The Oregon State Hospital Museum Project blog posted an interesting article that asks the question, “Why Oregon?”
“The question still remains, why Oregon? The State Insane Asylum (later Western State Hospital) at Fort Steilacoom near Tacoma had been in operation since 1871 and is geographically closer to Alaska than Salem or Portland. Or perhaps even more logical would be to establish an institution in Alaska itself. Our 1916 text hints that difficulties in transportation around the Alaska Territory made the transfer to another institution a reasonable solution.
Although Portland is somewhat remote from Alaska, it is to be remembered that Alaska, with some 3000 miles of water frontage has no central point. A patient from the north would have to come to Seattle and be shipped back to the lower part of Alaska, if there was an institution in that region, and vice versa. Moreover, the climate of Alaska is none too good for an insane patient.”
To read more, go to The Oregon State Hospital Museum Project blog.
By Ellen | February 19, 2011
In an earlier post, I wrote about the copper canisters that hold the cremains of patients who died at the Oregon State Hospital. The names of the patients, and other information such as date of death, are now online. The webpage, Honoring the Past – List of Unclaimed Cremains
, explains that: “The Oregon State Hospital is the custodian of the cremated remains of approximately 3,500 people who died while living at Oregon State Hospital, Oregon State Tuberculosis Hospital, Mid-Columbia Hospital, Dammasch State Hospital, Oregon State Penitentiary, and Fairview Training Center between 1914 and the 1970s. These cremains were never claimed.”
The site includes information on how to claim cremains if you can prove you are a relative. The 6 Alaskans who died there between 1900 and 1903 were not on the list. Thanks to Eric Cordingly of the Friends of Multnomah Park Cemetery for sharing this link.
By Ellen | December 29, 2010
Happy Holidays!
2010 was an exciting year! Among the milestones this year:
- The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority granted us funding to support research and travel. The grant is being administered by Access Alaska.
- We did well received presentations at the Alaska Historical Society Conference and the First Alaskans Institute Elders and Youth Conference
- Work on the patient database has begun.
- Progress was made in identifying Morningside Hospital patient burial sites (cemeteries), including locating a few patient graves.
- New territorial court records were located, providing insights into the commitment process. The documents included commitment orders, jury records and medical assessments.
- Research continued at the National Archives II. Most of the documents referring to individual patients are now scanned. Current research is focused on hospital inspections and investigations.
The first few months of 2011 promise to be nearly as exciting as 2010. Niejse Steinkruger, Meg Greene, and Robin Renfroe are going to Juneau in January to dive into the Alaska State Archives with our Juneau-based researcher, Deborah Smith. Read More »
By Ellen | November 29, 2010
Research team member Marylou Elton lives in Washington, DC, and spends many of her Wednesday’s at the National Archives II scanning Department of the Interior (DOI) administrative records of Morningside Hospital. She recently sent an interesting set of documents relating to the 1923 DOI inspection of the hospital, including the DOI inspectors report and recommendations, Morningside owner Henry Waldo Coe’s response, a list of exhibits and photos.
A few of the more interesting things in the report:
- On July 25, 1923, there were 246 patients at Morningside, including 35 Alaska Natives.
- 25% of the patients had syphilis. One of the symptoms of late stage syphilis is mental illness. Read More »
By Ellen | November 15, 2010
Last week, research team member Niesje Steinkruger visited Denali Center, pursuing a lead from the Elders and Youth Conference. She provided the following report on her visit:
Eddie R., patient #1524, admitted 9/26/33 to Morningside from Ruby, Alaska, also known as “Eddie the Pig” was the reason for my visit to Denali Center today. The name “Eddie the Pig” was related to us when someone from Ruby recognized his name at the AFN conference and said they remembered calling him that as a child. When asked why the elder said it was because his mother used to always watch the pigs and then she had a baby that looked like a pig! The same person said that Eddie’s brother was living in the Denali Center (a nursing home in Fairbanks).
