Morningside Hospital » 1900-1929

More Patient Names

Ellen — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 20:08:26 +0000

Former Juneau resident Marylou Elton deserves the volunteer of the year award. For the past six months, she’s spent her Wednesdays locating and scanning patient information at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. She’s focusing on the quarterly reports/invoices that Morningside sent the Department of the Interior. These documents include the names of patients who were at the hospital and information on patients who died during the quarter. Here are examples from March 1924 and March 1945. We now have a complete (or nearly complete) list of all those sent to Morningside Hospital from 1904 to 1945. Unfortunately, the quarterly reports from 1946 to the closure of the hospital in the 1960s are nowhere to be found.

The patient database is still our top priority. We expect the receive funding (through a partnership of the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority and Access Alaska) before the end of the summer

More Nome Court Records

Ellen — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 23:43:54 +0000

Gold was discovered in Nome in 1898. The city was incorporated in 1901 and grew to an estimated 20,000 over the next 10 years, making it the most populous city in the Alaska Territory. Only a few of the thousands of miners who came to Nome to seek their fortunes succeeded. Today Nome has fewer than 4,000 residents and serves as the regional service center for the Seward Peninsula.

Niesje Steinkruger was in Nome earlier this month and dug deeper into the court records. There are six probate docket books there and she went through them all. Meg Greene went through two of the docket books on an earlier trip to Nome. Niesje copied the names, court case numbers and the dates each case began. Many of the defendants went to Morningside, some had their charges dismissed, and some were found not guilty. In Nome they were charged with being “insane and at large”. She found 182 cases between 1901 and statehood.

Nome Docket Page 1899

The earliest records had Guardianships and Insane in the title. The earliest record was from June 22, 1901, and the defendent was committed to the State Asylum at Steilacoom, Washington. Between 1901 and 1923 the court documents appear to have been recorded, like deeds.While in Nome, Niesje recruited a volunteer, Debbie Redburn, who offered to copy pages Niesje marked in the docket books. Niesje noted that this is a big job. The books are approximately 24 inches by 14 inches, so Debbie will have to manhandle them, and somehow reduce the size of the pages to make copies.
The images on this page are from the Photo Archives of the Alaska State Library.

1915 Investigation, Part II

Ellen — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 02:07:26 +0000

Many of the recently discovered burial sites and death certificates were from the early years at Morningside Hospital. In May, I wrote an article about the Department of the Interior’s 1915 investigation into the care provided at the hospital. In March of 1915, the judicial committee of the Alaska Territorial Legislature issued a report criticizing the facility and demanding that care be improved. Dr. Viola May Coe of Morningside Hospital denied the accusations and asserted that patients were well cared for.

During our August trip to the National Archives II, we found photos taken as part of a May 1915 investigation into the accusations by the Department of the Interior. They offer a glimpse of the conditions at Morningside with images of patients, facilities and treatment methods.

All of these photos are from Record Group 126, Records of the Office of the Territories, National Archives II, College Park, MD.

Notes attached to the photo above said, “This picture is intended to show the types of restraint used during the inspection. The man at the radiator is in wristlets but they do not show in the picture. He is in the midst of putting a cigarette to his lips. The man standing at the foot of the bed is in a muff of leather. He is unable to take hold of other patients or to scratch them or tear his clothing.”

The first photo below is women patients doing needle work and making baskets in front of the womens cottage. The second photo includes (from left) Morningside Hospital founder Dr. Henry Waldo Coe, and Alaska Native woman patient, and an inspector from the US Department of the Interior.

Patient Death Certificates

Ellen — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 23:21:35 +0000

by Sally Mead

Over the past two weeks in Portland we’ve unearthed quite a bit more backdrop on the search for the burial locations of Morningisde patients. Working closely with Robin Renfroe and her sister Peggy, from Salem, we visited the State of Oregon Archives to search for death certificates for over 150 people. Robin had done research on the Wickersham Paper, US Census reports and Morningside Admittance lists to unearth as many Alaska Native people (or known family names) as possible.

