St. Ignatius Hospital was built in the 1890s by the Sisters of Charity nuns, led by Mother Joseph. It operated as a hospital from 1893-1964. During its early days, nurses treated patients in a wooden building on-site, as construction of the hospital wasn’t complete until 1894. The six-floor hospital was completed in 1894, and story has it that the terrazzo tile floors rarely had to be polished because the nuns’ long skirts continually brushed the floors all day.

Financially, St. Ignatius Hospital relied exclusively on donations and payments from patients rather than government assistance. As time went by, this eventually created a financial struggle, leading to the hospital’s closing in 1964.

The hospital was sold in 1968 and used as an assisted living facility until it was officially closed and abandoned in 2003. In 2015, the building was added to the Most Endangered Properties list. In 2021, St. Ignatius Hospital was purchased by Colfax residents and is now beginning historic renovation.

St. Ignatius is believed by some to be a haunted location, with the ghosts of former staff and patients reclaiming the halls.