Grinnell's founding was part of the history of the American West. Founded on the prairie, from the beginning the College reflected the pioneering spirit common to the men and women who were part of the movement westward.

The College dates from June 10, 1846, when a group of transplanted New Englanders with strong Congregational and social-reformer backgrounds organized as the Trustees of Iowa College. A few months later, Iowa joined the Union.

The first 25 years of Grinnell's history saw a change in name and location. Iowa College moved farther west from Davenport, Iowa, to the town of Grinnell, named for an abolitionist minister, Josiah Bushnell Grinnell. In 1909, the trustees renamed the College after the town, changing it to Grinnell College. It would be another 80 years, however, before the name of the corporation, "The Trustees of Iowa College," was legally changed to match.