Don Thibideau, a saint, is the social worker there and he helped me. He talked to L.R. and arranged a visit for me today. L.R. is 89 years old. He has been in Denali Center for 37 years! His speech is difficult to understand but he is very alert when he listens and talks. Read More »
By Ellen | October 22, 2010
Prior to the Morningside Hospital years, the Department of the Interior contracted for care of Alaskans at the Oregon State Insane Asylum, now known as Oregon State Hospital (Salem).
Between 1901 and 1903, 69 Alaskans were sent to there, 31 of whom were later transferred to Morningside. Six men died while in Salem, including:
- William Johnson, d.23 Aug 1901 (age 30, b. England)
- Thomas A. Wilson, d. 9 Jan 1902 (age ___, b. England)
- Alexander H Carpenter, d. 30 Mar 1902 ( age ___, b. ___)
- Robert Sweet, d. 9 Nov 1902 (age 48, b. American)
- Wm. Ukas, d. 24 Jun 1903 (age ___, b. Alaska)
- Louis Bronson, d. 27 Jun 1903 (age 68, b. Germany)
On January 11, 1902, the Oregon Statesman published Thomas A. Wilson’s obituary. They reported that he committed suicide by jumping from a third floor window. The article went on to say:
“Wilson was committed to the Insane Asylum from Alaska, and he had recently shown marked signs of improvement. When realizing that he was in an insane asylum, he was very much distressed. He had thus far shown no signs of suicidal tendencies, and was generally considered a model patient.”
One of the interesting aspects of this is that the six men who died at the Oregon State Insane Asylum may be among those whose remains are in the copper canisters I wrote about on September 15. Another lead to follow the next time I’m in Oregon.
By Ellen | October 20, 2010
Two great days at the Elders and Youth Conference. We had a booth (thanks to the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority) and did a presentation yesterday afternoon. Forty (40) elders and youth were in the audience. We focused the presentation on telling the stories of some of the people who were sent to Morningside. A number of adults had heard of Morningside, and some had family members who were sent there. The best part was telling the story to young people, none of whom had heard of Morningside Hospital, but they all understood the tragedy of being sent so far from home.
By Ellen | October 2, 2010
Lisa Morris of the UAF Archives has produced the “Research Guide to Alaska Mental Health History Sources“, an invaluable guide to information resources in Alaska and elsewhere. The guide covers the history of mental health services from 1900 to the present, including the Morningside Hospital years (1904-1960s).
By Ellen | September 16, 2010
The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority recently approved a grant of nearly $60,000 to support our research. Because we are all volunteers and not a part of any organization, Access Alaska graciously agreed to manage the funds. This grant will support the development of the patient database, archival support, and research related travel. Thanks to all who made this possible, and especially Doug Toelle, our Access Alaska project manager and friend.
By Ellen | September 15, 2010
Over the summer, I corresponded with Cynthia Prater, a clinician at the Oregon State Hospital. She’s doing research on the mental health care of Native Americans in Oregon and came across the blog. She passed along a fabulous report created by the Willamette Valley Historical Society in 1991 on the cemetery at the State Hospital. There were 69 Alaskans admitted to the Oregon Insane Asylum between 1901 and 1903, 6 of whom died. I’ll post more information on the report soon, but wanted to pass along this bit of history.
There were 1,539 burials in the Asylum Cemetery between 1883 to 1913. In 1913 all the bodies were exhumed, cremated, and the ashes were put in copper canisters. In 2009, the American Journal of Psychiatry reported: “A grim discovery was made by a group of state legislators touring the facility in 2004. The cremated remains of more than 3,000 patients who died at the hospital from the late 1880s to the mid-1970s were found in corroding copper canisters in a storage room, the so-called “room of lost souls.” They were the remnants of a time when mental illness was so stigmatizing that families abandoned patients.”
There were a number of attempts to connect remains to family members and to honor or formally recognize them in some way. However, at this point, they are still stored at the hospital.
