[5] In 1905 the Wisconsin legislature approved building a sanitorium to treat pulmonary tuberculosis.

The state purchased 200 acres on the south side of Government Hill, a sunny site with fresh air, and protection from north and east winds.

An administration building had been built, a dining hall, a power plant, and several cottages for patients.

Lake Tomahawk Camp opened in Oneida County in 1915, as a destination for male patients who had completed treatment at Statesan.

[5] Antibiotics like streptomycin were a powerful treatment for TB, reducing average length of stay at Statesan and increasing vacancies.