October 1883: About 370 patients arrive at the new Oregon State Insane Asylum, where “moral therapy” helped people to get along and included picnics and baseball games.
1908: The “asylum” houses more than 1,500 patients and the name changes to Oregon State Hospital, though some refer to it as the Oregon State Insane Asylum well into the 1920s.
1927: Expansions bring open air sleeping quarters for tuberculosis patients, a park with a pond, tennis court and pathways.
1920-1940: Legislative funding allows for an annual increase of 28 patients, but annual growth is an average of 50 patients.
November 1942: George Nosen mistakes cockroach poison for powdered milk while preparing scrambled eggs and accidentally kills 47 fellow patients; 467 become violently ill.
Late 1940s, 1950s: Treatment includes surgical lobotomies, a crude form of electroshock, hydrotherapy and insulin coma therapy.
1958: Hospital census peaks at 3,600 patients. Crowding put 80 people on wards built for 30.
Late 1950s, 1960s, early 1970s: Drugs such as anti-depressants become more available, allowing patients to be released sooner.
Summer 1972: Life magazine covers 51 patients plus 51 staff on a 16-day mountaineering expedition in the Blue Mountains.
January-April 1975: “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” filmed at the hospital. Eighty-nine patients and staff work on the movie, including the superintendent, Dr. Dean Brooks, who played “Dr. Spivey.”
1978: Psychiatric Security Review Board created to oversee people found guilty of a crime “except for insanity.” Result is a growing number of “forensic” patients at the state hospital versus civil or voluntary commitments.
November 1987: Oprah Winfrey tapes her show at the Oregon State Hospital. Some patients say they’re not comfortable with her “showbiz” hair and makeup.
1988: Governor’s commission says hospital needs money and the J Building should be demolished.
October 1990: Buildings identified by letters or numbers get names. Officials reject Elvis Presley, Geraldo Rivera and Helen Keller in favor of geographic names. The J Building becomes Cascade Hall, but people still call it J Building.
March 1991: The federal Health Care Financing Administration says the hospital must add nurses or lose federal funding.
April 1991: Ninety-one hospital employees are laid off as state tightens its budget.
December 2003: Governor’s task force recommends a “sweeping overhaul” of Oregon’s mental health system — and more money.
January 2005: The Oregonian exposes the storage of thousands of cremated patients’ ashes in corroding canisters and the need to replace the 123-year-old J Building, likely to collapse in an earthquake
May 2005: Consultants conclude the buildings are decrepit, hold too many patients and would likely collapse in an earthquake.
December 2005: Class-action lawsuit alleging “dangerous conditions” at the hospital is settled after legislators agree to spend an extra $9.2 million to hire workers and improve conditions.
March 2007: Governor recommends Salem and Junction City as sites for two new state hospitals.
January 2008: U.S. Department of Justice says hospital care and conditions threaten patients’ safety and constitutional rights.
September 2008: Officials schedule groundbreaking for new hospital in Salem. Expected completion: 2011.
Source: Michelle Cole, The Oregonian
This copper canister is sitting on a shelf in a storage room of the Oregon State Hospital in Salem, along with more than 3000 others. Each contains the cremated remains of a psychiatric patient. Stamped on the lid of this can are the digits 1470 - a clue to the identity of the person whose ashes are inside. But due to medical privacy laws, this is a secret that only a handful of people - mainly hospital staff - have access to.