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Des Moines University (1865–1929)

American college (1865-1929)

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 9, 2026
Entity authorityQ5263512 ↗
Source-derived summary

Des Moines University was an American college in Des Moines, Iowa, that operated from 1865 until 1929. It was established by members of the Baptist Church. It was originally located in an abandoned Lutheran college building at 15th and Pleasant near downtown Des Moines. It moved to College and 9th Avenues in 1884. In 1889, the school was renamed Des Moines College to better reflect its mission.

In 1892 the Des Moines College was affiliated with the University of Chicago. The college offered bachelor degrees in arts, science, and philosophy. By 1902 its enrollment was 320, including students in the musical and preparatory departments. The library contained about 5000 volumes. Owing to large gifts made by friends of the institution, it entered in 1902 upon a course of rapid expansion.

Editorial summary

“Des Moines University (1865–1929)” enters the record as american college (1865-1929). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Moines, University and American can confirm, complicate or overturn.

Editorial reviewA dependable orientation record for establishing vocabulary, names and a first evidence trail. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1865, 1929, 1884, 1889—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1865-01-01. Its strongest next move is a source search built around Moines, University and American.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

“Des Moines University (1865–1929)” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Moines, University and American provides the most credible route into that argument.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 9, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5263512. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1865, 1929, 1884 and 1889.

Critical limits

Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Des Moines University (1865–1929)”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Des Moines University (1865–1929) primary sources, Des Moines University (1865–1929) archive and Moines research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Des Moines University (1865–1929)”?
  2. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
  3. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Des Moines University (1865–1929)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.