The historical record is written and maintained, in many cases, by people who wanted their story told - and told in a certain way.
So when Susan Bartlett Foote came across the diary of Engla Schey, with accounts and photographs of the conditions in mid-20th century Minnesota mental institutions, she knew these were forgotten - but vitally important - stories about forgotten people.
The Crusade for Forgotten Souls: Reforming Minnesota’s Mental Institutions, 1946-1954 is published by University of Minnesota Press.
