Northern Missouri
Culver-Stockton puts Canton on 'The Hill' above the Mississippi
Culver-Stockton College gives Canton a hilltop campus story tied to coeducation, the Civil War, and a small river town's identity.
Canton feels different from many small river towns because a college sits on the hill above it. Culver-Stockton traces its roots to Christian Church leaders who pushed for a college in the early 1850s. Missouri chartered Christian University on Jan. 28, 1853, as the first college west of the Mississippi River chartered for coeducation.
The Civil War came straight onto campus. Old Main, then the only campus building, was occupied by Union troops and used as a hospital, prison, and barracks. The school shut down during the war and reopened afterward. Alice Staples enrolled in 1866 and became the first female graduate in 1870.
For admissions, programs, archives, or event details, use the college’s current pages.
That gives Canton a story with more weight than “college town.” Culver-Stockton brings students, events, jobs, and a school-year rhythm. It also carries a 19th-century education story on a campus people can still point to.
Where to see it
- Culver-Stockton College campus
Use the college history page for founding, coeducation, Civil War, and campus-history context.
References
More from Lewis County: browse every local note for the county.
Last checked against the sources above: July 1, 2026.