Established in the early 1840s, La Porte University included law, literary, and medical departments, and its medical department, later known as Indiana Medical College, began classes by 1842. Its distinguished faculty attracted students from across the U.S., including Dr. William W. Mayo, whose practice evolved into the Mayo Clinic, and Dr. William H. Wishard. At a time when Indiana offered few opportunities for professional medical training, the medical college prepared skilled doctors in the Midwest for regional medical needs in surgery, anatomy, theory, and obstetrics. Classes ceased circa 1850, and the college consolidated in 1851 with Indiana Central Medical College in Indianapolis.