An Unfinished Journey:

Institutions: How Did People with Developmental Disabilities Come to Live in Institutions?

In 19th century America, conditions for people with disabilities were harsh. Many families lacked the resources to provide care for their loved ones with disabilities. People with disabilities, along with others living in poverty, were sometimes put into "poorhouses." Wealthier parents could keep their children with disabilities at home.

Minnesota established the "Hospital for the Insane" in St. Peter in 1866. Additional state institutions were built, including in Faribault (1879), Rochester (1879), Fergus Falls (1890), and Anoka (1894). The state took custody of people with developmental disabilities and placed them in these newly formed institutions, away from their families and local communities.

The state institutions started as training schools. But as the populations increased, the commitment to education and training was abandoned. People were treated like prison inmates—or worse.

Residents were forced to work for free to support the institutions. People worked in segregated "colonies" based on their abilities. Some residents worked as unpaid laborers to care for others within the institution. Others performed hard physical labor on farm colonies or in other places to sustain the large institutional population.

Photo: Blue-toned photo of Willmar State Hospital, a 3-story brick building with two wings, courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society.

Photo: Black and white photo of rows of iron beds in 1900. Older white men are lying in the beds under white sheets. Two men in suits are standing near the beds, courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society.

Photo: Black and white photo of four young boys taken in 1905. Two of the boys are using wooden crutches. One is wearing a metal halo brace around his neck and head. The boys are standing next to wooden work benches at a child's height with tools including vices, and an oil can, courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society.