Humboldt College

About Humboldt College

According to Wikipedia, Humboldt College was an institution of higher learning in Humboldt, Iowa from 1872 until it closed in 1916. Only three people ever obtained degrees from Humboldt College. History Creating the "Harvard of the West" Stephen Taft moved from New York to the prairie of Iowa in 1862, with hopes of founding an intellectual community that would rival the Eastern cities. He had five goals for his city, but the most important goal was founding a college "of university importance" that would not dissent into "factional disputes or denominational barriers". The Springvale Collegiate Association met for the first time in 1866, and upon renaming of the community to Humboldt, the group would meet again in 1869. Despite the excitement in the town for a college, the voters of Humboldt denied Taft the funds to purchase swampland on the city's northern boundary.