Augustana College traces its origins to the Hillsboro Academy in Hillsboro, Illinois, in 1835. In 1846, a Scandinavian Lutheran group changed the name of the school to “The Literary and Theological Institute of The Lutheran Church of the Far West.” The school moved to Springfield, Illinois, where it became known as Illinois State University. Numbered among its students were John Hay, who later became the nation’s Secretary of State, and Robert Todd Lincoln, son of Abraham Lincoln.

In 1860, due to doctrinal differences, Professor Lars Paul Esbjorn and a group of followers moved to Chicago and established The Augustana College and Seminary. The College identifies 1860 as its founding date along with its sister-school, Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois.*  

During and after the Civil War, the fledgling college was caught up in the westward movement of pioneers. The school moved with its constituents to Paxton, Illinois, in 1863; and then in succession to Marshall, Wisconsin, in 1869; to Beloit, Iowa in 1881; and to Canton, South Dakota in 1884.

In the meantime, The Lutheran Normal School opened in 1889 in Sioux Falls with the purpose of educating teachers.  In 1918, synod officials felt that having two institutions so close together--approximately 20 miles--was not fiscally prudent, and decided to merge Augustana College in Canton with the Lutheran Normal School in Sioux Falls under the name Augustana College. After the merger, the school site in Canton became the Augustana Academy. Despite the similarities in name, it was no longer affiliated with the college and ultimately closed in 1971.

The name “Augustana” is drawn from the origin of the Lutheran Church in the Augsburg Confession in 1530 during the time of the Reformation. The Latin designation of this document was the Confessio Augustana.

*  Those familiar with the two institutions, often refer to Augustana, Rock Island as the Swedish Lutheran college  while Augustana in Sioux Falls is known as the Norwegian Lutheran college.  Not only do the institutions share the same name and founding date, but also the same mascot--Vikings--and school colors, blue and gold for Rock Island while Sioux Falls version claims navy blue (as in the Norwgian flag) and gold.