OR Archives, Salem

We have now searched all 121 names on the Wickersham list (pre 1916) as well as around 50 more Alaska Native people reported from 1920 to 1957. It is not complete but an important start. Not all of them had a death certificate, but most did. The certificates are telling, from full names, to cause of death, burial location and family members if known. Those lines were almost always empty…. It was very sad to see how many were listed with epilepsy as cause of death.

Robin

Peggy and Sally

Patient Burial Sites Located

Ellen — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 21:06:10 +0000

A lot of good things happened over the past few weeks. I’ll post an article with more information later this weekend but wanted to get just a bit of the exciting news online now. Good friends and volunteers Robin Renfroe (Fairbanks) and Sally Mead (Anchorage) were in Portland this week looking for Morningside patient death certificates and burial sites. Prior to their visit, we’d found a few death certificates and had not located any graves. Robin and Sally found both! Here are a few of the headstones they found at Multnomah Park Cemetery.

Charles Brown (Juneau) Died 1914

Edward Dowdall (Sitka) Died 1914

Sam Steinko (Ft. Gibbon) Died 1914

Nome Court Records

Ellen — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 23:33:04 +0000

We’ve dragged two new volunteers into our pursuit of the history of Morningside Hospital. Niesje Steinkruger and Meg Green, retired Superior Court Judges from the Alaska Fourth Judicial District, are taking the lead in researching the Federal and State court commitment records.

Meg recently returned from a trip to Nome, where she spent a few hours at the Nome Courthouse:

“I was in Nome doing some work the first three days of this week and had a couple of hours at the end. I found the federal Probate Docket book from the Cape Nome Precinct at the Nome courthouse. I had earlier been told that Nome did not have them. There are 5 volumes running from 1918 to statehood. There may be an earlier volume, but I could not find it (what I saw starts with volume “2.”)

Central Washington University, James E. Brooks Library, Digital Archives

Here is some preliminary data: between 1918 and 1929 there were only 5 sanity proceedings, one of which was a finding of not insane (but he lost about 2 months later and headed to Morningside). Everyone who was found insane was transported to Morningside.

Things picked up markedly in 1930-1936, perhaps because there was a doctor in Nome. It is apparent that all of the actions were started by a non-medical person. The Commissioner then appointed a doctor to examine the person accused. During most of this period, the doctor’s name was Swartz. There were 32 sanity proceedings filed. There were two findings of someone being sane, and the US Attorney dismissed another 7 cases before trial. Some of the reasons for dismissal were great, “condition brought on by alcohol” and “he is an old man who has been placed in the Pioneer Home in Sitka” being my favorites.

My most exciting find was a 1954 letter to the Governor copied to the Nome clerk of court and pasted in the docket book. This letter is just like those we have seen in the Juneau files. It gives me hope that we will see more in the later volumes. The letter was about the death of Antonio Sliscovich, Morningside patient number 1507. He was judged insane in Nome in June 1933 and was admitted to Morningside on July 3, 1933. He died May 27, 1954; the letter was dated the next day. The body was turned over to Miller and Tracey Funeral Directors for burial at Greenwood Hills. He died of congestive heart failure and a “report of postmortem examination” was referenced. He had a niece (in California?) who was notified. I could not copy the letter because it was quite firmly attached in the Docket Book. I did not have my camera with me. Mr. Sliscovich’s court record is #450 in volume 3.

Niesje and I will try to persuade the Nome folks to send us the records here in Fairbanks on our promise to return them. Failing that, we will try to get the rest of the information reviewed next time one of us is in Nome.”

Christmas at Morningside Hospital

Ellen — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:42:36 +0000

Among the few pictures of Morningside are a two taken at Christmas celebrations in the 1920s. The US Department of the Interior records included correspondence from Wayne Coe about the 1922 Morningside Hospital Christmas party and an accounting of the party and patient gift expenses.

These two photos, which are from the Oregon Historical Society, were not dated but appear to be from the 1920s.

The caption on the photo above is an account of the Christmas Festivities at Morningside from a Portland newspaper. “Morningside Hospital provided three Christmas trees for the inmates. Natives helped to provide the entertainment which was held in the Assembly room of the new Parole House. Gifts were provided for all the patients in the institution by Dr. Coe, the Chief Officer. After the exercises in the main hall the women retired to their own buildings where trees awaited them, while the men had their remembrances in the assembly room.”

