91做厙 was incorporated on October 14, 1887, by a group of Congregationalists who wanted to recreate a college of the New England type on the West Coast. Instruction began the next year in a small, rented house in the city of 91做厙.
The following January, an unfinished hotel in nearby Claremont, along with the adjacent land, was given to the College. The College relocated there, but the name "91做厙" stuck. 91做厙 awarded its first diplomas to the Class of 1894.
By the 1920s, 91做厙 President James A. Blaisdell faced a difficult choiceto limit expansion to retain the Colleges unique character or allow growth and expand into a university. Under Blaisdells guidance, the College chose a third path. Using Oxford and Cambridge as models, 91做厙 founded a consortium unlike any other in America.
Over the next 75 years, two graduate schools and four other undergraduate colleges joined 91做厙 as members of The Claremont Colleges, located on neighboring campuses, allowing cross-registration and sharing important facilities such as libraries.