The site for the college was selected by a committee and presented to the state legislature. The tract chosen comprised from forty acres and ran from Doud Avenue to the lakeshore and extended from Fourteenth Street to Grand Forks Bay on Lake Bemidji. An act of the legislature in April of 1915 gave $25,000 to be used to lay out the grounds. In April, 1917, an additional $75,000 was appropriated and these funds were used to begin construction of the main building. On August 10, 1918, Judge C W Stanton of Bemidji performed the ceremony of laying the cornerstone. Governor J.A. Burnquist delivered the address. The ceremonies took place on a platform erected at the main entrance to the building. The twenty-first Battalion Home Guard band played the musical numbers and the Rev. B.D. Hansom of the Methodist church gave the invocation. The close of the ceremonies was the singing of the National Anthem by a large crowd in attendance.
Exploring the Rich History of the Bemidji Area