Northern State University

the committee had to pay Melgaard and the Thomases for it. On November 10, the Thomases sold the two half-blocks in question to the state for one dollar and Melgaard received $1,300 for his 20-acre (8.1 ha) plot. The state was left to fund the school's construction. The school was established on the intersection of the southern and eastern branches of the Milwaukee Railroad.
On March 6, 1901, Governor Herreid approved $28,000 for the construction, and an additional $2,000 for the building of a heating plant. Under the Board of Regents' supervision, the construction was to be completed and ready for students by September 1, 1902. Additional funding was allotted in another legislative bill for salaries, lights, fuel, furniture, and maintenance.
The first president of the Northern Normal and Industrial School, Charles F. Koehler, opened it with the purpose of giving students an education in academic studies. The initial admission requirements were simple: the applicant must be at least 14 and have a desire to teach. …