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Brigham Young Academy

 Organization

Dates

  • Existence: 1875 - 1903

Administrative History

Brigham Young Academy (1875-1903) was established by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints under the direction of Brigham Young for the instruction of church members in the area of Provo, Utah.

Brigham Young Academy was the predecessor to Brigham Young University and Brigham Young High School. Brigham Young saw the school as a place where all secular learning should be fused with teachings from the scriptures. Despite steady growth during its early years, the Academy was threatened by a series of financial and physical setbacks. With the help and sacrifice of Abraham O. Smoot, the campus moved in 1891 to new facilities on University Avenue in Provo Utah. The Academy's curriculum strengthened and enrollment grew. In 1903, the name was officially changed to Brigham Young University.

Brigham Young Academy principals included Warren N. Dusenberry (1876), Karl G. Maeser (1876-1892), and Benjamin Cluff (1892-1894). Benjamin Cluff also served as Academy president between 1894 and 1903.

Citation:
The Journal of pedagogy, Feb. 1895: t.p. (Brigham Young Academy)

BYU--national champions, 1985: intro. (Brigham Young University)

History of BYU (within Brigham Young University website), via WWW, 4 November 2010 (Brigham Young Academy established October 16, 1875 in Provo, Utah. Name changed to Brigham Young University in 1903. Sponsored by Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)

Provo City Library website, via WWW, Oct. 2, 2012 (Brigham Young Academy; founded in 1876; essentially a high school until 1896, with the founding of the College Dept.)

YFacts History of BYU, via WWW, viewed May 31, 2013 (Brigham Young Academy (1875-1903), Brigham Young saw the school as a place where all secular learning should be fused with teachings from the scriptures, despite steady growth during its early years, the Academy was threatened by a series of financial and physical setbacks, with the help and sacrifice of Abraham O. Smoot, the campus moved in 1891 to new facilities on University Avenue in Provo Utah, the Academy's curriculum strengthened and enrollment grew, 1903 the name was officially changed to Brigham Young University)

Yfacts BYU Presidents, via WWW, viewed Mar. 19, 2013 (Brigham Young Academy principals included Warren N. Dusenberry (1876), Karl G. Maeser (1876-1892), and Benjamin Cluff (1892-1903))

Brigham Young High School History, via WWW, viewed May 31, 2013 (Brigham Young Academy was the predecessor to Brigham Young University and Brigham Young High School)

Found in 6 Collections and/or Records:

Benjamin Cluff diaries

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 1667
Scope and Contents

Contains four diaries and their respective transcripts covering the period from 1881-1909 and detailing Cluff's time as a student at Brigham Young Academy and the University of Michigan, as well as his subsequent appointment as President of the Academy. Also describes his activities and experiences as a plantation owner in Tabasco, Mexico.

Dates: 1881-1909

Benjamin Cluff Jr. photographs and correspondence

 File — Multiple Containers
Identifier: UA 1013
Scope and Contents

Contains ten photographs and five correspondence of Benjamin Cluff, Jr. Among the photographs is a family picture of the Benjamin and Harriett Cluff family. Correspondence is between Cluff and his son, Cyril, as well as Cluff and the Utah-Mexican Rubber Company.

Dates: 1911-1943

Benjamin Cluff letters

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230324672]
Identifier: MSS SC 2538
Scope and Contents

Contains four handwritten and signed letters addressed to a friend only identified as "Bagley." The items were written when Cluff was living in Tabasco, Mexico. Cluff offers sympathy to his friend at the death of his wife and writes about other personal and business matters.

Dates: 1905-1906

Parley Pratt Nelson diaries

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 2261
Scope and Contents

Collection contains photocopies of two diaries of Parley Pratt Nelson, a student who participated on the Benjamin Cluff Brigham Young Academy Expedition (1899-1900) and served a mission in Southern California for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1901-1903).

Dates: 1900-1903

Walter M. Wolfe collection

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: UA 366
Scope and Contents Includes detailed journals, 1900-1901; copies of numerous articles by him, 1887-1905; and biographical information. Journals were recorded during the Brigham Young Academy South American Expedition. Collection includes transcriptions of the journals. Wolfe's articles appeared in Forest and Stream, Juvenile Instructor, Young Woman's Journal, Millennial Star, and in periodicals published by Brigham Young Academy and others. Articles relate to wildlife recreation (especially in Nebraska and...
Dates: approximately 1887-1983

Walter M. Wolfe diary and congressional testimony

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 8374
Scope and Contents

Collection contains transcriptions pertaining to the life of Walter M. Wolfe. Material includes a transcription of his diary about life in Mexico as a missionary and explorer dated 1900 to 1901. It also includes copies of the congressional transcript of Wolfe's testimony from the Reed Smoot United States Senate hearing in 1906. Dated 1900-1906.

Dates: 1900-1906