A History of Insane Asylums in California: Rapid Development Amid Early Poverty and Evolution Over Time

As an over 50 year resident of California and a history buff, I've been intrigued how quickly the new State of California, at the end of a largely unpopulated and unsettled continent, built insane asylums to care for the mentally ill. The scale, breadth and scope of these institutions in California was incredible. Living in Silicon Valley, we are close to the Agnews State Hospital, one of the first mental hospitals in California. I find the history instructive because of the heinous murder of Iryna Zarutska by Decarlos Brown Jr. and President Trump's call for building new insane asylums. Below...