 Brigham Young University 's origin can be traced back to 1862 when a man named Warren Dusenberry started a Provo school in a prominent adobe building called Cluff Hall , which was located in the northeast corner of 200 East and 200 North . On October 16 , 1875 , Brigham Young , then president of the LDS Church , personally purchased the Lewis Building after previously hinting that a school would be built in Draper , Utah , in 1867 . Hence , October 16 , 1875 , is commonly held as BYU 's founding date . Said Young about his vision : " I hope to see an Academy established in Provo ... at which the children of the Latter @-@ day Saints can receive a good education unmixed with the pernicious atheistic influences that are found in so many of the higher schools of the country . " 
