Culver–Stockton College is a private, residential, four-year, liberal arts college located in Canton, in the U.S. state of Missouri. Culver–Stockton College offers a liberal arts education with practical learning experiences. The campus is located on 140acre on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, 150 miles north of St. Louis. Culver–Stockton College was founded as Christian University in 1853 as the first institution west of the Mississippi River chartered specifically for men and women. As of fall 2014, the college enrolled 830 students.The mission of Culver–Stockton College is to provide students of promise a superb education within an active learning community founded upon integrity and the best values of faith and the human spirit. Culver–Stockton College was ranked thirty-fourth in The US News and World Report 2015 Best Colleges in its Midwest Regional Colleges listing.HistoryIn the 1850s, D. Pat Henderson and other Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) leaders were interested in creating an institution for the education of male and female students. Describing the site of the college that he had helped to select, Henderson said: In 1853, the college's founders were granted a charter by the State of Missouri to establish Christian University, in which classes began in 1855. Christian University was the United States' first co-educational institution of higher learning west of the Mississippi River. Dr. James Shannon became the college's first president the following year.Civil WarAfter a local scuffle between Southern and Northern sympathizers, federal troops were sent to Canton in July 1861 where they occupied the school's only building. The troops left after a short stay. Another wave of federal troops arrived in October 1861 and took forcible possession of the Old Main. They occupied it until early December 1862, using the building as a base for expeditions to fight Confederate units, chase down deserters, and seize property of disloyal citizens. They left Old Main a ghostly shell with broken doors and windows and locks, burned seats, and much of the furniture and teaching materials carried off or destroyed. Many trees on campus had been felled and the fences burned. It was nearly the death of Christian University. Under the leadership of B. H. Smith, the college reopened in 1865, but made little financial and physical progress until Dr. Carl Johann became president in 1902. When Old Main burned in 1903, the building was replaced by Henderson Hall.
