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Warm Springs State Hospital records, 1877-1973

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Warm Springs State Hospital
Title
Warm Springs State Hospital records
Dates
1877-1973 (inclusive)
Quantity
17.8 linear feet
Collection Number
RS 495 (Formerly RS 199)
Summary
This collection is a sub-subgroup (State Healthcare Facility) of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services records. Please see the primary finding aid for more Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services records. The Montana State Hospital formerly operated under the Department of Institutions. In 1995, oversight of the Montana State Hospital was transferred to DPHHS. This collection includes materials related to the Warm Springs State Hospital in Warm Springs, Montana and its governing body, the Montana State Board of Commissioners for the Insane, from 1877 to 1973. The hospital operated under a variety of names including Mitchell and Mussigbrod, Insane Asylum of the State of Montana, Montana State Hospital for the Insane, Montana State Insane Asylum, Montana State Hospital, and Warm Springs State Hospital. The Hospital records include patient registers, dockets, the history of the hospital, scrapbooks, correspondence, financial records, and legal documents. The Board records are primarily correspondence, meeting minutes, and physicians certificates. RESTRICTION: Patient records are confidential and privileged (M.C.A. 53-21-166), but may be used for research under the administrative rule adopted by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. Contact the Montana Historical Society Archives for details.
Repository
Montana Historical Society, Library & Archives
Montana Historical Society Research Center Archives
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT
59620-1201
Telephone: 4064442681
Fax: 4064445297
mhslibrary@mt.gov
Access Restrictions

The majority of this collection is restricted and requires special permission for access. Patient records are confidential and privileged (M.C.A. 53-21-166), but may be used for research under the administrative rule adopted by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. Contact the Montana Historical Society Archives for additional information.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Historical Note

In 1869, the 6th Montana Territorial Legislative Assembly passed a law authorizing an official territorial insane asylum to be owned and managed on a contract basis by private parties. A board of commissioners was established with one representative from each judicial district to oversee the asylum, establish rules for its operation, and perform periodic inspections. Until 1877, St. John's Hospital in Helena served as the territorial asylum. By 1874, it was accepting sufficient numbers of patients committed by Governor Benjamin Potts to require the construction of a separate building behind the main hospital.

In 1877, Dr. Armistead H. Mitchell (1831-1898) and Dr. Charles F. Mussigbrod (d.1893), owners of a hotel and spa at Warm Springs, Montana, were awarded the contract for the care of the territory's mental patients. By 1886, the partners had expanded their operation from 160 acres to 1,640 acres and from 2 buildings to 32 buildings, including a larger hotel, a house for convalescents, a separate building for violent patients, a large plunge pool, a laundry, storehouses, ice houses, and many other outbuildings. From 1891 to 1907, the hospital was run by Dr. O.Y. Warren, who was in turn succeeded by Dr. J.M. Scanland, son-in-law of Dr. Armistead H. Mitchell. Under private operation, the asylum continued to operate the hotel and run a large farm, specializing in pedigreed cattle.

In 1910, a constitutional amendment was passed allowing the state to acquire the asylum. On December 1, 1912, the Warm Springs hospital became a state institution. Dr. Scanland continued as superintendent. In 1917, the governor appointed a special commission to investigate charges of gross mismanagement and corruption at the hospital. The hospital management was exonerated of all charges. Gradually, under state operation, the emphasis changed from a custodial asylum to a hospital, as more modern procedures were adopted, but efforts were hampered by low funding. Care costs in 1938 of $.60 per day per patient were the lowest in the nation. As concepts of treatment of mental patients changed, the average patient load dropped dramatically from a high of over 1,900 in the early 1950s to 1,112 in 1972. Numbers of admissions per year were higher, but average length of stay was much shorter. The hospital operated under a variety of names including Mitchell and Mussigbrod, Insane Asylum of the State of Montana, Montana State Hospital for the Insane, Montana State Insane Asylum, Montana State Hospital, and Warm Springs State Hospital.

The Montana State Hospital formerly operated under the Department of Institutions. In 1995, after the Department of Institutions was renamed Department of Corrections, the oversight of the Montana State Hospital was transferred to the Department of Public Health and Human Services.

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Content Description

This collection consists of two subgroups. Records of the Warm Springs State Hospital include: patient registers (1877-1963); dockets for two separate investigations of Warm Springs (1917); a history of the hospital written by a hospital employee (1972); two scrapbooks of clippings and other materials about the state acquisition of the hospital from 1910 to 1912; correspondence; financial records; and legal documents. Records of the Board of Commissioners for the Insane consist of: minute books (1891-1962); physicians certificates for commitment of patients (1905-1962); contracts for care of patients (1894-1908); miscellaneous correspondence; financial records; and court papers.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The Montana Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Library & Archives and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Library & Archives before any reproduction use. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.

Preferred Citation

[Item description and date]. Warm Springs State Hospital records, 1877-1973. RS 199. [box and folder number or volume number]. Montana Historical Society Library & Archives. Helena, Montana.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged by series within subgroups.

Location of Collection

29:1-1; Oversize Boxes 35:3-5; Volumes 123:1-1; Oversize Folder in Archives Mapcase

Acquisition Information

Acquisition information available upon request.

Processing Note

Ellie Arguimbau processed the collection in 1987.

In 2024, the various collections of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services were integrated under one collection identifier, RS 495, in order to help facilitate access, reduce redundancy in the Montana Historical Society catalog, and to follow best archival practices.

Collections from Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services' various Divisions and Bureaus that were previously treated as separate entities are now integrated into this collection, RS 495. Rather than reprocessing over 60 linear feet of DPHHS materials, MTHS staff decided to keep the past arrangement of those collections/finding aids, and provide access to them via links through the central finding aid. This decision has allowed the MTHS archival staff to maintain intellectual control over the collection, while removing the need to reprocess it. It also keeps State Agency finding aids at manageable sizes. Please read the scope and content note carefully to determine if this subgroup/sub-subgroup pertains to your research needs.

Separated Materials

Patient case files (1890-1973) are also part of this collection. Case files are covered by confidentiality laws, so restrictions apply. Researchers who would like to view these files must review the "Access Restrictions" and consult the Montana Historical Society Archives for additional information.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Detailed Description of the Collection

Finding aid prepared by Ellie Arguimbau, 1987, updated by Karen Bjork, 2006 and Kellyn Younggren, 2021; Updated by Lindsey Mick
2004; 2024

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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