Editing Carleton College (section)

== History ==
The school was founded in 1866, when the Minnesota Conference of [[Congregational church|Congregational Church]]es unanimously accepted a resolution to locate a college in Northfield. Two Northfield businessmen, [[Charles Augustus Wheaton]] and Charles Moorehouse Goodsell, each donated {{convert|10|acre|ha|0}} of land for the first campus.<ref name="historically">{{cite web |title=Historically Speaking |url=http://apps.carleton.edu/campus/registrar/catalog/current/historicallyspeaking/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171101215944/https://apps.carleton.edu/campus/registrar/catalog/current/historicallyspeaking/ |archive-date=November 1, 2017 |access-date=October 31, 2017 |publisher=Carleton College}}</ref>  The first students enrolled at the preparatory unit of '''Northfield College''' in the fall of 1867. In 1870, the first college president, [[James Strong (college president)|James Strong]], traveled to the East Coast to raise funds for the college. On his way from visiting a potential donor, [[William Carleton (Massachusetts businessman)|William Carleton]] of [[Charlestown, Massachusetts]], Strong was badly injured in a collision between his carriage and a train. Impressed by Strong's survival of the accident, Carleton donated $50,000 to the fledgling institution in 1871. As a result, the Board of Trustees renamed the school to '''Carleton College''' in his honor.<ref name=history>{{cite web |url=https://apps.carleton.edu/about/history/ |title=Our History |publisher=Carleton College |access-date=June 21, 2015 |archive-date=June 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621102709/https://apps.carleton.edu/about/history/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
The first graduating class was in 1874 and consisted of James J. Dow and Myra A. Brown, who married each other later that year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.northfieldhistory.org/wiki/index.php?title=Carleton_College |title=From Northfield Historical Society history of early Carleton |archive-date=August 2, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070802132808/http://northfieldhistory.org/wiki/index.php?title=Carleton_College }}</ref><ref name="timeline1866">{{cite web |url=https://apps.carleton.edu/archives/exhibits/timeline/1866/ |title=Timeline: 1866-1891 |publisher=Carleton College |access-date=October 31, 2017 |archive-date=November 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107011813/https://apps.carleton.edu/archives/exhibits/timeline/1866/ |url-status=live }}</ref> A third student, Bayard T. Holmes, had originally been in the same class, but withdrew before graduating. [[File:Academic Course Catalog 1867 - 1868, Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota - DPLA - 1aecafd453fdf3d0294c4a2b8f8ca9fc (page 3) (cropped).jpg|alt=Scan of a page from a printed academic catalog, reading "The first annual catalogue of Northfield College, Northfield, Minn July 1868"|left|thumb|Title page to the first academic catalog for Northfield College|189x189px]][[File:Carleton College Aerial.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of the campus]]

On September 7, 1876, the [[James-Younger Gang]], led by outlaw [[Jesse James]], tried to rob the First National Bank of Northfield. [[Joseph Lee Heywood]], Carleton's Treasurer, was acting cashier at the bank that day. He was shot and killed for refusing to open the safe, foiling the attempt.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.northfieldhistory.org/the-bank-raid/ |title=The Bank Raid |work=Northfield Historical Society |access-date=October 27, 2023 }}</ref> Carleton later named a library fund after Heywood. The Heywood Society is the name for a group of donors who have named Carleton in their wills.

In its early years under the presidency of James Strong, Carleton reflected the theological conservatism of its Minnesota Congregational founders. In 1903, modern religious influences were introduced by William Sallmon, a [[Yale Divinity School]] graduate, who was hired as college president. Sallmon was opposed by conservative faculty members and alumni, and left the presidency by 1908.  After Sallmon left, the trustees hired Donald J. Cowling, another theologically liberal Yale Divinity School graduate, as his successor. In 1916, under Cowling's leadership, Carleton began an official affiliation with the Minnesota [[Baptist]] Convention. It lasted until 1928, when the Baptists severed the relationship as a result of [[fundamentalist]] opposition to Carleton's liberalism, including the college's support for teaching [[evolutionary theory|evolution]].<ref>Mark A. Greene, [http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/52/v52i01p016-026.pdf "The Baptist Fundamentalists Case Against Carleton, 1926–1928"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306074451/http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/52/v52i01p016-026.pdf |date=March 6, 2012 }}, ''Minnesota History'' magazine, Spring 1990, pp. 16–26, Minnesota Historical Society.</ref> Non-denominational for a number of years, in 1964 Carleton abolished its requirement for weekly attendance at some religious or spiritual meeting.<ref name=history />

