The Minnesota State Sanatorium for Consumptives, also known as the Ah-Gwah-Ching Center, was opened in 1907 to treat

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

patients. The name "Ah-Gwah-Ching" means "out-of-doors" in the

Ojibwe language Ojibwe , also known as Ojibwa , Ojibway, Otchipwe,R. R. Bishop Baraga, 1878''A Theoretical and Practical Grammar of the Otchipwe Language''/ref> Ojibwemowin, or Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of North America of the Algonquian lan ...

. The center remained a treatment center for tuberculosis until January 1, 1962. During that time, it treated nearly 14,000 patients. In 1962, it became a state nursing home known as the Ah-Gwah-Ching Nursing Home, serving geriatric patients with various mental and physical illnesses. At its peak in the 1970s, the nursing home had as many as 462 patients.

History

In Minnesota more than 20,000 people died of tuberculosis between 1887 and 1899. At the time the only widely accepted treatment was fresh air and a healthy environment, which stimulated the body's immune system. The therapy did not always work but, lacking a suitable alternative, officials across the country erected sanatoria to quarantine and treat patients. In 1906 construction began for the Minnesota State Sanatorium for Consumptives about south of the city of

Walker Walker or The Walker may refer to: People * Walker (given name) *Walker (surname) * Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer Places In the United States *Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County *Walker, Mono County, California ...

. Overlooking Shingobee Bay on the south shore of

Leech Lake Leech Lake is a lake located in north central Minnesota, United States. It is southeast of Bemidji, located mainly within the Leech Lake Indian Reservation, and completely within the Chippewa National Forest. It is used as a reservoir. The lake ...

, the hospital evolved into a massive complex of distinctive buildings exhibiting

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archit ...

Tudor Revival Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...

, and

Spanish Colonial Revival The Spanish Colonial Revival Style ( es, Arquitectura neocolonial española) is an architectural stylistic movement arising in the early 20th century based on the Spanish Colonial architecture of the Spanish colonization of the Americas. In the ...

styles. The sanatorium adopted new procedures as they arose. Artificial

pneumothorax A pneumothorax is an abnormal collection of air in the pleural space between the lung and the chest wall. Symptoms typically include sudden onset of sharp, one-sided chest pain and shortness of breath. In a minority of cases, a one-way valve i ...

, for example, involved collapsing a diseased lung, which inhibited growth of tubercle bacilli. Patients survived on one lung while the damaged one healed. Then, in the 1940s, came

antibiotics An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention o ...

, which were so successful at killing the bacterium that tuberculosis was almost eradicated in the U.S. by the 1960s. As cases plummeted, tuberculosis hospitals began closing. After serving nearly 14,000 patients, the Minnesota Sanatorium was shuttered in 1962, eventually reopening as a nursing home. The facility was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2001, and was delisted in 2019, after the facility's demolition. It closed in 2008, and the state divided the land, giving fifty acres to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for a wildlife management area, selling sixty acres to Cass County at a low price for its use, and offering the remainder for public sale. All buildings at the site, with the exception of a small gazebo, have been torn down, and the site has been made ready for future development. By 1990, it was down to about 300 patients, and by 2003, it was down to about 150 patients. Various Minnesota governors, from

Arne Carlson Arne Helge Carlson (born September 24, 1934) is an American politician who served as the 37th Governor of Minnesota. A Republican, Carlson's viewpoints are considered to be moderate. He first won election to the governors office in 1990. Carlso ...

Jesse Ventura Jesse Ventura (born James George Janos; July 15, 1951) is an American politician, actor, and retired professional wrestler. After achieving fame in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), he served as the 38th governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2 ...

, supported closing the center after 1990. The center closed in 2008. Despite a reuse study, a viable use for the complex was not found, and it was demolished in 2010. Of the of buildings on the site, the only remaining structure was a small gazebo. The Cass County government acquired of the property for redevelopment, and the remaining was given to the

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, or Minnesota DNR, is the agency of the U.S. state of Minnesota charged with conserving and managing the state's natural resources. The agency maintains areas such as state parks, state forests, recr ...

for a wildlife management area.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Buildings and structures in Cass County, Minnesota Colonial Revival architecture in Minnesota Defunct hospitals in Minnesota Demolished buildings and structures in Minnesota Hospital buildings completed in 1907 Hospital buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Tuberculosis sanatoria in the United States Tudor Revival architecture in Minnesota Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota National Register of Historic Places in Cass County, Minnesota Former National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Buildings and structures demolished in 2010