Glen Lake Sanatorium had served as the tuberculosis hospital for Hennepin County since 1916, but studies indicated that the sanatorium could no longer be operated economically as a tuberculosis hospital alone. The Glen Lake State Sanatorium and Oak Terrace Nursing Home, Minnetonka, were established in 1961 for use as a combined tuberculosis and geriatric care program. The legislative action also provided for the merger of the Minnesota State Tuberculosis Sanatorium program at Ah-Gwah-Ching in Walker with the program at Glen Lake. On January 1, 1962, Glen Lake State Sanatorium began operations with 136 tuberculosis patients. At the end of 1963 there were 100 tuberculosis patients and 251 geriatric patients. The tuberculosis program consisted of drug therapy, surgery when indicated, and a controlled rest and exercise program. Patients were taught the nature of their disease and how to prevent the spread of infection. The statewide services for inpatient tuberculosis care continued until spring, 1976, when its patient census reached zero because the responsibility for tuberculosis care had been transferred to general hospitals and outpatient clinics.
The medical care program of Oak Terrace Nursing Home was designed to provide skilled nursing care for geriatric patients who were discharged provisionally from the state mental hospitals and from the institutions for individuals with intellectual disabilities. The program also worked with other community agencies. An employee of the Hennepin County Welfare Department acted as a liaison between the nursing home and other counties. Although the sanatorium and nursing home were considered to be separate institutions, they operated as one administrative structure under the control of the Department of Public Welfare. The nursing home was closed on June 20, 1991.
Some patient records for the Glen Lake Sanatorium can be viewed in person at the library, however any which fall under restrictions will need to be reviewed by library staff prior to access. Please visit our State Hospital Records Research Request page for more information on ordering state hospital records through our distance research service.
To order a state hospital patient index and records search for an individual, please visit our State Hospital Records Request.
Patient Information Cards, 1916-1991
May include patient’s name, case file number, address, birthdate, consort’s name, admission and discharge dates, and brief medical summary.
MNHS call number: Digital Finding Aid
Patient Records and Registers, 1916-1991
Admission and discharge registers from Glen Lake Sanatorium and State Sanatorium (1916-1991) and Oak Terrace Nursing Home (1962-1975). There are separate registers for maternity patients, tuberculosis cases, veterans, cardiac, and miscellaneous cases, and for the children’s heart hospital.
MNHS call number: Digital Finding Aid
Medical Summary Cards, 1916-1976
Information includes patient’s name, case number, age, admission date, residence; also, stage of disease, discharge condition and date, and other medical information.
MNHS call number: Digital Finding Aid
Pupil Index Cards, 1932-1958
Kept by the sanatorium’s education department, the cards include each pupil’s name, birth date, school transferred from, admittance date, dismissal date, grade level, and parents’ or guardian’s name and address.
MNHS call number: 100.C.5.
Note: These records include private information about individuals. Records with private information are closed for 75 years from date of last entry in the record and occasionally 100 years due to sensitive and/or third-party data. Researchers must apply for permission to use these records. Click here for more information on accessing restricted records.
Payroll records, 1920-1938
Monthly payroll registers (1920-1926) and payroll ledgers (1927-1938).
MNHS call number: Digital Finding Aid
Note: These records include private information about individuals. Records with private information are closed for 75 years from the date of last entry in the record. Researchers must apply for permission to use these records. Click here for more information on accessing restricted records.
Photographs, 1917-1980s
Primarily black and white prints of all sizes. There are negatives for a small portion of the prints. Mostly group and portrait shots of residents and staff of the sanatorium and a few for the nursing home. They include photographs of patients in tuberculosis treatment, treatment equipment, and interior and exterior views of buildings.
MNHS call number: See the finding aid in the library (Glen Lake Sanatorium) or use the scanned PDF.
Published Records and Reports, 1921-1991
Manuals/handbooks, medical and administrative studies, and miscellaneous publications and issuances, primarily of Glen Lake Sanatorium (GLS). A few from Glen Lake State Sanatorium (GLSS) and Oak Terrace Nursing Home (OTNH) are also included. The series is divided into several groupings: staff/patient newsletters (1921-1989) and telephone and staff directories (1955, 1959, 1965, 1973), historical materials (1926-1991), non-medical reports and studies, and medical reports and studies.
MNHS call number: Digital Finding Aid
Clippings Scrapbooks, 1917-1991
Four scrapbooks documenting activities at the sanatorium and the lives of the staff, patients, and former patients. Although consisting mainly of newspaper clippings, the scrapbooks also contain some memoranda and photographs.
MNHS call number: 108.D.9.2F.
Terrace Topics,1933-1939
Oak Terrace, Minn., Glen Lake Sanatorium.
MNHS call number: RC313.M6 G5328
Note: These records include private information about individuals. Records with private information are closed for 75 years from the date of last entry in the record. Researchers must apply for permission to use these records. Click here for more information on accessing restricted records.
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