In 1927, students founded the first student-run pub in the nation, [[The Cave (pub)|The Cave]]. Located in the basement of Evans Hall, it continues to host live music shows and other events several times each week.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apps.carleton.edu/student/orgs/cave/calendar/|title=Schedule - The Cave|publisher=Carleton College|access-date=October 31, 2017|archive-date=October 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171025075314/https://apps.carleton.edu/student/orgs/cave/calendar/|url-status=live}}</ref>[[File:Class of 1874 (Carleton's first college class), Northfield, Minnesota - DPLA - 1e1445f57778094ab63ddb2e931ef51d (cropped).jpg|alt=Two men standing behind a seated woman. The men are in suits and the woman is in a dress, posed with an open book on her lap.|left|thumb|James J. Dow, Myra A. Brown, and Bayard T. Holmes|198x198px]]In 1942, Carleton purchased land in [[Stanton, Minnesota|Stanton]], about {{convert|10|mi|km|adj=off}} east of campus, to use for flight training. During [[World War II]], several classes of male students went through air basic training at the college. Since being sold by the college in 1944, the Stanton Airfield has been operated for commercial use.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140201232549/http://www.stantonairfield.com/history.html Stanton Airfield site, with history] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919051621/http://www.stantonairfield.com/history.html |date=2008-09-19 }}</ref>

The world premiere production of the English translation of [[Bertolt Brecht]]'s play, ''[[The Caucasian Chalk Circle]]'', was performed in 1948 at Carleton's Little Nourse Theater.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apps.carleton.edu/student/orgs/players/theaterelections/?module_api=image_detail&module_identifier=module_identifier-mcla-ImageSidebarModule-mloc-sidebar-mpar-da9af63edc444779df2c954dfc8d4d40&image_id=257664|title=The Caucasian Chalk Circle – 1948|website=apps.carleton.edu|access-date=2016-06-29|archive-date=June 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160615085432/https://apps.carleton.edu/student/orgs/players/theaterelections/?module_api=image_detail&module_identifier=module_identifier-mcla-ImageSidebarModule-mloc-sidebar-mpar-da9af63edc444779df2c954dfc8d4d40&image_id=257664|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1963, Carleton students founded the [[Reformed Druids of North America]], initially as a means to be excused from attendance of then-mandatory weekly chapel service.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://apps.carleton.edu/student/orgs/druids/questions/pamph/|title=What is Reformed Druidism (1965) {{!}} Reformed Druids of North America {{!}} Carleton College|website=apps.carleton.edu|access-date=2019-01-09|archive-date=January 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190110014408/https://apps.carleton.edu/student/orgs/druids/questions/pamph/|url-status=live}}</ref>  Within a few years, the group evolved to engage in legitimate spiritual exploration. Its legacy remains in campus location names such as the Stone Circle<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Morrow|first=Avery|date=July 13, 2020|title=A Druid Geography of Carleton College|url=https://www.carleton.edu/student/orgs/druids/geography/|url-status=live|access-date=June 26, 2021|website=Reformed Druids of North America, Carleton College|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119030731/https://www.carleton.edu/student/orgs/druids/geography/ |archive-date=2021-01-19 }}</ref> (commonly called "the Druid Circle"<ref>{{Cite web|last=Li|first=Walt|date=February 14, 2020|title=Otters are Back: Finally Confirmed by a Photograph|url=https://thecarletonian.com/2020/02/14/otters-are-back-finally-confirmed-by-a-photograph/|url-status=live|access-date=June 26, 2021|website=The Carletonian|quote="the trail heading south from the Druids rocks [circle]"|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217135528/https://thecarletonian.com/2020/02/14/otters-are-back-finally-confirmed-by-a-photograph/ |archive-date=2020-02-17 }}</ref>) and the Hill of the Three Oaks.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{
Cite web
|last1=Frangquist
|first1=Deborah Gavrin
|last2=Frangquist
|first2=David
|last3=Hillemann
|first3=Eric
|date=1993-10-31
|title=David and Deborah Gavrin Frangquist, oral history transcript
|url=https://archivedb.carleton.edu/index.php?p=digitallibrary/digitalcontent&id=89143
|url-status=live
|access-date=2021-06-26
|website=Carleton College Archives
|page=71
|quote="As far as we know, it had no name before the Druids, who called it the Hill of the Three Oaks."
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626213451/https://archivedb.carleton.edu/index.php?p=digitallibrary/digitalcontent&id=89143 |archive-date=2021-06-26 }}</ref> Meetings continue to be held in the [[Carleton College Cowling Arboretum]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2015}}

President [[Bill Clinton]] gave the last commencement address of his administration at Carleton, on June 10, 2000, marking the first presidential visit to the college.<ref>{{Cite news | first=Elaine | last=Sciolino | title=Transition in Syria; A New Hurdle to Peace | date=2000-06-11 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/11/world/transition-in-syria-a-new-hurdle-to-peace.html?pagewanted=all | work=The New York Times | access-date=2008-09-15 | archive-date=July 28, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180728005133/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/11/world/transition-in-syria-a-new-hurdle-to-peace.html?pagewanted=all | url-status=live }}</ref>