The founder of Morningside Hospital, Dr. Henry Waldo Coe, is standing to the right of the Christmas tree.

The photo above appears to be from the early to mid-1920s. Children were first admitted to Morningside at the end of 1922 or early 1923.

The “Program of Entertainment” for the 1922 Christmas Party included:

Overture by the Orchestra
Song by Mrs. Larsen, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Carter
Address by Mr. Henry Ray
Jig and Monologue by Mr. Nathan Swarthout
Vocal Solo by Mr. Carter, Supported by the Orchestra
A Response by Mr. Wayne W. Coe, Speaking for the Management
A Waltz – Men Employees Dancing with Women Patients and Men Patients Dancing with Women Patients
A March by the Orchestra while participants and other file out
Distribution of Presents to Men at Main Building
Distribution of Presents to Women Patients and Employees at the Women’s Cottage
Mr. Earl Dowd Acting as Santa Claus

The menu for the Christmas Dinner was:

Oyster Stew
Celery and Olives
Roast Turkey and Dressing
Mashed Potatoes
Baked Sweet Potatoes
Hot Rolls
Cranberry Jelly
Mince Pie – Fruit cake
Coffee, Tea, Milk
Oranges, Apples, Nuts and Candy

1912 to 1942 Admissions

Ellen — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:55:12 +0000

Record Group 126, Records of the Office of the Territories, National Archives II, College Park, MD

Occasionally there are glimpses of who was at Morningside. Included in the Department of the Interior files from the National Archives was a tabulation of admissions between 1912 and 1942. There was a total of 1,601 admissions over the 30 years, an average of 53 admissions per year. The percentage of admissions who were female increased from 10.1% during the first 5 years (1912-1917) to 26.4% for the years 1938 to 1942. The report noted:

“Out of the 81 females now in the hospital, there are 13 who have been in the hospital more than 15 years. There are 20 of them who are epileptics or mentally deficient and there are 20 who are over the age of sixty at the time. The epileptics, mentally deficient and older women, that is 40 out of the 81 require more or less special attention and many are infirmary cases.”

Patient Photos: Children 1923

Ellen — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 00:43:35 +0000

Here are more pictures of children at Morningside Hospital in 1923. Children were sent to Morningside because they had mental and physical disabilities, many of which we would call developmental disabilities today. This is the diagnosis for a child from Anchorage:

“Adrnitted November 7,1925. Anchorage. A native child of four years. Speaks no English. Physical examination affords no information aside from partial deafness. Physical condition good,”

The caption on the first photo below is, ” Orphans of the Far North – Alaska defectives happily housed in the mild climate at Morningside.”

Record Group 126, Records of the Office of the Territories, National Archives II, College Park, MD

Children at Morningside Hospital

Ellen — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 23:50:52 +0000

It was never clear to me when Morningside Hospital started admitting children. The patient lists during the early years seemed to be populated by miners, gamblers and other who came North to seek their fortunes. By the time Alaska assumed responsibility for providing mental health services to its citizens in 1956, a significant percentage of patients at Morningside were children with developmental disabilities. Some admitted soon after birth.

Record Group 126, Records of the Office of the Territories, National Archives II, College Park, MD

The National Archives II provided the following information from the Department of the Interior files:

On November 9, 1922, Scott C. Bone, the Governor of Alaska, sent a telegram to the Secretary of the Interior asking, “Can mentally defective children of Alaska be committed to Morningside under existing contract stop Institution is now equipped to handle such cases.”

The next day, Assistant Secretary of the Interior F. M. Goodwin responded, “Replying your telegram November ninth. Unless mentally defective children of Alaska are legally adjudged to be insane they cannot be cared for at Morningside Hospital under the contract with Sanitarium Company.”

The decision to commit children to Morningside in the same way adults were handled apparently came swiftly. Children were taken before a jury of six men and adjudicated “insane”. The photo above is from 1923.