The Montana State Tuberculosis Sanitarium (renamed Galen State Hospital in 1965) was created by Chapter 125, Laws of 1911 and was located in Deer Lodge, Montana. The bill was introduced by Jim McNally, whose brother died of “miner’s lung” the year before. The facilities were constructed in 1912, and the first patient, a 22-year-old woman from Missoula, was admitted in 1913. Galen was originally created to treat patients with tuberculosis.
In 1953, 100 additional beds were added for Native Americans with tuberculosis, along with an additional 72 beds. The total capacity at that time was 340 patients. By 1960, tuberculosis rates began to decline. Children from the Boulder Training School (later named the Montana Developmental Center) were transferred to Galen as a result of overcrowding at the Training School. Galen began treating patients with other chest diseases, such as silicosis, as well as drug use, mental disabilities, and aging seniors. The hospital was also responsible for operating an alcoholism services center, which was moved from Warm Springs to Galen in 1974. In 1981, legislation passed combining the Montana State Hospital and Galen under one administration.
In both 1991 and 1992, the Stan Stephens administration attempted to close the hospital. In 1993, legislation passed to close Galen. The 80 acre, 28 building campus was sold to Anaconda-Deer Lodge County in 1998. At the time of its closure, Galen State Hospital operated within the Montana Department of Corrections and Human Services.
Records consist of patient case/medical files (nos. 1-56, 403, 1-17,999), and examination files (nos. 0-1x to 0-3623x) for patients at the Galen facility; patient case files (1970s-1990s) from the Drug and Alcohol Treatment Program; and a card file (A-Z) of silicosis patients. The records also include admissions (1913-1978), applications for admission, discharges (1913-1990), death registrar log (1976-1993), Custodial Care Unit admissions (1967-1972) and discharges (1967-1977), and X-patient follow-up examinations (1960-1971). Patient files include information on diagnosis, treatment, and related personal data for patients suffering from tuberculosis or silicosis, and, starting in the 1970s, from alcohol and drug abuse. Files are arranged numerically by case number. Also included is interoffice correspondence (1958-1989), employee records (1956-1973), minutes (1965-1993) of various committees, lab reports (1934-1958), narcotic and barbiturate inventories and registers (1943-1970), and subject files (1948-1993) which are arranged alphabetically.
Please see the scope-content note for information on general arrangement. No box-folder listing available.
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Please see the
The Montana State Hospital currently operates within the Montana Department of Public
Health and Human Services. Please see
In 2025, the various collections of the Montana Department of Corrections and its predecessor agencies were integrated under one collection identifier, RS 506, in order to help facilitate access, reduce redundancy in the MTHS catalog, and to follow best archival practices.
Collections from Montana Department of Corrections' various Divisions, State
Institutions, and Boards that were previously treated as separate entities are now
integrated into
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Library & Archives, Helena, Montana.
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