The Wyoming State Hospital
Posted by: 
brwhiz
N 41° 15.853 W 110° 57.012
12T E 504171 N 4568089
The Wyoming State Hospital sits at the southern edge of Evanston overlooking the town.
Waymark Code: WM9WBX
Location: Wyoming, United States
Date Posted: 10/04/2010
Views: 10
The sign reads:
The Wyoming State Hospital
In 1886, the Territorial Legislature established the Wyoming State Hospital, originally named the Wyoming State Asylum for the Insane, to provide care for mentally ill citizens. The site chosen for the hospital was at the southern edge of Evanston on a hill overlooking the town.
The first building, completed in 1887, contained male and female wards, offices and staff living quarters. It burned in 1917. The remaining buildings at the north end of the grounds-all of red brick and of similar architectural styles-were constructed between 1910 and 1932. These buildings are linked by underground tunnels used to transport patients and meals during Wyoming's cold winters. Tree-studded lawns, created in the late 1910s, were intended to produce a serene landscape for patients. The legislature stipulated that the hospital grounds consist of at least 100 acres so the land could be farmed to produce income to offset expenses. The hospital maintained a large farming operation at the southern end of the campus. Patients and staff raised cattle, sheep, chickens, and hay and vegetable gardens. The farm produced food for the kitchen and, in some years, considerable surplus to sell.
In the 1950s and 1960s, new drugs and community-based treatment for the mentally ill greatly reduced the hospital's patient population. By the beginning of the 21st century, the older buildings were abandoned and operations moved to a new facility at the south end of the campus. Today, the peaceful atmosphere of the older campus belies the human suffering that took place here. A poignant reminder of the stigma attached to mental illness is the hospital cemetery that lies across the interstate highway. There, dozens of unmarked graves attest to the lives of those shunned by society and abandoned by their families.
Marker Name: The Wyoming State Hospital
Marker Type: Rural Roadside
Addtional Information:
Access to most of the hospital grounds is restricted and you must sign in at the main administration building, especially if you are to leave the confines of your car or the immediate area of the administration area. The marker is on the northwest side of the main administration building on the hospital grounds. Access to hospital grounds is off of Wyoming Highway 150 just east of the Exit 5 interchange for Interstate 80. Once on the grounds, take the first left (Agate) and proceed past the west end of the main administration building. Turn right and the marker is just ahead of you at the edge of the lawn.
Group Responsible for Placement: Unknown
Marker Number: None
Web link(s) for additional information: [Web Link]
Date Dedicated: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
Please post a photo of you OR your GPS at the marker location. Also if you know of any additional links not already mentioned about this bit of Wyoming history please include that in your log.