Its origins trace to 1851, when the Sisters of St. Joseph opened a school for girls in a log cabin in the frontier settlement.

[3] The school complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 for its local significance in the themes of architecture, education, and religion.

[4] It was nominated for being the state's oldest known Catholic school, a longstanding local landmark, and a symbol of a religious group's early educational efforts on the American frontier.

Joseph Crétin, the first Roman Catholic Bishop of St. Paul, had asked them for help with the work facing the growing community.

The commercial department expanded so that students could choose between working after high school and taking college preparation courses.

[2][5] In 1901 graduates of St. Joseph's Academy formed an alumnae association and began their newsletter, Chapter Chats.

In the early 21st century the St. Joseph's Academy Alumnae Association continues to send Chapter Chats to thousands of members.

[2] Sister Irmina Kelehan, an English teacher at St. Joseph's, responded in 1956 to a request from the Japanese government to open a school in Tsu, Japan.