Brigham Young College
Brigham Young College was a college and high school located in Logan, Utah. Brigham Young founded it on August 6, 1877, three weeks prior to his death. He deeded several acres of land for his its development. Brigham Young College is often confused with Brigham Young Academy, which had been founded in Provo, Utah, in 1875 and eventually became Brigham Young University.
Although Young had deeded land for the college, classes started on September 9, 1878, in other facilities, including Lindquist Hall of Weber State College and the Cache Tabernacle. The Brigham Young College was established to give youth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in northern Utah, western Wyoming, and southern Idaho, a higher education.
During its nearly 50-year operation, 40,000 students attended. From 1877 to 1894, the college prepared students for teaching. In 1894, the college began offering college courses, and until 1909, awarded bachelor’s degrees. Notable graduates include Church leaders Melvin J. Ballard, Albert E. Bowen, Hugh B. Brown, Richard R. Lyman, and John A. Widtsoe, and financier Marriner S. Eccles.
After 1909 it served as a junior college and high school. In 1929 it ceased operation as part of a decision by the Church Educational System to discontinue its schools except for Brigham Young University.
Brigham Young College was not the forerunner to Utah State Agricultural College, now Utah State University. The two colleges operated simultaneously for a time. When Brigham Young College closed, the Church gave the library to Utah State Agricultural College, and the buildings were used by Logan High School. In 1968, the buildings were demolished and replaced. The property is now home to Mt. Logan Middle School.
External Sources
- Wikipedia “Brigham Young College”
- Arnold K. Garr, A History of Brigham Young College, Logan, Utah, Master's thesis, Logan: Utah State University, 1973.
- “Brigham Young College” in Encyclopedia of Mormonism
