Bird's eye view showing the buildings of the Willmar State Hospital. The alcoholism treatment revolution began at Wilmar State Hospital, where many essential elements of the Minnesota Model were developed by Dan Anderson and Nelson Bradley while they were employees there.
Photograph of a woman sitting in a chair with her arms on the armrests as another person rests their hand on one of hers. Clasped hands reflect the essential spirit of Hazelden's caring community, where compassion manifests itself in a gracious environment.
Photograph of Dr. Dan Anderson speaking on the telephone while sitting at a desk. Dr. Dan Anderson, one of the founders of the Minnesota Model and a former Willmar State Hospital employee, was a pioneer in the treatment of chemical dependency.
Portrait of Dan Anderson. Educator, translator, visionary, and an advocate of research and evaluation into the effectiveness of treatment--are some of the terms used to describe Dr. Dan Anderson's impact in the field of chemical dependency.
Photograph of Dr. Dan Anderson lecturing next to a blackboard. A specialty of Dan Anderson was the lecture. Delivered by him, the lectures were both educational and entertaining and spiced with wry humor.
Photograph showing the front exterior of Dia Linn. The original site of the treatment center for female alcoholics, it was originally owned by W. O. Washburn, a St. Paul industrialist. It was named Dia Linn, a Gaelic term for "God be with us."
Exterior view of the Fellowship Club. The Fellowship Club was established for newly sober men who were homeless and needed time to adjust to economic and social realities without using alcohol for support. It was the first component of the continuum of care concept for the chemically dependent.
Photograph of the front cover of "Twenty-Four Hours a Day," a meditation book for alcoholics and was the first book published by Hazelden. It continues to be immensely popular even today.
Portrait of Gordy Grimm who began his career at Willmar State Hospital, working as a chaplain in the alcohol unit. He became Hazelden's first full-time pastor and held a number of positions within the organization.
Portrait of Lynn Carroll. The first counselor and lecturer at Hazelden was Lynn Carroll, who excelled in this position because of his dedication, intelligence, and strong convictions. He set the course for Hazelden's treatment programs and guaranteed its adherence to a fundamental, philosophical, and pragmatic approach.
Portrait of Patrick Butler. Patrick Butler and his family provided structure and stability during the first years of Hazelden, and they occupy a preeminent place in Hazelden's history. Patrick and his wife Aimee adopted Hazelden as part of their family and Patrick became a respected leader in the field of chemical dependency.