Editing Hiawatha State Hospital
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==History== | ==History== | ||
| β | In | + | In 1902 the U.S. Government opened the Hiawatha Insane Asylum for American Indians. The purpose was to care for those members of tribes who were allegedly insane. The asylum was operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Indians who made up most of the population of the asylum were Indians seen by the Government as "trouble makers"-- spiritual leaders, medicine men, vision quest seekers, those who resisted reservation boundaries, and boarding school students who did not conform to school policies. |
These individuals were termed "idiotic Indians" for what they believed and continued to believe. During the years that the asylum was in existence, tribes or tribal members were clearly a relatively powerless political group who were unable to demand anything of their interest. In 1933 the remaining patients were moved to St. Elizabeth's State Hospital in Washington D.C. after investigations into patient abuse. The property was used for a short time as a prison then by Augustana College. From 1946 to 1975 the Canton-Inwood Hospital Association took over the property, after that the remaining buildings were demolished. | These individuals were termed "idiotic Indians" for what they believed and continued to believe. During the years that the asylum was in existence, tribes or tribal members were clearly a relatively powerless political group who were unable to demand anything of their interest. In 1933 the remaining patients were moved to St. Elizabeth's State Hospital in Washington D.C. after investigations into patient abuse. The property was used for a short time as a prison then by Augustana College. From 1946 to 1975 the Canton-Inwood Hospital Association took over the property, after that the remaining buildings were demolished. | ||
