Posted in North Dakota Abandoned, Creepy June 21, 2022 by

This Sanatorium In North Dakota Has A Dark And Evil History That Will Never Be Forgotten

North Dakota hasn’t always had a clean past. There are parts of it that, while the intentions may have been good from the outside, were quite dark behind closed doors, and there are to this day many haunted places in North Dakota waiting to be explored. This was one of them. What’s the San Haven Sanatorium history as we know it now? Let’s find out… if you dare:

Dan Turner/Substreet.org
In 1912, a tuberculosis sanatorium was built in the Turtle Mountains of North Dakota. It was simply known as the State Sanatorium but later would become known by what most people remember it as today: San Haven Sanatorium. The year following its opening, it only had 12 patients. By 1922 that would increase to 140.
Andrew Filer/Flickr
Even when the tuberculosis epidemic started to become less seen in the country, the hospital was as busy as ever. The nearby North Dakota Institution for the Feeble-Minded, an early name for an establishment to treat the mentally ill, began sending its patients there as the space became available. Soon, over 1,300 mentally disabled patients were being "treated" (we use the term loosely) there. In 1973, the entire sanatorium was taken over by the institution.
Dan Turner/Substreet.org
The way we treat those with mental illness today and how we treated them back then is vastly different. What went on behind the doors of the now-abandoned and dilapidated buildings might be the stuff of nightmares to some. The understanding of how to treat non-physical ailments was not very clear then and the methods used would probably be considered barbaric now. Even back then, the sanatorium experienced controversy over how the patients were being treated.
Dan Turner/Substreet.org
The excessive amount of people there gave way to issues such as overcrowding and lack of care because the 400 employees simply couldn't keep up.

In 1992, the sanatorium officially closed its doors. It is crazy to think it was only a few decades ago that this place was still in operation.

North Dakota has some other creepy locations that can easily freak you out, especially with their weird pasts! What would you call the most haunted places in North Dakota? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!

Address: San Haven Road, San Haven Rd, North Rolette, ND 58329, USA
The OIYS Visitor Center

San Haven Sanatorium History

June 26, 2022
Tori Jane

Which sanatorium in North Dakota is said to be haunted?  

The San Haven Sanatorium located outside Dunseith, North Dakota, is still standing – though actively decaying – and is said to be one of the most haunted places in North Dakota. Its very purpose was a dark one: it housed tuberculosis patients in the beginning, from 1909 until its eventual re-purposing for mental health patients instead. There were numerous untold horrors that unfolded within these walls, as patients were not treated kindly or well in any way. Many folks died here, and it’s said that there are still many bodies buried on the grounds that have not yet – and may not ever – be recovered.  

What happened to the old San Haven Sanatorium patient records?  

The patient records of San Haven Sanatorium were packed and vacated upon the closure and subsequent abandonment of the sanatorium in 1989. Due to patient privacy laws, one cannot find patient records publicly available online anywhere, though searching old records and newspapers from the era in question at libraries or government facilities may still be possible. One shouldn’t expect to find a lot of information about specific people who found themselves within the walls of one of North Dakota’s most haunted places, but with enough research, one can still acquire a general feel for how things were back then (hint: terrifying and not great).  

What’s the story behind the old San Haven Sanatorium in North Dakota?  

A long, long time ago, in a time period far away (it was 1904), the National Tuberculosis and Respiratory Disease Association was founded and, in 1911, the building known now as the San Haven Sanatorium was built. The first patients arrived in November of 1912. It remained a hospital for folks with tuberculosis until 1957 when patients deemed “feeble-minded” (we know, gross) began to be transferred over to San Haven instead of the facility they had been previously held in. In 1971, the sanatorium was officially renamed to reflect its new purpose, and the San Haven State Hospital was born. There were issues from the beginning, and in December 1987, it closed its doors after decades of abuse allegations (and worse). In 1989, the building was shuttered for the final time. Today, it remains one of the most fascinating abandoned places in North Dakota.  

Address: San Haven Road, San Haven Rd, North Rolette, ND 58329, USA