Compiled and written by David R. Schleper, 2022
Mudcura Sanitarium (1908-1951), later known as the Assumption Seminary (until 1970), was located on what was once Highway 212 just west of Highway 169, near the Seminary Fen.
The sulfur springs, mud, and plants from this area had been used by Dakota medicine men for many years before the settler-colonists discovered their healing attributes.
The treatments at Mudcura used these plants and mineral-rich mud when treating people for medical ailments, including for arthritis, asthma, nervous disorders, and even alcoholism.
Mudcura Sanitarium was not located in Shakopee, though it was close. It was located between the cities of Chaska and Chanhassen, and just across the river from Shakopee. Though located in Chanhassen, many postcards named the place as in Shakopee.
One of the masseurs at the place was Dr. Gustave Herman Seidler. Dr. Seidler was born in Gerbstadt, Germersheim, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany on Dec. 9, 1867. He married twice. The first woman died in Germany, and Dr. Seidler was left with two daughters, Bertha and Helene, according to an article in the Nov. 21, 1913 Shakopee Tribune, “Instantly Killed.”
He married for a second time in Germany, and moved the family to America in 1904, and to Shakopee in 1908.
The Seidlers lived near the train tracks in Shakopee on Nov. 11, 1913. Dr. Seidler’s daughter, Helene, ran in front of the Omaha #11 Passenger Train, which was speeding to town at 9:45 p.m.
Gustave ran to get her, but he stumbled and fell. The wheels passed over his body and completely severed both legs above the ankles, according to an article in the Scott County Argus, Nov. 21, 1913, called “Shocking Accident Horrifies Community.”
Helene called Coroner Hirscher, and Dr. Gustave Herman Seidler, in pieces, was brought to the office, and eventually to Valley Cemetery in Shakopee, where he was buried.
He was survived by his second wife, Minnie Finsch Seidler and his two children, Bertha Ida (1897-1994) and Helene (1898-1948). Gustave’s second wife died in 1931 and is buried at Valley Cemetery near her husband.
As for the Mudcura Sanitarium, it closed in 1951. The sanatorium was sold to the Black Franciscans, Order of Friars Minor Conventual, from Louisville, Kentucky. They named it Assumption Seminary. It remained in operation until 1970.
After 1970, the property changed hands many times but remained abandoned. On Nov. 8, 1997, a fire destroyed the building, a sad ending for Mudcura Sanitarium, a landmark that was known internationally for good health.