-opened the institution at Canton with the name of Canton Lutheran Normal School, which later became Augustana Academy and operated as a high school of the Lutheran Church. The Augustana Academy Association was formed in 1932 and assumed control of the school until its closing in 1971.

The Old Main building of the Academy is an excellent example of Richardson Romanesque architecture with its massive scale, rough cut granite, and arched openings. Designed by Omeyer and Thori of St. Paul it is a four-story building, 104 feet long and 60 feet wide.

Having received pledges totalling $10,000 from Augustana College Association members and $5,000 from the synod of the United Norwegian Lutheran Church, ground was broken in the late summer of 1901. Actual construction was begun the next year and the building was dedicated on October 4, 1903. The Old Main housed classrooms, offices, 25 dormitory rooms, a gymnasium, and a chapel that would seat about 500 people. Total cost of the structure, with furnishings, was $48,592.99.

Augustana Academy was closed in 1971 and a total renovation of

October 9, 2021

2. Augustana- The School on Wheels Marker

the building was completed in 1995 by the Metro Plains Corporation of St. Paul. It now houses 21 one bedroom apartments and five two bedroom apartments.

Erected 1995 by Augustana Academy Alumni and South Dakota Historical Society. (Marker Number 661.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Education • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Norwegian-Americans, and the South Dakota State Historical Society Markers series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1860.

Location. 43° 18.21′ N, 96° 34.749′ W. Marker is in Canton, South Dakota, in Lincoln County. It is on North Lawler Street south of East 2nd Street, on the right when traveling north. Located by the Augustana Academy Old Main building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 320 N Lawler St, Canton SD 57013, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in East River

and in Greater Sioux Falls.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Lewis & Clark Corridor,

in the Corn Belt,

on the prairies,

and on the Northern

Augustana- The School on Wheels Marker & Old Main Building image. Click for full size.

October 9, 2021

3. Augustana- The School on Wheels Marker & Old Main Building

Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Resolution Designating Jack Fox Park (approx. 0.6 miles away); Canton Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.7 miles away); Canton (approx. 0.7 miles away); Sheriff's Residence & Jail (approx. 0.7 miles away); Augustana – The School on Wheels (approx. 1.4 miles away); Hiawatha Asylum for Insane Indians (approx. 1.4 miles away); The Canton Ski Hill (approx. 1.4 miles away); Inwood Veterans Memorial (approx. 7.4 miles away in Iowa). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Canton.

Augustana- The School on Wheels Marker, from the south image. Click for full size.

October 9, 2021

4. Augustana- The School on Wheels Marker, from the south

Augustana Academy Old Main Building image. Click for full size.

October 9, 2021

5. Augustana Academy Old Main Building

Credits. This page was last revised on October 15, 2021. It was originally submitted on October 11, 2021. This page has been viewed 366 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on October 11, 2021. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.